Report
Introduction
Globalization is a new buzz word which has taken the entire world by storm since the nineties. The term was initially used to signify the breaking of the Soviet Union and the end of cold war; suggesting the beginning of a new era of global trend. It also means unifying the economic resources across the globe which may include tariffs, import quotas as well as trading fees. Sometimes the term “globalization” is used interchangeably with “economic globalization”.
Although, this term basically refers to integrating the foreign investments, capital flows, military presence and the availability of technology; it may also indicate the degree of affect on a country’s culture in the form of acculturation, languages and even ideas. A lot of people purport that globalization has helped in increasing multi-culturism; however, some people also think in contrast. This can be admitted that globalization has helped in mixing cultures and has opened the doors for wider acceptance of cultures leading to a multi-cultural society. Globalization cannot erase societies or their norms, but it is able to create hybrids of the original culture.
In the 21st century two of the key countries who have been subject to globalization are India and China. Both of these countries boast a large population and they are both experiencing a significant change in their demography and the overall policies. Globalization has had a significant impact on both of these countries; language, culture as well as their economies. They have also experienced change in the way in which education is executed in these countries. The extent and the impact of globalization on these two countries need to be analyzed further before we can make any conclusions. The report further focuses on these changes and how they are shaping the country individually.
India
With a population of over 1.2 billion people India comprises of approximately 1652 mother tongues which has been divided into Non-schedules languages, Schedules languages, Regional languages, minor languages, major languages, tribal languages and minority languages. This does sound quite exhausting; however, it also shows the rich diversity inherent in India. After the independence of India a lot of Indian languages were allocated their own domain by the Constitution. The processes of implementing these domains were articulated by the use of a range of acts, circulars, notifications and orders directed towards this purpose.
Globalization has been evident in the Indian region since the 1900s; however, the Indian people are only beginning to experience its intensity now. India has been growing on the principles of making 5 year plans. The 8th five year plan which commenced on 1992 witnessed the most profound changes by the inclusion of the words liberalization, globalization and privatization.
The impact of globalization on the Indian languages is more intensely felt in the eighth, five year plan that was initiated. As part of the new wave of globalization, English was seen as a key language for communication. Due to the dependence and the reliance on English language, Hindi could not be used as the sole official language of India. The major change of globalization was felt by the New Economic Policy (NEP) which was created in the year 1991. This further facilitated the acceptance and country wide usage of English within the country.
In order to analyze the impact of globalization on the local cultures; we need to examine substantive and the analytical perspectives of their relationships as well as the changing cultural environment. India has around 4,635 communities; which in turn form part of the 2,209 main communities and the 586 segments present in these communities. Apart from the Hindu religion; a number of communities are also present in the other minority religions. The globalization has also seen economic implications in India and it is clear that is has converged the entire world in a single “global village”.
Educational sector has also seen the impact of globalization. The Indian universities have now turned their focus on this new global business with the aim of attracting foreign students. This has turned out to be a rather profitable venture which allows universities to charge more fees to foreign students than they would charge the local students. Apart from this the universities are also trying to implement the latest teaching techniques in order to stay at par with the other international universities.
China
Similar to India, China also boasts a large population of around 1.3 billion people. Considering the large mass of people residing in China; it is quite expected that China has also been subject to globalization. With globalization changing the face of politics across the globe; it has also managed to make some changes in China. A country which is known for its rigid cultural practices and customs; embracing globalization has been pretty much of a challenge. However, now China is also keener than ever before to embrace globalization, albeit with some conditions. Nowdays, every aspect of Chinese culture, political system, language, education, law, military, cuisine, entertainment and even their costumes have undergone significant changes.
Although China has clinched onto globalization but at the same time its administrators, teaching practitioners and Chinese administrators feel deeply about English. Officially, English was used as a mode of instruction for education in 1862. In the early 1960s, when China broke away from Russia and they had to made trade relations with other countries that they considered English language policies. In the last century, China has continued its policy of favoring English.
In fact, English language now enjoys the same importance that Russian language had in the 1950s in China. Considering the instrumental value carried by English globally, using it does seem quite justifiable. The use of English has also been beneficial for China, considering its instrumental and communicative function played in the economy as well as its ability to be a lingua franca most of the time. This has facilitated China’s relations with the other countries as well.
In the face of globalization, Chinese cities have seen the development of large American hotels in the big cities while the government has also embraced some of the effects inherent in globalization. The effect of globalization on culture is somewhat vague to pinpoint the exact changes. “Culture” itself is a broad term which not only includes tangible buildings, but also the intangible customs practiced for centuries. However, it did have an impact on the way in which people dress, think and live in general. Apart from this, this introduction of the open door policy has further expanded the impact of globalization in China. This policy has also helped boost the self-confidence in the Chinese people to think more liberally that they could possibly do in the past.
Globalization undoubtedly has profound impact on both India and China. It has affected their language, method of instruction in educational institutions, customs and even the way in which they live. Although, both of these countries were reluctant to open up to globalization initially, now they are on the path to become global powers. This amazing feat is mainly attributable to the openness with which both India and China has embraced globalization.
Globalization has brought in new technology, products, as well as economic opportunities in India and China. However, both the countries often try to take a protective stance in order to limit the impact of globalization on their language. For instance, the users of different regional languages are challenging the usage of English as the dominant language in the region although there is only 1 English speaker for every 4 Hindi language speakers. To protect and increase the usage of Hindi as the dominant language, more publishers are printing Hindi books.
Similar to India; China also maintains a strict stance when it comes to controlling the people. For instance, the Chinese government maintain a stronghold over the Internet and the materials that show up in the search results in the major search engines and if required they also censor those contents. Apart from this, the Chinese are also trying to promote the usage of a unified form of Chinese which is called the Putonghua. The impact and the extent to which these two emerging economies control their respective countries will be worth watching in the future. Whether they will be able to maintain the rigid rules will remain a thing for us to ponder until then.
References
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4. JUNYUE CHAN. (2006). Globalization and English in Chinese higher education. Retrieved on 10th November 2011, from http://jiaowu.dlufl.edu.cn/jpkc/changjpkc/8.%E6%95%99%E5%AD%A6%E6%94%B9%E9%9D%A9%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%E8%AE%BA%E6%96%87/Globalisation%20World%20Englishes.pdf
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