The linguistic diversity of India poses complex challenges but also a range of opportunities. India is unique not only in that a large number of languages are spoken here but also in terms of the number and variety of language families that are represented in those languages. There is no other country in the world in which languages from five different language families exist. Even though they are so distinct structurally as to merit classification as different language families, namely, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman and Andamanese, they constantly interact with each other. There are several linguistic and sociolinguistic features that are shared across languages that bear witness to the fact that different languages and cultures have coexisted in India for centuries, enriching each other. Classical languages such as Latin, Arabic, Persian,Tamil and Sanskrit are rich in their inflectional grammatical structure and aesthetic value, and can illuminate our lives, as many languages keep borrowing words from them.
Today, we know for certain that bilingualism or multilingualism confers definite cognitive advantages. The three-language formula is an attempt to address the challenges and opportunities of the linguistic situation in India. It is a strategy that should really serve as a launching pad for learning more languages. It needs to be followed both in letter and spirit. Its primary aim is to promote multilingualism and national harmony. The following guidelines may help us achieve this aim:
• Language teaching needs to be multilingual not only in terms of the number of languages offered to children but also in terms of evolving strategies that would use the multilingual classroom as a resource.
• Home language(s) of children, as defined above in 3.1, should be the medium of learning in schools. • If a school does not have provisions for teaching in the child's home language(s) at the higherlevels, primary school education must still be covered through the home language(s). It is imperative that we honour the child's home language(s). According to Article 350A of our Constitution, ‘It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups’.
• Children will receive multilingual education from the outset. The three-language formula needs to be implemented in its spirit, promoting multilingual communicative abilities for a multilingual country.
• In the non-Hindi-speaking states, children learn Hindi. In the case of Hindi speaking states, children learn a language not spoken in their area. Sanskrit may also be studied as a Modern Indian Language (MIL) in addition to these languages.
• At later stages, study of classical and foreign languages may be introduced.
