The Political Economy of “English as a Tool for Mobility”: Freedom or New Bondage?
OBJECTIVE: To critically evaluate if English is a path to liberation for the marginalized, or a new Market Mechanism to filter out the poor, creating a class of “Global Serfs.”
1. The New Caste System: Linguistic Apartheid
In the socio-political landscape of modern India, a silent but brutal segregation has occurred. It is no longer defined solely by birth or ritual purity, but by the tongue. English has replaced Sanskrit as the new language of the priesthood. Just as the Shudras were once forbidden from hearing the Vedas, the marginalized masses of today are structurally excluded from the “Mantras” of the modern age—codified in English legal documents, medical textbooks, and software manuals.
This phenomenon is not merely a “language gap”; it is Linguistic Apartheid. It is a system where the language you speak determines your zone of habitation, your economic ceiling, and your dignity.
Language: Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, etc.
Economy: Agriculture, Informal Labor, Petty Trade.
Social Status: “Local,” “Backward,” “Traditional.”
Knowledge Access: Limited to translated, often outdated material.
Language: English (Global Dialect).
Economy: Tech, Law, Finance, Policy.
Social Status: “Global,” “Modern,” “Meritorious.”
Knowledge Access: Direct access to the internet and global discourse.
A. The “Goddess English” and Dalit Emancipation
It is crucial to understand why marginalized communities do not reject English, but rather crave it. For the Dalit and Adivasi populations, local languages are often archives of their humiliation. The vernacular is encoded with caste slurs, feudal honorifics, and a history of servitude.
The Ambedkarite Perspective: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar famously viewed English as a tool of liberation. It was a “foreign” language, which ironically meant it was Caste-Neutral. In English, there is no “Tu” or “Tum” to denote status; everyone is “You.” For a community historically addressed with disrespect, the egalitarian grammar of English is revolutionary.
This has led to the construction of temples dedicated to “Dalit Goddess English” in parts of North India—a powerful symbol that English is seen not as a skill, but as a deity that can break the chains of the old caste system.
B. The Budget School Trap: Selling the Dream
The market has recognized this desperation. It has responded not with quality, but with the commodification of the English label. This has given rise to the “Low-Fee Private School” (LFPS) industry.
These schools flourish in slums and villages, boasting signboards that scream “CONVENT EDUCATED” and “ENGLISH MEDIUM.” Parents, often illiterate themselves, sell land or take loans to pay the fees, believing they are buying their child’s entry into the elite.
This results in “Semilingualism.” The child loses fluency in their mother tongue (viewing it as inferior) but never gains fluency in English (due to poor teaching). They are left linguistically stranded—unable to articulate complex thoughts in any language. The “Golden Ticket” turns out to be a counterfeit.
C. The Hierarchy of Knowledge
The apartheid is most visible in how we value knowledge itself. If a student can recite Shakespeare, they are “Cultured.” If they can recite Kabir or Tulsidas, they are merely “Religious” or “Rural.”
The concentric circles of power (illustrated above) ensure that anyone residing in the outer rings must migrate to the center to be heard. A scientist publishing in Marathi is invisible; the same scientist publishing in English is global. This forces a Cognitive Migration—the brightest minds from marginalized communities must abandon their linguistic heritage to participate in the intellectual economy.
Thus, English functions as a Gatekeeper. It promises mobility, but the toll gate is priced so high (Cultural Capital + Expensive Education) that only the already-privileged can pass through easily. For the rest, it remains a tantalizing, elusive dream that often ends in the silence of inadequacy.
2. Analysis: The Corporate Gatekeeper
In the neoliberal marketplace, the corporation presents itself as a “Meritocracy.” We are told that if you have the skills—coding, engineering, sales—you will be hired. This is a carefully constructed illusion. In reality, the modern Indian corporation utilizes English not merely as a tool for communication, but as a sophisticated Class Filter.
Why does a backend developer who never speaks to clients need flawless English? Why does a delivery executive need to pass an English aptitude test? The answer lies in the concept of Proxy Indicators.
A. English as a Proxy for Class
Corporations cannot legally say, “We only hire people from upper-caste, urban backgrounds.” That would be discrimination. Instead, they say, “We require excellent communication skills.”
Since fluent, accented English is almost exclusively available to those who attended expensive private schools, the language requirement effectively filters out the poor, the rural, and the Dalit/Bahujan candidates without ever mentioning caste or class. It is a Sanitized Exclusion Mechanism.
B. The “Decoder”: What They Say vs. What They Mean
Let us decode the language of the job description (JD). Hover over the cards to see the hidden meaning.
C. The Accent Hierarchy and MTI
The gatekeeping does not stop at grammar. It extends to the sound of the voice. Corporate India has weaponized the term “Mother Tongue Influence” (MTI). Candidates are routinely rejected not because their English is incorrect, but because it carries the “stain” of their region (e.g., a Bihari or Tamil intonation).
