Tense

Of Tense

The word ‘Tense’ is coined from the Latin word ‘Tempus’ which means time. So in brief, we can say that Tense deals with the time of an action or event. Tense can be classified into 3 (three) major divisions as: a) Present Tense b) Past Tense c) Future Tense. All the three major Tenses can be classified into 12 (twelve) sub-divisions:

Present Tense

a) Present Simple Tense

b) Present Continuous tense

c) Present Perfect Tense

d) Present Perfect Continuous tense

Past Tense

a ) Past Simple Tense
b) Past Continuous tense
c) Past Perfect Tense
d) Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

a) Future Simple Tense
b) Future Continuous tense
c) Future Perfect Tense
d) Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Person is of three kinds:

a) First Person  b) Second Person  c) Third Person

1st Person	2nd  Person	3rd  Person
I, We	You, Your	He, she, it, Shorna, they, father, development, honesty, paper, furniture, money, book, sincerity

Note: All nouns around us are 3^rd Person except 1^st Person and 2^nd Person.

Number is of two kinds:

a) Singular Number (GK ePb)  b) Plural Number (eü ePb)

Present Indefinite Tense

            a) Present Indefinite Tense: The action that takes place any time in the present is called Present Indefinite Tense.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + verb (present) + extension

For example,

I eat rice. (1^st Person). He goes to school. (3^rd Person)

Note: If the subject is 3^rd Person Singular Number, the verb takes ‘s/es’ after it.

For example,

I rise up from sleep at 6.30 am everyday. He often meets me at school.

Note: There are some Time Adverbs that we often use in Present Indefinite Tense. They are as following: Generally, often, usually, frequently, normally, sometimes, occasionally, daily, everyday, always, regularly,      

Adding ‘s’/ ‘es’

Rule 1: If any verb ends with ch, ss, o, sh, x and z, we add ‘es’ with the verb.

For example,

Mr. John teaches me English. Alex possesses a car.

Borney goes to university everyday. My teacher often punishes me. He always foxes me easily.

Rule 2: If any verb ends with ‘y’ and the ‘y’ precedes a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), we add only ‘s’ with the verb.

For example,

The boy sometimes plays table tennis. 

Rule 3: If any verb ends with ‘y’ and the ‘y’ precedes a consonant, we add ‘i’ in the place of ‘y’ and then we add ‘es’. (i + es)  

For example,

The bird flies in the sky. (fly) Borney tries to help me. (try)  

We use Present Indefinite Tense in the following cases:

a) The universal truth: The earth moves round the sun. The sun rises in the east.

b) The habitual fact: He takes tea three times a day.

c) In the proverbs: As you sow, so you reap. It is easy to say but difficult to do. Where there is a will, there is a way.

d) Quotation by poets / authors / novelists / dramatists:

John Keats says, “Beauty is truth, truth is beauty.

Francis Bacon says, “It is a prince’s part to pardon.”

Soul Bellow says, “Past is no good to us, future is full of anxiety and present is true, now seize the day.”    

William Shakespeare says, “Life is a tale told by an idiot.”

e) Factual truth / natural truth: Borney is his sister. It is hot in the summer.

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Do/does + Subject + verb + extension + Interrogation mark (?)

For example,

Does he go to school regularly?

What do you want? Why do they often come here? Why do they go there everyday?

Where does he work? Why do they swim? Why do we eat?

Remember: If the subject is 1^st Person/ 2^nd Person/ 3^rd Person Plural, we use ‘do’ in an Interrogative Sentence. Otherwise, we should use ‘does’. So if the subject is 3^rd Person Singular Number, it takes ‘does’ after it.  

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + do/does + not + verb (present) + extension

For example,

I do not look down upon the poor. He does not go to university regularly.

Note: If the subject is 3^rd person, we use ‘does not’ and in other cases, we use ‘do not’. 

Present Continuous Tense

            b) Present Continuous / Progressive Tense: The action that is progressing at this moment is called Present Continuous Tense. It is also called Present Progressive Tense.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + am / is/ are (auxiliary) + verb + ing + extension

For example,

I am studying a novel now. He is teaching me English. You are not doing well in your examinations. Sorna is reading a comic book now. I am still living in Satkhira. At this moment, I am taking my meal. The company is not doing well this year.  

