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The
Process, Purposes, Levels and Contents of Syllabus Drafting
-- A Noel Joseph Irudayaraj and C Isaac Jebastine
This
paper attempts to present the process of designing a syllabus
that involves two stages: the drafting of the syllabus inventory
and the revision and refinement of the syllabus inventory
into a syllabus. The need for componentialization with respect
to syllabus, gives rise to the accommodation of techno-scientific
component, humanistic component and social English component
in order to inculcate and foster an interdisciplinary mindset,
and a unitive and unified sensibility so that there is no
rift between analytical faculties and synthetic faculties.
In the teleological hierarchy, the primary purpose of syllabus
drafting is to give more impetus to holistic development of
the learner, and the secondary concerns are that they would
take care of the social needs as well as corporate demands.
Trim discusses the aims of Council of Europe in the designing
of syllabus of which he recognizes five levels of language
proficiency: Threshold (a minimum level of language competence),
Basic, General Competence, Advanced, and Full Potential Standard.
Van Ek produces another level, a lower level known as Waystage.
The five different kinds of syllabi namely, the semantic,
functional, procedural, structural, and syncretic or `multidimensional',
as Keith Johnson calls it, can be adopted, and the various
criteria of unit selection have to be fixed according to the
syllabus type.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Impact
of Examinations on the Teaching and Learning of English
-- Evangeline Sabina Rajasekar
The
influence of assessment on teaching and learning is commonly
described as `Washback' in language testing and `Backwash'
in the literature on education. Since the time Alderson and
Wall (1993) published their article, "Does Washback Exist?",
numerous studies have proved the existence of washback and
its influence/impact on teaching and learning. This study
sets out to verify whether the Public Higher Secondary English
Examinations (an assessment conducted by the Directorate of
Examinations, State Board of Tamil Nadu) have an impact on
the teaching and learning of English in the schools in Chennai.
The study also aims at determining the nature of this impact.
Data was collected through a detailed questionnaire survey.
The findings indicate that tests do influence the teaching
and learning of English, and it is imperative for this impact
to be desired, intended or positive, failing which the goals
of the curriculum would remain just in theory, while in practice
the demands of the examination would continue to be met. The
effects are detrimental in that it leads to an enormous waste
of various teaching-learning resources, besides making school
leavers incompetent in English.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Hinglish
on a Platter: A Toast to New Global Bhasha
--
Gajendra S Chauhan
In
the context of the spread of English language across the globe,
it cannot remain `pure', permanent and safe in its structure.
Changes are inevitable. Like most languages, English too has
changed and incorporated new patterns of contact with other
languages and the changing communication needs of the people.
Code switching and code mixing are well-known traits in the
speech pattern of an average bilingual in any human society
the world over. As a multilingual and multicultural society,
India is not an exception. Hinglish, a combination of Hindi
and English, has become a new medium of communication among
masses in India. It is an interesting medley of arbitrary
words from Hindi and English, employed effortlessly and spontaneously
in different domains. It is widely practiced in houses, offices,
markets, playgrounds—almost everywhere. The resurgence
of Hindi in the recent years is one of the prime movers of
Hinglish in India and it has given a tremendous boost to its
functional relevance in the present linguistic environment.
Hindi no longer considers English as its arch rival. The equation
has changed globally. English and Hindi have come closer and
they get on perfectly, when they work in tandem. Now it is
a winning mix. This blend becomes a new mantra in social acceptance,
prestige, and success. It has a great cementing force that
connects people and places equally with ease. The paper draws
together the different threads of Hinglish, its origin, growth
and traces various reasons that lead to its pervasiveness
in India and abroad.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Towards
Integration: Childhood in Ashok Banker's Byculla Boy
-- Lakshmi Sistla
Child
has been a part of literature the world over, but the way
the colonial and postcolonial writers have used the symbol
of the child as a metaphor and site for the presentation of
cultural conflicts is interesting. "In his traditional
innocence, the non-judgmental child seems best equipped to
mirror the complexity of the postcolonial in its totality
without censorship". It is also important
to remember that these writers of colonial and postcolonial
times are more bicultural in their outlook and their choice
of writing in English itself reflects this bicultural heritage.
Though they have a universal appeal in their situation, their
writing is culture-specific. For example, the father-son relationship
is important in western culture, whereas the mother-son relationship
is crucial in the Indian setup. The child is an
important image of the post-modern decentered consciousness.
The clear and untainted child's vision helps in making sense
of a disjointed world. The child in Byculla Boy, named
Neilkant Jhaveri, is the child of an Anglo-Indian mother and
a Hindu father. Ashok Banker highlights the confusion in the
nine year old's life when neither his father nor his mother
shoulders the responsibility of taking care of him. His maternal
grandparents do give him a roof to live under, but it is never
a home for him till he is able to resolve and integrate his
bicultural heritage.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Eco-Consciousness
in H S Shivaprakash's The Bride
--
S Kumaran
This
paper is an attempt to identify how H S Shivaprakash, a well-known
Kannada poet and playwright, expresses the essential connection
between Nature and the human beings. Many of his plays have
been translated into many languages and were performed at
several major places. He is the winner of four Karnataka Sahitya
Akademi awards and the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi award.
