Principles of Language Teaching, Multilingualism and the Role of the Home Language

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Principles that guide a language class

A language is acquired by using it for real purposes, so teaching moves from the known to the unknown, from oral to written, from concrete to abstract and from meaning to form, starting from the child's own experience and language. The four skills are taught together, because in life we listen, speak, read and write in combination. Children need plenty of exposure to rich, meaningful language, chances to talk, read and write about things that interest them, and an atmosphere in which errors are accepted as part of learning. Language is also identity: belittling a child's speech belittles the child and her family.

NCF 2005 on language

The National Curriculum Framework 2005 says language is not learnt only in the language period: every subject is learnt through language, which is the idea of language across the curriculum, often summed up as every teacher is a language teacher. It says that multilingualism, which is part of every Indian child's identity, must be used as a resource, a classroom strategy and a goal; its focus group on the teaching of Indian languages was chaired by Rama Kant Agnihotri. NCF 2005 asks that the home language be the medium of learning in the early years, supports the three-language formula as a route to multilingualism, and wants English to be learnt alongside the child's languages, not in place of them. It recognises that every language and dialect is rule-governed; no variety is primitive or inferior.

Multilingualism as a resource

NCF 2005 cites research linking bilingual proficiency with cognitive growth, divergent thinking, social tolerance and scholastic achievement. A multilingual class can compare how one idea is said in Hindi, Bhojpuri, Urdu and English, collect the words for one object in all the children's languages, translate short texts, or let a child explain a concept to a friend in their shared language. The teacher's task is not to suppress other languages but to build bridges from them to the school language. Jim Cummins's interdependence idea supports this: abilities such as reading for meaning, once developed in one language, transfer to another, so time spent in the mother tongue is not time lost for the second language.

The three-language formula

The formula grew out of a consensus at the conference of Chief Ministers in 1961, was examined and modified by the Kothari Commission (1964 to 66) and was adopted in the National Policy on Education 1968. In Hindi-speaking states it means Hindi, English and a modern Indian language, preferably a southern language; in non-Hindi-speaking states it means the regional language, Hindi and English. The National Policy on Education 1986 reaffirmed it. NEP 2020 keeps the formula with greater flexibility: no language is imposed on any state, the three languages are chosen by states, regions and students, and at least two of the three must be native to India. NCF-SE 2023 names the three languages R1, R2 and R3.

Mother tongue as the medium

A child taught in an unfamiliar language spends her energy on decoding the language instead of understanding the content, a major cause of early school failure. Article 350A of the Constitution asks every state to provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage to children of linguistic minority groups, and Section 29(2)(f) of the RTE Act 2009 says the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be the child's mother tongue. NEP 2020 says that wherever possible the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language, mother tongue, local language or regional language, and asks for bilingual teaching-learning materials. NCF-FS 2022 settled that in the foundational stage (ages 3 to 8) the main medium is the child's home language or most familiar language.

Translanguaging in practice

Translanguaging means letting learners use their whole language repertoire for learning instead of keeping languages in separate boxes. The term comes from Welsh bilingual classrooms, where Cen Williams used it, and was developed by Ofelia García. A class may read a story in Hindi, discuss it in the children's home languages and then write a summary in Hindi; a child may answer an oral question in her mother tongue while the teacher restates it in the school language; bilingual word walls and picture dictionaries made by the children help. Code-switching is the natural alternation between languages within a conversation, while translanguaging, as used in the classroom, is a deliberate teaching strategy; neither should be punished.

What CTET asks

The right option accepts and uses the child's home language, treats multilingualism as an asset, builds the second language on the first, and never punishes a child for speaking her own language. A Class 1 teacher whose pupils speak a tribal language at home should begin with that language through stories, songs and bilingual material and build Hindi or English on it. Options saying that the school language must be enforced from the first day, or that dialects are corrupt forms of the standard language, are wrong.

Key facts

Language across the curriculum (NCF 2005): every subject is learnt through language, so language education is not confined to the language class; the idea is often summed up as every teacher is a language teacher.
NCF 2005: multilingualism must be used as a resource, a classroom strategy and a goal; its focus group on Indian languages was chaired by Rama Kant Agnihotri.
Three-language formula: Chief Ministers' conference 1961; Kothari Commission 1964 to 66; NPE 1968; reaffirmed in NPE 1986; NEP 2020: flexible, no imposition, at least two of the three languages native to India.
Article 350A: facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage for children of linguistic minority groups.
RTE Act 2009, Section 29(2)(f): the medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be the child's mother tongue.
NEP 2020: home language or mother tongue as the medium until at least Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8 and beyond; bilingual teaching-learning materials.
Cummins's interdependence: reading and thinking skills built in the first language transfer to the second, so time in the mother tongue is not wasted.
Translanguaging (Cen Williams, Welsh bilingual classrooms; developed by Ofelia García), as a classroom approach, is a planned use of the learner's full language repertoire; code-switching is natural alternation in conversation.
Principles: known to unknown, oral before written, meaning before form, skills integrated, errors accepted, every dialect respected.

Quick revision

Known to unknown, oral before written, meaning before form, integrated skills; NCF 2005: language across the curriculum, multilingualism a resource, strategy and goal (Agnihotri focus group); Cummins: interdependence; three-language formula: 1961, Kothari 1964-66, NPE 1968, NPE 1986, NEP 2020 (two of three native); Article 350A; RTE Section 29(2)(f); NEP 2020: mother tongue till Grade 5, preferably 8; NCF-FS 2022; translanguaging (Cen Williams, García).

Practise this topic

All 8 lessons on Language Pedagogy (Language I and Language II)