Note: The Time Adverbs used in Present Continuous Tense: Now, still, at present, at this moment, this year, this week,

For example,

These grapes are tasting sour. (Wrong)

I am thinking that the earth moves round the sun. (Wrong)

She is seeming sad. (Wrong). I am seeing a helicopter. (Wrong)

Note: The following verbs are not used in Continuous Tense rather used in Present Indefinite Tense. They are: Like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, know, realise, suppose, mean, understand, believe, remember, belong to, fit, contain, consist of, seem, see, hear, smell, taste, look, feel, deem, possess, continue, notice, recognise, appear, wish, desire, hope, refuse, prefer, think, suppose, agree, forget, imagine, mind, trust, consider, have (possess), own, doubt, weigh, cost, measure, equal, dislike,       

           

            For example,

I am going to the Ukraine tomorrow.

He is going to start an essay titled ‘Of Studies’ by Francis Bacon.

Note: We use Present Continuous Tense with near future. In this case, you are well prepared to do it.

Rule: For temporary actions, we use the tense:

For example,

Borney is studying English. She is fishing now.  

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + am / is / are + not + verb + ing + extension

For example,

He is not helping me. I am not watching television. They are not cutting the trees.

Adding ‘ing’

Rule 1: If a verb ends a ‘consonant’ and the ‘consonant’ precedes a ‘vowel’, we must double the ending consonant.

For example,

He is swimming in the river. (Swim)

The thief is running away. (Run). He is cancelling the items. (Cancel)

Rule 2: If a verb ends with ‘y’/ ‘w’, we keep the ‘y’ / ‘w’ while adding ‘ing’.

For example,

Kona is trying to help me. He is studying a poem titled “The Road Not Taken.”

Rule 3: If a verb ends with ‘e’, we leave out the vowel while adding ‘ing’.

For example,

            He is making a cup of tea. (Make). They are taking her to prison for treason. (Take)  

            Exceptional: Age – ageing, singe – singeing, dye – dyeing

            Exceptional: A verb ending with the double ‘ee’ is not changed while adding ‘ing’. Such as: agree – agreeing, see – seeing,  

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Am / is / are + subject + verb + ing + extension + ?

For example,

Are you learning English? What am I doing now? Where are you going? Is she teaching you?

Modal Auxiliary

 Can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, might, need, dare, ought to and the rest.  

For example,

            I could do it. He should help the poor.  Sabina would go there. I ought to read Shakespeare.

Present Perfect Tense

            c) Present Perfect Tense: An action that has taken place just before a while is called Present Perfect Tense. There certainly be no mentioning of any time. If any time is mentioned, the sentence will be a Past Tense.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + have / has + verb (past participle) + extension.

For example,

I have done better in the final examination. He has just taken his breakfast. I have already passed B.A. Honours. He has been ill since last week. I have known him for a long time.  

Note: The Time Adverb used in this tense: just, just now, recently, currently, yet already, lately, never, ever, so far, till now, today, this week, this month, since, for, not yet,

Negative Sentence

Rule: subject + have / has + not + verb (past participle) + extension

For example,

I have never gone to China. He has not yet helped me.  

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Have / has + subject + verb (past participle) + extension + ?

For example,

Have you ever been to the Philippines? Has she fed her baby?

Note: The 3^rd Person Singular Number takes ‘has’ and the rest take ‘have’.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

            d) Present Perfect Continuous Tense: An action that started in the past and continues till now is called Present Perfect Continuous Tense. Here we use ‘since’ and ‘for’.  

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + have / has + been + verb + ing + extension + since / for + time expression

For example,

It has been raining since mid-night. They have been writing down a note for three hours.

The use of ‘Since’

            a) Since (the point of time): Morning, last day, last Monday, last year, last night, year(1986), time (9.00 am), mid-night,   

For example,

Borney has been studying at Dhaka University since 2006. It has been raining since mid-night.  

The use of ‘For’

            b) For (the period of time / duration of an action / number): One second, two minutes, three hours, four days, five months, six years, seven decades.

For example,

I have been learning English for eleven years.

Mr. David has been treating her for three months.

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + have / has + not + been + verb + ing + extension.

For example,

Nasim has not been listening to me for five minutes. They have not been trying since 2011.

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Have / has + subject + been + verb + ing + extension + ?

For example,

Have I been learning English since 2002?

Past Indefinite Tense

            a) Past Indefinite Tense: The action that took place in the indefinite time of past is called Past Indefinite Tense. Here we find the mention of time.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + verb (past form) + extension

 For example,

Once upon a time there lived a king named Arthur in England. 

