Why Can So Many Indians Speak English?
One rarely seems to meet an individual from India who is not fluent in English. So many
Indians are literate in English that companies from the United States outsource call centers
and IT support to India. Even the so-called “Bollywood” movie industry in India regularly
turns out English-language movies. In India alone, almost two hundred million residents
can speak English. India has the second largest English speaking population in the world,
behind the United States. Because the English language is so entwined with India’s current
culture, so many Indians can learn and speak this particular language.
India has been exposed to the English language since the early seventeenth century when
British traders first began to arrive on their shores. The East India Company, a British
trading enterprise, exerted its influence all over India, trying to exploit the region for
monetary gain. Finally, the British government recognized the company’s destructive
avarice and relieved the company of its presence in India. The government made India a
British colony, crowning Queen Victoria as Empress of India. India remained a colony
until it achieved independence in 1947. However, the long English occupation still greatly
influences Indian culture (Columbia).
In the past decade, the Indian government has placed singular attention on the education
system. More schools have been created with greater funding. These village and public
schools have English as an integrated subject in the curriculum. Though the children may
not master English in these schools, the schools are an avenue for the English language to
maintain a presence in the population. Parents concerned about giving their children a
more comprehensive education send their children to the private English medium schools.
These children, especially, are taught the importance of learning proper English. Most of
the classes are taught in English, and Hindi holds a secondary status (Aggarwal). In higher
education, it is common for most university graduates in India to be able to speak decent
English.
Technical fields are popular in India, and the language of science and mathematics is
predominantly English, for most advances in science are achieved in the West, and most
textbooks are produced in the West. India has a large software exporting industry, and
since many of their consumers are Western countries, producing their merchandise in the
English language is important. In fact, besides technical skill, fluency in English is a job
requirement for anyone seeking profitable employment in these fields. For any Indian
