Teaching of English as a second language in India: an overview

English language has become a world language. It is the official language not only of the native countries (U.K., U.S.A) but also of almost all the countries across the globe. The number of people who use English as a means of communication exceed much more than the number of people who speak it as their mother tongue. If we talk about India, English has been used directly or indirectly for almost two centuries. Teaching of English language in India as a second language is affected by many factors. Environment and family background play a vital role in the success of teaching - learning process of English. Moreover, the infrastructure i.e. the classrooms, lab facilities are not as adequate as required. The importance of English can be guessed by the fact that every latest information and the text books of almost every subject are available in English language only. India is a multilingual nation, there is no single language which can unite the whole country. No doubt, Hindi is our mother tongue, but it is not widely spoken throughout the country. That is the reason, we have to borrow a new non- Indian language, English. English has become the official language of India, as it is spoken and understood not only across the country but across the globe. It is the language which is required by the world for greater understanding. Considering the above facts, teaching and learning English language has become indispensable and unavoidable in India. The present paper is an attempt to discuss the importance of English as a second language and various factors which effect the teaching- learning process of English language in India.