I got myself admitted at Dhaka University in 2006.

An angel came to me last night. I saw a fairy in my flower garden yesterday.

Note: The Time Adverbs used in Past Indefinite Tense are: Ago, long long ago, long since, once upon a time, last, last year, yesterday, the previous day, once year back,  (1985), used to, today, this afternoon, then.

Rule: Regular habitual action in the past is expressed through the Past Indefinite Tense with ‘used to’.

For example,

He used to play chess when he was 15 years old.   

Rule: Irregular habitual action in the past is expressed with ‘would’

For example,

He would bathe in the river Hariabhanga / Meghna every afternoon.

Rule: After the phrase ‘as if’ / ‘as though’ we use Past Indefinite Tense.

For example,

He behaves as if / as though he were mad.

Rule: If the Reported Speech is in Present Indefinite Tense, in the Indirect Speech we use Past Indefinite Tense.

For example,

He said to me, “I see a movie titled ‘Devil’s Advocate’.”

He told me that he saw a movie titled ‘Devil’s Advocate’. (Past Indefinite Tense)

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + did not + verb (present) + extension

For example,

I did not kill a snake. He did not eat a mango.

He did not give me a gift. They did not go to the cinema.

She did not write a letter to him.  I did not make a table.  You did not answer correctly.

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Did + subject + verb (present) + object + ?

For example,

Did he give me a gift yesterday? Did they go to the cinema the previous day?

Did she write a letter to him? Did I make a table? Did you answer correctly?

Past Continuous Tense

            b) Past Continuous Tense: The action that was progressing in past but not completed is called Past Continuous Tense.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + was / were (auxiliary) + verb + ing + extension

For example,

They were laughing at the joker. He was taking examination. While I was walking in the garden, I saw a poisonous snake. You were waiting for him. She was working in a factory. It was raining.

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + was / were (auxiliary) + not + verb + ing + extension

For example,

They were not laughing at the joker. He was not taking exam.
You were not waiting for him. She was not working in a factory.

Interrogative sentences

Rule: Was / were (auxiliary) + subject + verb + ing + extension + ?

For example,

Were they laughing at the joker? Was he taking exam?
Were you waiting for him? Was she working in a factory? Was it raining?

 Past Perfect Tense

            c) Past Perfect Tense: Past Perfect Tense describes an action completed before a certain moment in the past. If two actions took place in the past, it is necessary to show which action happened earlier than the other. The Past Perfect Tense is mainly used in such situations. The Simple Past Tense is used in one clause and the Past Perfect Tense in the other.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + had + verb (past participle) + extension + before / after + Past Indefinite Tense.

For example,

The doctor had come before the patient died. The doctor came after the patient died. I had written the letter before he arrived. No sooner had the thief seen me than he started running. Hardly had I learnt English grammar when I could speak in English fluently.

Note: ‘Before’ _vK‡j Past Perfect Tense Av‡M, Avi  ‘After’ _vK‡j  Past Perfect Tense c‡i  e‡m|  GKwU Past Perfect Tense n‡j, Ab¨wU Past Indefinite Tense n‡e| We should keep in mind that the earlier action is in Past Perfect Tense and the latter one in Past Indefinite Tense. 

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

            d) Past Perfect Continuous Tense: This tense is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + had been + verb + ing + extension + since / for (time expression)

For example,

At that time he had been writing a novel for two months. When Mr. Mofizzar Rahaman came to the school in 1995, Mr. Dipak Kumar had already been teaching there for five years.

Future Indefinite Tense

            a) Future Indefinite Tense: An action that has not taken place yet rather will take place in future is called Future Indefinite Tense.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + shall / will + verb ( present ) + extension

For example,

I shall be 20 next Saturday.

It will be Ramadan in a week. We will know our examination results in May.  

Note: We use ‘shall’ with the 1^st but ‘will’ with 2^nd Person and 3^rd Person accordingly. But now in modern English we can use ‘will’ with 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Person.  

Negative Sentence

Rule: subject + shall / will + not + verb (present) + extension

For example,

He will not start a business. She will not send me a letter. They will not buy a new car. The pattern of exam will not change next year. I will not give you a pen tomorrow. Students will not take exams at the end of semester.

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Shall / will + subject + verb (present) + extension + ?

For example,

Will he start a business? Will she send me a letter? Will they buy a new car? Will the Pattern of examination change next year? Shall I give you a pen tomorrow? Will students take exams at the end of semester?