Through his plays, he enlightens people about the intrinsic
value of Nature and her contribution to human life. His play,
The Bride, originally written in Kannada and translated
into English by the author himself, narrates a Toda tribal
tale of self-destructive passion amid Nature. The bridegroom,
overpowered by his overwhelming passion for his bride, forsakes
the warning sounded by Nature and unwittingly kills his own
bride. Traditionally, the stage is considered to be the exclusive
domain of humans, but in this play (right from the beginning)
Nature, in the form of Trees, establishes her invigorating
presence and dictates the direction of events. In the play,
Shivaprakash has not used Nature as a mere background; in
this play, trees are characters and they act even as commentators.
They point out how humans violate the bounty of Nature and
pollute her rich natural resources. Moreover, the Trees have
their own history and they proclaim the view of Barry Commoner:
"Everything is connected to everything else". The
history of humans is implicated in the history of Nature and
in the play the author elucidates the connection between Nature
and Culture. Culture teaches humans that they are dependent
on Nature, whereas Nature is independent. Humans must watch
Nature closely to predict future and to avoid disasters. The
bridegroom, in the play, fails to refine his ways in spite
of the warning articulated through the songs of Nature and
puts himself in a sad, lonely state. He goes not only against
the counsel of Nature, but also against the teachings of his
Culture. He belongs to a Culture that treats Nature as its
constituent part and advises its people to conform to the
laws of Nature. But he acts to the contrary and precipitates
his own doom. Shivaprakash's perception of Nature is relevant
to the present century that witnesses alarming disasters such
as the depletion of ozone and the destruction of world's last
remaining resources. Realization of Nature's immense potential
and human dependence on Nature, which Shivaprakash asserts,
alone can redeem the world and avert future disasters.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
The
Clash of Cultures and Races in Manohar Malgonkar's Combat
of Shadows
-- Seema Miglani
This
paper discusses the influence of cultural and racial conflicts,
as portrayed in the novels of Manohar Malgonkar, with special
reference to Combat of Shadows. The spread of western
style industrial societies across the globe has suppressed
many unique cultural features of the people of different countries.
This inevitably means that cultural differences are responsible
for a great deal of conflict, confusion and hostility, when
people of different countries come into contact with one another.
The unique racial and cultural groups of one country face
difficulties in tracing their roots and identity, when they
try to settle in not so friendly environment of another country.
Hence, this paper explores the theme of East-West conflict
in Combat of Shadows. It is through characters—both
Indian and Western—that he portrays different aspects
of the conflict. He had also taken care to show that, when
it comes to the real values of life, East and West not only
reconcile and resolve themselves, but something like a new
culture incorporating laudable qualities of both the cultures
seems to emerge.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Anita
Desai's Cry, the Peacock: A Psychoanalytical Study
-- Rashmi Gupta
Anita
Desai is one of the most powerful and distinguished Indian
English novelists. She has an extraordinary sharpness and
penetration of vision. Her writings have drawn world-wide
critical attention. Anita Desai has added a new dimension
to the Indian English fiction: the exploration of human psyche.
She is endowed with searching psychological insight and often
peeps into the inner recesses of the psyche, rather than merely
presenting the outer spectacle of the world; the creative
field of imagination is her unfailing reserve. Cry, the
Peacock, Anita Desai's first novel, has been described
as a trendsetter in the field of psychoanalytical realism.
It explores the inner world of the main protagonist, Maya,
and demonstrates her fear, insecurity and strange behavior.
Through her, she depicts a world of alienation, loneliness
and suffering. Maya is described as a hysterical character
whose impending tragedy is suggestively foreshadowed, time
and again. This paper is an effort to portray the psyche of
a woman on the verge of insanity and the factors responsible
for that.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Bertha,
the Traditional Mad Woman in the Attic versus Bertha, the
Victim: An Intertextual Reading of Jane Eyre and Wide
Sargasso Sea
-- Megha
Trivedi
Writing
is the medium through which the suppressed voice of the female
finds release. This article is an attempt at studying the
intertextual relationship between Jane Eyre and Wide
Sargasso Sea. An introductory analysis of the term `Intertextuality'
has been given in the article. According to the theory of
intertextuality, each text is the outcome of a previous utterance
and a previous text already written. The much neglected Bertha
in Jane Eyre has been given a new identity, new shape
and a new context in Wide Sargasso Sea. Rhys has recreated,
represented and retold the story of Bertha in her novel, which
looks into the inner consciousness of the female psyche and
explores the position of a female in the power structure created
by the male world. The novel looks at the patriarchal structure
in which a female is oppressed and treated as a commodity,
which leads her towards madness.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Mrs.
Dalloway: Isolation and Connectivity Paradigm
--
Jyoti George
This
paper examines the principle of relativity in human relationships,
suggested by Walter Pater, as it emerges in Virginia Woolf's
Mrs. Dalloway. Woolf identifies herself with the principle
that is unconcerned about scale of values and is instrumental
in revising fundamental moral values. The novel highlights
the relativistic fictional technique, displaying the themes
of conflicts between conventionality and unconventionality,
progression and regression of time, and loneliness and love,
as well as the irreconcilable opposition between individuality
and universality. The major characters in the novel are both
connected and isolated in their social milieu. Most of them
adopt what Bakhtin calls `heteroglossia'—a multi-voiced
and multi-styled attempt at communication.
©
2008 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
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