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We all know and agree that knowledge of the English language is vital, if we want to know the world, and vice versa. In case of higher studies, we very often require the knowledge of English. In case of studying or working abroad, most of the time, Englis...
We all know and agree that knowledge of the English language is vital, if we want to know the world, and vice versa. In case of higher studies, we very often require the knowledge of English. In case of studying or working abroad, most of the time, English is required. Even if we want to progress in our career, we need to, very often, learn English – or polish our knowledge of it. Some people even treat the knowledge of English as a ‘symbol of status’!
What we need to look at now, is ‘correct English’, our knowledge of it, and how and why it is essential for progress.
Come to think of it, each one of us would like to claim and believe we know and use ‘correct English’ – but, do we, actually? That is a very tricky, and extremely important question.
Correct English has to be correct in several, vital respects:
Grammar is extremely important in any language, and the same holds true, when it comes to English. No; incorrect English can NOT be passed off as ‘modern version’ or some such. Even the so called ‘modern version’ has its own particular usage rules, and the people who know the language or the ‘version’ are well aware of those.
Therefore, ‘He go’ or ‘You said me’ is INCORRECT English. Period. Whichever the age, stage, place or ‘version’.
Correct grammar can only be learnt from proper, authorized sources. The right schools, teachers, texts, curriculum, sites, apps…! What one needs to find out or discern is, how correct are these sources from which we are learning? We need to note their affiliation, reputation and also origin. For example, if we try learning English from a refined scholar from England, we can rest assured we shall be learning correct language. The same cannot be expected, if we try to learn the language from a 7 year old child; right? The source of our knowledge is very important.
What we need to remember always is: incorrect grammar signifies lack of knowledge and refinement. Not good for one’s self-respect, image, reputation or prospects.
My heart had gone out to this young boy who had tried to join a conversation between PG students of English, with, “My Engliss pronounciation iij aalso good.” There were many who laughed openly at the clearly mispronounced words, and the speaker’s face fell, at the slight. I am sure his self-esteem and dreams had also been injured, that day. For no fault of his. If you notice, his grammar wasn’t too bad. It was just his ‘pronounciation’ that let him down.
We see, then, how important pronunciation is, for us to speak a language with clarity and confidence, and achieve our goals through the exercise. There was this gentleman who had been telling me he loves ‘poms’ – and I had been wondering what ‘poms’ might be! Politeness prevented me from asking him directly, so I enquired, “What kind of ‘poms’?” “Poms with good rhyme,” he stated; and I realized ‘poms’ were nothing but ‘POEMS’! A clear case of Clarity – or the lack of it – in pronunciation.
This is not meant to highlight people’s weaknesses, please. This is just to throw light on the vital necessity for removing such weaknesses, in order to achieve optimum results.
One’s pronunciation needs to be correct and clear. Correct grammar can hardly keep a person from feeling embarrassed and inadequate, if his/her pronunciation is not correct. There are many people who hesitate to use certain words in speech, just because they do not know how to pronounce them! What an impediment on their way to a better vocabulary!
The tone in which a language is spoken is as important as its grammar and pronunciation. No wonder so much emphasis is put on tone and accent, when a language is taught. It is expected that when English is being spoken, the tone should be conducive to the purpose. A speaker of the language needs to know and employ the correct tone, at all times.
A fake tone or accent can easily be found out by people who know a language well; so it is almost impossible to trick too many people into believing our tone and accent are correct, if they are not. The only way is to get it all correct: by learning from the right sources, and practising speaking the language with people who know the language well, or better than us. People who can rectify our errors and people from whom we can learn new things.
We MUST know the right spellings in order to communicate well in a language. No two ways about it. We need spellings to:
As we all know, there are many words in English that sound the same but are not quite the same. There can even be a slight difference in the ways they are pronounced, too. For example, the words ‘red’ and ‘read’ (the Past Tense of ‘read’). A lot of confusion can be created if the spellings, meanings or pronunciations of these or such words are mixed up.
In order to truly know a language well, we simply must learn how to spell its words properly, and also know which spelling is applicable for which situation. For example, the usage of ‘practice’ and ‘practise’; or ‘quite’ and ‘quiet’. It can cause a lot of miscommunication and embarrassment, otherwise.
If we wish to progress in life, we have to know and maintain a certain code of conduct, even when it comes to language. Yes; we need to speak and write as per situations. A serious language and tone for answering examinations or addressing seniors; lighter ones for informal communication with friends. For example, one cannot address one’s senior or a stranger with, “How are you, dear?” Similarly, one does not usually address friends or siblings with a “Respected Sir/Madam”. Our speech and writing need to reflect the fact that we are well aware of the proper usage of words; only then can we be deemed capable for higher ranks and greater responsibilities.
How is translation important? Allow me to show you. Many times, we find that strange-sounding sentences in English are nothing but direct translations of words from other languages – for example, Hindi or Bengali. One lady enquiring, “Where you going morning-morning?” is a straight translation of the Hindi words, “Kahaan jaa rahe ho, subah-subah?” As a child, I was once very stunned to see one character in a comic book say to another, in Bengali, “Haariye jaao!” It was later discovered that the original words were “Get lost!” in English and the meaning was just ‘lost’ in translation!
Even if we do not think in English and have to do some quick mental translations from our Mother Tongue to English before uttering a sentence, we need to ensure the sentence sounds 100% English when it is presented, and not some feeble, struggling translation.
Oh yes; humour or the sense of humour can differ from place to place, and language to language. Think puns, wordplay, various meanings and usages of the same words, and you will get what I mean. English humour can be very different from, say, India’s, and one might not follow or tally with the other. It is safest to play safe. Avoid topics that are potentially sensitive, unnecessary or unpopular. Avoid words that are not proper. If we do not follow a joke, it is better to either keep quiet or simply admit the truth. In all cases, our humour should not hurt, offend or confuse people. A fine knowledge of the language and practise of using it at various places and situations can prepare us for this level of confidence.
Expression, as in verbal, written and facial, has to be right. The words would have to be matched with the suitable facial expressions, in order to deliver their intended meaning and thereby, results.
To ensure this, one needs to not only understand the language and its usage well, but also its moods and the expressions of its native speakers.
Facial expressions can seem quite useless, unless supported by the corresponding body language. For example, stern orders can not be issued effectively, if the person speaking the words droops down or stands on wobbly knees. The body language has to convey the position and purpose of the person; and the body language of people belonging to different places and speaking different languages, differs from each other’s. When speaking in English and expecting ourselves to achieve results, our body language needs to be appropriate, too.
Without fluency in speech and movement, even the most correct words or expressions can lose their cue, moment, sharpness and effect. It does not help much if one has to think for several minutes before uttering a sentence, haltingly, in English – no matter how perfect the sentence might turn out to be, from the point of view of grammar and rendition. Fluency is vital. The entire process of using the language has to be correct, and fluent. Only then can it be called proper knowledge and effective usage.
While speaking in English or any other language for that matter, these are the ten major points that need to be considered. Same applies for the time when one learns or teaches the language. There are many more factors to be taken into consideration while learning or claiming to know a language, but these are the very basic ones. Not difficult to know and use; if we know where to derive our knowledge or help from, and use the knowledge with wisdom.
Sudipto writes educational content periodically for MyPrivateTutor Qatar and backs it up with extensive research and relevant examples. He's an avid reader and a tech enthusiast at the same time with a little bit of “Arsenal Football Club” thrown in as well. He's got more than 5 years of experience in digital marketing, SEO and graphic designing.
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