Future Continuous Tense

            b) Future Continuous Tense: We use the tense when we talk about something that we have planned to do in the future. Here in this tense, the action is thought to be going on in the future.

Affirmative Sentence

Rule: Subject + shall / will + be + verb + ing + extension.

For example,

He will be catching fish.

I shall be swimming in the pond. I will be staying her till Sunday.

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + shall / will + not + be + verb + ing + extension.

For example,

I shall not be catching fish. Borney will not be studying by day.

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Shall / will + subject + be + verb + ing + extension + ?

For example,

Will you be taking tea in the morning? Shall I be doing the work? 

Future Perfect Tense

            c) Future Perfect Tense: It is used to express an action which will occur in future and is thought to be completed in future. It expresses a sense of completion of an action which will occur in future.

For example,

John will have gone tomorrow.

            Note: It shows a sense of completion of an action (go) which will occur in future (tomorrow).

Affirmative Sentence

Rules: Subject + shall / will + have + verb ( past participle ) + extension.

Examples:
She will have finished the work by Wednesday. I will have left for home by the time he gets up. You will have started a job.

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + shall / will + not + have + verb ( past participle ) + extension.

Examples:
She will not have finished the work by Wednesday. I will not have left for home by the time he gets up. You will not have started a job. By the end of the month, I will not have worked here.

Interrogative Sentence

Rule: Shall / will + Subject + have + verb ( past participle ) + extension + ?

Examples

Will she have finished the work by Wednesday? Will Borney have come here by 2020? Shall I have finished the work by June?

Note: fwel¨‡Z GKwU Kv‡Ri Av‡M Avi GKwU KvR n‡e eySv‡j, ‡h KvRwU Av‡M n‡e †mwU Future Perfect Tense Avi †h KvRwU c‡i n‡e †mwU Present Indefinite Tense or Future Indefinite Tense n‡e|

Example:

They will have reached the station before the train leaves / the train will leave.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

            d) Future Perfect Continuous Tense: It is used to express a continued or ongoing action that will start in future and is thought to be continued till sometime in future. (Remember, an ongoing action in future which will continue till some time in future). There will be a time reference, such as “since 1980, for three hours” from which the action will start in future and will continue. A sense of time reference is found which gives an idea that action will start at some time in future and will continue for some time.  Such time reference or sense of time reference is the identity of Future perfect continuous tense because it tells that action will start at a particular time in future.

Affirmative Sentence

Rules: Subject + shall have / will have + been + verb + ing + since/ for + extension + time reference

Examples:

I will have been waiting for him for an hour. She will have been playing football since 2015.

            For example:

            He will have been studying in this school since 2005.

            Note: So it means that he will start studying in this school in 2005 and will study in this school till sometime in future. Note: If there is not time reference or sense of time reference then it is not Future Perfect Continuous Tense because there is no hint about the time of action when it will start in future and it seems just an ongoing action in future, which resembles ‘Future Continuous Tense’. So the reference of time differentiates between Future perfect continuous tense between Future Continuous Tense.

Negative Sentence

Rule: Subject + shall / will  + not + have been + verb + ing + extension + time reference

            Note: To make negative sentence, the word “not” is added inside auxiliary verb, so it becomes “will not have been”.

Examples: I will not have been waiting for him for one hour. She will not have been playing football since 2015.

Interrogative Sentence
Rule: Will / shall + subject + have been + verb + ing + extension + time reference + ?

Examples:

Shall I have been waiting for him for one hour?

Will she have been playing football since 2015?

            Note: ‡h KvRwU Av‡M NU‡e †mwU Future Perfect Continuous Tense n‡e, Avi †h KvRwU c‡i NU‡e †mwU Present Indefinite Tense or Future Indefinite Tense n‡q _v‡K|

Example,

They will have been playing in the field for an hour.

He will have been doing the sum before he goes to school.

