Second Language Acquisition in the Indian Perspective: Pitfalls and Resolutions

Abstract

The speedy process of globalization during the last two decades has rendered regional and national boundaries obsolete and brought the people across the whole world closer as never before. The expansion of the means of communication and the strengthening of world-wide internet facilities has given a further fillip to this process. These two factors have necessitated the establishment of the communication network at multiple levels, for which the selection of a world language, which is understood in most of the developed and developing countries, has become imperative. There is unanimity among linguists regarding language as a potent means of communication capable of expressing all sorts of ideas and concepts. However, some linguists have expressed the view that language learning is nothing but habit-formation because the all-important linguistic skills like reading, writing, listening and speaking are learnt effectively through consistent use and practice. The more we are exposed to the use of a language, the better and the faster we can learn it.