Opinion Column

English - A Test of Intelligence or a Language?

By Maham Faisal

Are you proficient in speaking English, or do you avoid communication just because you're not fluent? I am not against any language, but I oppose the myth our society has created. Every country should prefer its national language, it doesn’t mean to downplay other languages.

So, what’s the heart of the discussion? English should neither be ignored nor used as a status symbol. In the sub-continent, unfortunately, English is considered as more than a language, one who speaks English fluently is the one who is educated – it seems weird to me. How can a society judge a person on basis of the language he speaks. It means all the native English speakers are the most intelligent and successful ones – of course not.

Why I am discussing English? This is not an attack on a specific language, but a call to question the societal norms that elevate English unfairly — norms that could affect any language treated the same way.

Comparing the situation to other countries, you have to learn their language either it is Korea, Germany, China or Japan. These developed countries can also prioritize English before their national language, but not doing this.

Should English be learned or not? English is an international language and should be learned to compete the world, to let the world listen your voice. World is a global village; it is important to be fluent in the language connecting this global village.

Pakistan is a country where approximately 17% of the people can speak Urdu (national language) fluently. People, from different parts of the country, who don’t even know the basics of English language, feel inferior and avoid to express their great ideas. So, it is the point I want to highlight people are intelligent but are ignored just because the reason that they can’t express in the language which has been set as a standard by the society. Many qualified candidates, having skills, are rejected in job interviews due to poor English.

This creates a sense of discrimination in a nation – a nation (Pakistan) which has already a diversity of cultures, languages, traditions and values etc. Intelligence is not a language-based but includes creativity, problem solving skills emotional understanding, management and critical thinking.

The idea that English is equals to the intelligence can be diminished by the role of parents, media and the education system. Mostly, the behavior of setting the language as a standard starts from home where a kid is encouraged to speak in English and played down while using native language.

How can a kid learn in a language he doesn’t know. Before learning any concept, the language should be learned. So, this the reason why kids take time to grasp the concept. Suppose someone started to teach the concept in Chinese or any other language, you don’t even know the letters, what would be your response then?

Parents, Teachers and media should highlight the issue and emphasize that setting any language as a gatekeeper of intelligence is not an intelligent move.

In a nutshell, the column doesn’t aim to discourage the act of learning English, instead lights up the unhighlighted issue of the society.