Structures of Tense

Present Tense

1. Present Indefinite Tense: Subject + verb (present form) + extension

2. Present Continuous Tense: Subject + am/is/are + verb + ing + extension

3. Present Perfect Tense: Subject + have/ has + verb (past participle form) + extension

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense: Subject + have been/ has been + verb + ing + since/ for + extension

Past Tense

1. Past Indefinite Tense: Subject + verb (past form) + extension

2. Past Continuous Tense: Subject + was/were + verb + ing + extension 

3. Past Perfect Tense: Subject + had + verb (past participle form) + extension 

4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense: Subject + had been + verb + ing + extension

Future Tense

1. Future Indefinite Tense: Subject + shall/will + verb (present form) + extension

2. Future Continuous Tense: Subject + shall be/ will be + verb + ing + extension

3. Future Perfect Tense: Subject + shall have/ will have + verb (past participle form) + extension

4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense: Subject + shall have been/ will have been + verb + ing + extension 

Md. Saiful Alam

B. A. Honours and M. A. in English

Lecturer of English

Queen’s College, Dhaka

E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com

My affectionate Readers,

Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English. I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.

 

The Condition of English in Bangaldesh

The Condition of English in Bangladesh:

 Second Language or Foreign Language

Mother tongue or first language is perhaps the most favorite thing for any person. The question of language has resulted into many conflicts and discontentment. The prime example of such discontentment is the Language Movement of 1952 in Bangladesh. On the other hand we cannot live in isolation. We have to be in contact with the speakers of other languages. Bangladesh is considered to be a monolingual country in which more than 98% of the population is speakers of Bangla language. However, there are more than ten languages in such a small country like Bangladesh. Monipuri, Urdu, Chakma, Santali, Garo, Rakhain, Tipra- are just some of the other languages present in Bangladesh. 

The interesting thing is that Urdu is an Indo-European language but written in Arabic script, Santali belongs to the Mono-Khemar language family while Chakma belongs to the Chinese-Barmese language group. So, although Bangladesh is often portrayed as a country of linguistic unity based on Bangla language in reality it has notable linguistic diversity. To communicate with the speakers of other languages we either need to know their language or communicate in a Lingua-Franca that is comprehensible to both of us. 

Today, the world has become a global village. Thanks to the advancement of communication system and technology. Every country is dependent on others for trade and commerce, education, politics etc. As a result, we have to constantly communicate with other countries and speakers of other languages. Third world countries like Bangladesh have to depend on foreign aid because they are not self-sufficient. As a result, many foreigners come to Bangladesh. A third factor is the factor of religion. The sacred language of the Muslims is Arabic, Sanskrit for Hindus, Pali for the Buddhists and Latin for the Christians. 

All these factors remind us the necessity for learning other language(s) in addition to our mother tongue. According to this reality, many countries of the world have adopted a European language as second language which is often used in education, law court, economic activities and government works. These languages have most of the time official status in the constitution of those countries. Many of the cases the countries have adopted the language of their past colonial rulers as the second language. Sometimes, these languages are also called official language. In many African countries, we can see this picture. On the other hand, some European languages have become very important in the world for literary and economic purposes. For example, German and French are considered to be important languages of the world because both of them have influential literature and economic aspects associated with them. 

For example, many people in our country are interested to learn French because it may help them to get UN jobs and jobs in Multinational companies. Another attractive motivation for learning French in Bangladesh is that it may help us to immigrate to Canada as skill in French language gives a person some extra points in the point system of Canadian immigration. 

The title of my research is “Status of English in Bangladesh”: Second language or foreign language?" I have selected this topic because from sociolinguistic point of view the status of English is a very interesting one. On the one hand, English language is dominantly present in every side of our national life while on the other hand in our constitution it is clearly declared that the language of the country is Bangla. In fact, nothing is said about the status of English language in our constitution. On one hand, economic activities in the private companies are carried out in English while there is a government law (Bangla procholon ain 1987) that government offices must use Bangla in their official works. So from the government point of view, Bangla is the national - official language of Bangladesh and English is the most important foreign language. But in reality English is the second language of the country and in many places English is more important than Bangla in Bangladesh. 

Second Language:

A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. The term is to be distinguished from foreign language; linguist Eric Lenneberg uses second language in his critical period hypothesis to mean a language consciously learned or used by its speaker after puberty. In most cases, people never achieve the same level of fluency and comprehension in their second languages as in their first language. 

Historically in Europe, the most widely used second language (or lingua franca) was Latin. It was used by the Church; by the Law (as it still is today); in Medicine (starting much later); Horticulture and biological classification of plants, animals, fruits, nuts, etc. 

Latin was used so much across Europe that it was called the vulgar (or common tongue); this is why the Latin version of the Bible is called the Vulgate. 

Nowadays, English is considered the world's most widespread second language; it is used in areas as diverse as the internet, television and radio, and international aviation. 