THE HIERARCHY OF SOUND
D. Linguistic Profiling
This phenomenon is known as Linguistic Profiling. A recruiter can determine a candidate’s race, caste, and economic background within seconds of hearing them speak “Hello.”
This forces the marginalized candidate into a state of Permanent Performance. They must constantly police their own tongue, masking their heritage to survive in the workplace. This cognitive load—the effort of “sounding right”—exhausts them, reducing their actual productivity and reinforcing the stereotype that they are “less capable.”
3. The Double-Edged Sword: Freedom vs. Bondage
English in India is a Pharmakon—a Greek concept referring to a substance that is both a cure and a poison. To argue that English is purely a tool of oppression is to deny the lived reality of millions who have used it to escape the gravity well of poverty. However, to argue that English is purely a neutral skill is to ignore the cultural devastation it leaves in its wake.
This duality splits the educational experience of the marginalized student into two simultaneous realities: a public performance of upward mobility and a private reality of cognitive dissonance.
Edge 1: Freedom
1. Escape from Caste: Local languages are deeply stratified. They carry honorifics that enforce hierarchy (“Tu” vs “Aap”). English, largely alien to the rural caste structure, offers a linguistic “Zero Point.” It allows a Dalit student to speak to a Brahmin landlord as an equal “I” to “You.”
2. The Knowledge Commons: 90% of the world’s digital code, scientific journals, and global laws are written in English. Access to English is access to the Global Commons. Without it, the student is locked in a local information silo.
3. Geographic Mobility: English is the passport to the city. It allows the rural youth to migrate to Bangalore, Mumbai, or Dubai, breaking the generational cycle of agrarian labor.
Edge 2: Bondage
1. Epistemicide (Killing of Knowledge): When a child is forced to learn English at the cost of their mother tongue, they lose access to their cultural heritage. They can name a “Daffodil” (which they have never seen) but cannot name the medicinal herbs in their own backyard.
2. The “Mimic Man” Syndrome: The student learns to imitate the colonizer’s tone and mannerisms to survive. They become a shadow—neither fully Western nor fully local. This creates a permanent psychological inferiority complex.
3. Cognitive Stunting: Trying to learn complex concepts (Physics, Math) in a language you do not fully understand is a massive cognitive burden.
A. The Cognitive Cost: “Subtractive Bilingualism”
The greatest tragedy of the “English-Only” push in low-fee private schools is a phenomenon known as Subtractive Bilingualism. This occurs when the second language (English) is learned at the expense of the first language (Mother Tongue), rather than in addition to it.
THE BRAIN’S PROCESSING LOAD
*A student learning Science in an unfamiliar language uses nearly half their brain power just to decode the words, leaving little energy for critical thinking.*
B. The Silence of the Classroom
Because of this cognitive overload, English classrooms in marginalized schools are often spaces of Silence. Students are afraid to speak because they lack the vocabulary to express their complex thoughts. They might have a brilliant idea in Bhojpuri, but because they cannot translate it into English, they remain silent.
This silence is interpreted by the system as “lack of intelligence.” In reality, it is a structural gag order imposed by the medium of instruction. The sword that was meant to cut their chains has instead cut their tongues.
4. Conclusion: From Monolingualism to Multilingual Power
We cannot turn back the clock. English is the operating system of the global economy. To deny it to the marginalized in the name of “cultural preservation” is not activism; it is cruelty. However, to force it upon them at the cost of their identity is cultural suicide.
The solution lies in a radical shift from Subtractive Bilingualism (English instead of Mother Tongue) to Additive Bilingualism (English along with Mother Tongue). We must stop viewing languages as competitors in a zero-sum game and start viewing them as complementary tools in a cognitive toolkit.
(Identity)
(Opportunity)
The marginalized student does not need to become a “Brown Englishman” to succeed. They need to become a Polyglot Sovereign—someone who can code-switch effortlessly between the dialect of the village (for intimacy and heritage) and the dialect of the corporation (for negotiation and trade).
The Manifesto for Linguistic Justice
To dismantle the apartheid, we propose a three-point strategy for schools and policymakers:
Treat English like Excel or Coding. It is a Skill, not a measure of intelligence or moral worth. Remove the “halo” of the language.
Allow students to mix languages in class. Let them explain a Physics concept in Hindi if that helps them understand it. Concept > Grammar.
Normalize “Indian English.” If the message is clear, the accent is valid. Confidence is the currency, not the British vowel sound.
Ultimately, true mobility is not about leaving one’s history behind to enter the future. It is about building a bridge where the traffic flows both ways. It is about empowering the learner to stand in the boardroom without forgetting the fields.
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