Anglo-Indians as L2, a second language. L2, an Indian
language, was taught to Anglo-Indians as LI. The needs of
the non Anglo-Indian majority dictated the language
curriculum at the expense of the needs of the Anglo- Indian
minority thus overturning the very reason for the existence
of Anglo-Indian schools.
During the classroom observation and the diagnostic
assessment of Anglo-Indian and non Tknglo-IndianzS exercise
books clearly showed that the latter with their cross
linguistic skills had acquired modes of expression in
English which were not there in their own Language One. An
obvious enrichment had occurred. The Anglo-Indians had
lost an enrichment process because they lacked cross
linguistic skills in an Indian language. The Anglo-Indian
students' work in an Indian language was below the standard
of the Indian students' work in the English language.
Thus, there seemed to be no evidence in non Anglo-Indians
that the acquisition of Language Two, English, had led to
the extinction of Language One, their mother tongue. The
schools were successful in implementing a language
curriculum policy which enabled non Anglo-Indian students
to learn English and an Indian language.
The Anglo-Indians on the other hand had become language
impoverished by the curriculum. The classroom reversed
their language skills , leading to a deskilling in English
and failure in an Indian language examination. These
language reversal experiences created a minority group of
students who felt insecure or who "switched off" learning
anything at all.
The next section will discuss the reaction to the question
which concerned language education in Anglo-Indian schools.
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