The success of English throughout the world stems from two major causes: the far reaching influence of the British Empire, and the 20th century (and continuing) dominance of the United States in the fields of business and entertainment. 

French was for a time the lingua franca (the origin of term) in Europe. In history, both England and France were ruled by a single crown - the language used by the royal court was French (English was considered "the peasant's language"). Afterwards, as was the case with English, the French empire spread its language through colonization. French continues to be one of the world's most widely spoken languages. (Source: Wikipedia) 

If we look at the definition of second language then we can easily say that English is the second language of Bangladesh. It is widely used in many parts of our national life. Many people watch English television channels and also use Internet. The students have to study it for twelve years and those who want to join civil service by attending B. C. S exam also have to sit for English examination. The only thing that is missing from the above definition is the fact that except for formal occasions, no one speaks in English in Bangladesh. It is not the language used in home among family members and among friends in informal conversation. 

Foreign Language:

A foreign language is a language not spoken by the indigenous people of a certain place: for example, English is a foreign language in Japan. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her. 

Some children learn more than one language from birth or from a very young age: they are bilingual. These children can be said to have two mother tongues: neither language is foreign to that child, even if one language is a foreign language for the vast majority of people in the child's birth country. For example, a child learning English from her English mother in Japan can speak both English and Japanese, but neither is a foreign language to her. (Source- Wikipedia) 

From the above definition, it is seen that foreign language refers to a language that is not native to a person. From this point of view, English can be considered as a foreign language in Bangladesh since it is not native in our country. Hardly any Bangladeshi person speaks in English although many of them use it in education and business. 

Official Language:

An official language is something that is given a unique status in the countries, states, and other territories. It is typically the language used in a nation's legislative bodies, though the law in many nations requires that government documents be produced in other languages as well. 

Officially recognized minority languages are often mistaken for official languages. However, a language officially recognized by a state, taught in schools, and used in official communication is not necessarily an official language. For example, Ladin and Sardinian in Italy and Mirandese in Portugal are only officially recognized minority languages, not official languages in the strict sense. 

Half of the countries in the world have official languages. Some have only one official language, such as Albania, France, or Lithuania, despite the fact that in all these countries there are other native languages spoken as well. Some have more than one official language, such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Eritrea, Finland, India, Paraguay, South Africa, and Switzerland. 

In some countries, such as Iraq, Italy, Russia and Spain, there is an official language for the country, but other languages are co-official in some important regions. Some countries, such as Australia, Sweden, Tuvalu, and the United States have no official languages. 

The official languages of some former colonies, typically French or English, are not the national languages or the most widely spoken language. 

In contrast, as a consequence of nationalism, Irish is the "national language" of the Republic of Ireland and its first official language, although it is spoken by only a small fraction of its people. English, which is spoken by the majority, is described only as the second official language (Constitution of Ireland, Article.)

In some countries, the issue of which language is to be used in what context is a major political issue. (Source-Wikipedia) 

From the above definition, it is seen that the notion of official language is complicated. According to our constitution English cannot be termed as the official language of Bangladesh since it has no status in our constitution. The only language that is mentioned in our constitution is Bangla. But English is allowed in our parliament and many government events. For example, when there is a government event in which some foreigners attend then in many cases the speakers use English language. Many important government documents are written both in Bangla and English. The parliament proceedings are kept into these two languages. When a government body organizes a fair then often the souvenir is published in English. 

Constitution:

About the language of the country the Bangladeshi constitution clearly states:

"The state language: The state language of the Republic is [Bangla]." In the constitution, nothing is mentioned about the status of English. English is not mentioned as a second language or official language. So if we take the status of English in our constitution then we cannot claim that English is a second language or official language in Bangladesh. 

English in Law Court in Bangladesh:

After Independence, the government took the initiative to implement Bangla language in law court. As a result, now the lower courts carry out their activities in Bangla but English is yet very influential in High Court and Supreme Court. If a lawyer wants to practise in Supreme Court then he must have a good command over English language. Many of the judges still give their verdicts in English language. It seems that this trend of using English will remain for the forcible future. 

English in Education Sector in Bangladesh:

Formal and institutionalised education system started in Bangladesh during the British rule. At that time, Bangladesh was part of British India. There was a debate about the medium of education. Raja Rammohan Roy argued that the medium should be English rather than Sanskrit or Persian. During the British period the medium of education was largely in English. Calcutta University took an initiative in 1935 to introduce Bangla as a medium of education along with English. In Bangladesh the use of Bangla in college level started in the 1960s. Now students can answer in the examinations in Bangla or English. In the college level and university level after 1971 the government tried to patronize Bangla and implement it by replacing English in the education sector but this did not came into reality because of some basic problems. The first problem is that there were not enough books of any field in Bangla language. This problem is more acute in science and technology. For example, there are almost no books in Bangla about computer technology that can be used as a reference book in the University level. 

