Whys & Wherefores

Sir Why are some Indians not so eloquent in spoken English but so fluent in written English?K Ramchandra Reddy, Conductor, Narayanpet In general, Indians are used to writing a lot from their kindergarten to PhD and even further.

English is the medium in which the exams are conducted in, but Indians tend to use their mother tongue for oral communication. We are used to writing long answers for our exams. We never give much importance to speaking in English till our late twenties when we have to get a job or go abroad to study.

We spend most of our time developing our theoretical and employment skills, preparing for competitive exams, watching TV shows, going out with friends. Speaking must start from our childhood.

There are very young children who speak English fabulously because their parents speak only in English. Most parents in India don't do that. Our native language is more than sufficient for us.

And many of us have anxiety issues, stage fright, inferiority complex etc. We always find reasons to avoid talking though most of us are very smart and intelligent people.