Decolonising Communication: Integrating Indian Orality and Thought into English Language Pedagogy

Povzetek

English language education in India has long been placed within the bounds of a colonial framework, prioritizing Eurocentric norms of communication, grammar, and fluency over native norms, thereby sidelining India's rich traditions of orality. The colonial teaching framework reduces language acquisition to a skill that favours a certain variety of speakers and rejects others. This paper aims to discuss a decolonised approach to the teaching of the English language, which aims at making language learning a part of the culture in which it is being taught. It centers the reader and his/her worldview in the process, examining whether these traditions can help develop the skills of young postcolonial learners today. The study will reclaim older forms of Indian traditions related to language with a major focus on orality, such as is found in the tradition of “katha, samvāda, bhajan, and shastrartha to assess whether they have stood the test of time and whether they can contribute to developing the skills of postcolonial learners. The term ‘post’ may signify an end but the effects of colonialism still run through the veins of generations affected by the rule. To dip back into precolonial traditions to gain the ability to become active listeners and critical thinkers is to truly write back to the empire, using their language but colouring it over with Indian soil. This paper will draw upon Indian linguistic theories propounded by Bhartrihari and Panini to highlight India’s rich intellectual traditions and their role in shaping communication. It will also seek to universalize Indian theories of Linguistics to find alternative ways to understand words and, through them, consciousness itself. This paper will also offer a critique of current communicative models like the ‘LSRW’, which often fail to engage with their learners' cultural identity. To help us with this task, the study will cite institute case studies that propose strategies to integrate Indian knowledge systems into the English language, to create an interdisciplinary approach to language teaching. Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, this approach affirms that reclaiming India’s communicative roots is not only possible but essential for fostering confident, reflective, and culturally connected English speakers.