Linguistic Imperialism

LCS Assignment Habiba-tur-Rauf Sec E

LANGUAGE, CULTURE & SOCIETYLINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM & MACAULAY’S MINUTES


Macaulay’s Minute on Education fueled the debate between the Orientalists, who on one hand

who advocated the use of classical languages of India, and the Anglicists who supported the use

of English. In his view, Indian languages would be improved further by English and so could

become the mediums for European scientific, literary and literary countenance. Ever since

English became the language of the government in India, it also subsequently became a symbol

of self-development and the imperial authority (Hohenthal). It was Macaulay’s views which

must be rightly credited for the real commencement of bilingualism in India. His proposal was a

success, which rendered unimaginable repercussions for the whole Indian society.

Imperial development is supported by the creation of language empires. Macaulay discouraged

language pluralism and called for one language i.e. English, for the whole population of the sub-

continent. And so this form of linguistic imperialism was de facto a subtle way of distorting the

thoughts, attitudes, and aspirations of even the noblest in a society and thwarting from

appreciating and comprehending the full potentials of the indigenous people and their languages.

It establishes a hierarchy between the languages involved, wherein the language of the dominant

class is in a position of control (Hamel, 2005). And so this just shows the unequal relationship

between the core countries and the periphery. Macaulay justified linguistic imperialism by

calling it a necessity for survival.

The legitimatization of linguistic supremacy occurs in political discourse and language

education, and through Macaulay’s Minute on Education, the Indian communities were coerced

to choose English over their native languages, in order to reduce the imbalance of power.

Macaulay was in favor of a speedy advancement of colonial ideology through the promotion of

English language which had the underpinnings of a condescending English culture with its

norms and values. Language, according to him, played a strategic role in reigning over occupied

people (CTLI: Ethnic and Postcolonial Studies). It created a breed of colonial subjects burdened

by a double consciousness and by divided allegiances. It actually helped the West to dominate by

consent, not by violence.

On close inspection, the ramifications of Macaulay’s Minute of Education are seen even today in

the Indian peninsula, wherein the language policies depict the unjust subjugation of those only

proficient in local vernaculars. This shows how language was another tool in the hands of the

elite which will continue to have an impact, even after the British left. When they colonized, they


did not decolonize until or unless they had set certain systems in place, which ensured that the

previously colonized countries remained slaves to them forever, and language was one pillar of

those structures. Advocating native languages seemed preposterous, and adopting English

seemed the only viable option to avoid lagging behind. He encouraged the formation of an

acculturated Indian elite, which is regarded as the height of linguistic and cultural imperialism.

He even proposed that the printing of Sanskrit and Arabic books be discontinued, and this was

completely unacceptable by the Indian masses. It was due to such imperialist policies, that

nationalism in the sub-continent subsequently developed. The masses felt they were being

chained, and wanted to break free.

Even though Macaulay confessed that British policy might seem controversial to many Indians,

yet imposing a foreign language on them will turn out to be the successful move in the end. This

resulted not only in the infiltration of Western statutes, but also of Western ideas and beliefs.

Since English was not the language in which the Qur’anic and the Vedic scripts for the Muslims

and Hindus respectively were written, both the parties felt alienated from their religious heritage

when learning English. According to Macaulay, the Indian bourgeoisie were in fact asking for

education in English, because they wanted to gain social respect. So in effect, he has deliberately

silenced the protests of the proletariat who in fact formed a larger percentage of the Indian

society than the bourgeoisie.

Macaulay possessed the idea that good quality literature, scientific knowledge and rational

thinking is only found in the English language, and so the learning of English language has to be

made mandatory if any nation is to swim out of their backward and uncivilized ways of life. He

deemed all other works in other languages as uncompetitive and filled with myths and stories of

the ancients. In essence, linguicism was just another way of promoting racism, in which the

brown people of the subcontinent were looked down upon. He also promoted anglocentrism,

which was similar to ethnocentrism but is done on the basis of language, and professionalism,

wherein the techniques used in English Language Teaching were standardized for all other

language learning. Macaulay’s Minute was in fact the final piece in a series of propaganda

articles written for the formation of British language policy in India (Cutts, 1953).

His influence was so great in promoting cultural imperialism, that a neologism known as

‘Macaulayism’ was coined to refer to the attitudes of the people who adopted Western ideas and


were loyal to the colonizers (The Residue of Macaulayism). His Minute on Education divided

the population of India, and made it easier for them to be controlled. And so it must be rightly

said, that Macaulay’s Minute on Education was just another tenet of the divide and rule policy of

the British. He thought that the natives could not be educated through their mother-tongues. Due

to this, the Easterners became the followers, and the Westerners the leaders.

Macaulay was guilty of making sweeping statements with no logical foundations, since he

himself admitted that he had no knowledge of either Sanskrit or Arabic (Guha, 2007). He

perhaps wanted to plant the idea that it was not necessary to possess knowledge about them, in

order to be critical about them, since their understanding is a waste of time anyways. According

to him, English was responsible for the software of India, and so it was only sensible to resist

other ‘useless’ languages. This linguistic imperialism also paved way to social imperialism,

which resulted in the transmission of a archetypal social structure, embedded in language.

Macaulay’s minutes are criticized for not only being astutely imperialist but also prescient. It

explicitly claimed that all truth belonged to the English-speaking people and any amount of

money spent on other languages would be a total waste.

Bibliography1. CTLI: Ethnic and Postcolonial Studies. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2011, from CTLI:

http://ctli.wikispaces.com/Ethnic+%26+Postcolonial+Studies

2. Cutts, E. H. (1953). The Background of Macaulay's Minutes. The American Historical Review, Vol 58, p. 824.

3. Guha, R. (2007, February 4). Macaulay's Minute Revisited. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from The Hindu: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mag/2007/02/04/stories/2007020400030300.htm

4. Hamel, R. E. (2005). Language Empires, Lingustic Imperialism, and the Future of Global Languages. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Department of Anthropology, Mexico D.F.

5. Hohenthal, A. (n.d.). Macaulay's Minute and the Beginnings of Bilingualism in English in India. Retrieved March 19, 2011, from Post Colonial Web: http://www.postcolonialweb.org/india/hohenthal/3.3.html

6. The Residue of Macaulayism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2011, from VOI: http://voi.org/books/hsus/ch4.htm

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Linguistic Imperialism