Standard English in Bangladesh: A legacy of colonization

Abstract

The paper aims to reveal the debate of Standard English (SE) and Non-standard English from a sociolinguistics perspective in Bangladesh. The validity of so-called Standard English is examined in the light of post-colonial reaction linguistically. The legitimacy of accepting local verities of English as Global Englishes is investigated with due socio-political references. The myth and reality of Standard English in ELT (English Language Teaching) has priority in this paper and it reveals how so-called Standard English is associated with Linguistic Imperialism. The paper examines the sociolinguistic reality of English in Bangladesh from the perspective of 'My English (ME)', which is a linguistic revolt against Standard English (SE). It describes the saturation of English in various domains to understand the place of English in the local linguistic ecology in Bangladesh. Certain linguistic and non-linguistic factors are highlighted here, which may interrupt determining English variety status in Bangladesh. As education is a required field where English has a predominant presence, not only as a language for learning but also as a language in which Bangladeshi learners are anticipated to develop practical proficiency, it is high time to establish rights on own variety of English under the umbrella of Global Englishes. In Bangladesh, thus, the practice of learning Standard English is a colonial legacy. Apart from the mother language, people have been learning English subsequently the British became successful in colonizing this land and its citizens.