Actually there are three kinds of education systems in our country- Bangla medium, English medium, and Madrasa system. Bangla medium schools can be divided into two sections- government schools, and kindergarten schools. In the kindergarten schools, more emphasis is given on English language than government schools. Some of the famous kindergarten schools of Dhaka are Vikarounnesa, Holycross, Willes Little Flower and so on. Although these schools belong to Bangla medium, the students have to study 3-4 English books like: Radiant Way, Active English, Desk Work, Fundamental English, Brighter Grammar and so on. On the other hand, in the government schools, there is mainly one English book (English for Today) which is published by Bangladesh Text Book Board. The English medium schools do not follow Bangladeshi education system and are under the supervision of British Council. The medium of instruction in these schools is English and many of the students of English medium are even very weak in Bangla language. There are two kinds of Madrassas - Dakhil and Kawmi. The Kawmi Madrassas are not recognized by the government and do not receive any assistance from the government. In this Madrassas emphasis is given on learning Arabic, Persian, and Urdu while Bangla and English are neglected. On the other hand in Dakhil Madrassas, emphasis is mainly given on Arabic and Bangla and English are not so much neglected. 

So we can clearly see that the difference in education system in Bangladesh is solely based on the difference in the medium of education. Although Bangla is the national-official language of Bangladesh it is the English medium education institutes who get more money. The rise of private universities has only increased the status and importance of English language in Bangladesh. There are now more than 50 private universities in Bangladesh and the medium of education in all of them is English. These universities charge 2 lakh to 5 lakh taka for Bachelor course. If the medium of education was in Bangla then hardly any student or parents would get interested to pay such huge money for the education in private universities. 

From the above discussion it is clear that in our general education system English has equal if not more importance than Bangla. In our education system, English is really the second language as all the students have to study it as a compulsory subject for twelve years. 

English and Administration:

During the language movement the people of Bangladesh were afraid that if Urdu was established as the State Language of Pakistan then all the government activities will be carried out in Urdu and our people will suffer. As a result of the language movement, the Pakistani Regime kept on carrying out government activities in English language. After Bangladesh became independent the government of Awami League decided to replace English with Bangla in administrative works but after the death of Sheikh Mujib this process came to a halt and English continued to remain as the dominant language. It was during the rule of Ershad Bangla Procholon Aeen of 1987 was created and implemented. From that time English started to lose its significance in administration. However, it has to be mentioned that all the international communication of Bangladesh government is carried out through English. 

English in Economic Activities:

The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on foreign aids and export of some common items like ready made garments, jute, tea, fish etc and also we import a lot of things. Bangladesh is not self sufficient economically. Trading is more popular than production. Trading requires constant communication with foreign companies. Many of the companies who are involved in trading have to use English in dealing with foreigners. Suppose, a company is doing trading with China which is not an English speaking country. Then the company has to contact the Chinese company in English. If we look at the advertisements of the private sector jobs then we can easily notice that most of the job advertisements are posted in English. Even most of the private sector job advertisements that are posted in Bengali newspapers are posted in English. Almost all the private jobs state that the applicants must have good proficiency in English language. Almost all the public limited companies publish their annual reports in English. Some of these companies produce a Bangla version of their annual report but the emphasis is always on English. So it is clear that English is the dominant language in our economic activities. 

Comparison of English with Arabic, Sanskrit, and Pali in Bangladesh:

Arabic, Sanskrit and Pali are the religious languages of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists respectively. Even the uneducated people try to learn these languages as they are considered to be holy. If we compare the learning of English with these languages then we can see that English is given more importance. For example, the tuition fee of an English coaching center is much higher than that of an Arabic coaching centre. English private tutors get 4-5 times more money than Arabic private tutors (Huzur). So although Arabic has religious sentiment attached to it English is considered to be more important as it has economic benefit. 

Comparison of English Foreign Languages like French, German, and Farsi:

French and German have become very popular for economic reasons in our country. Learning these languages help us to increase our possibility to get a UN job. Learning French is also helpful for getting immigration to Canada. Also there are good facilities to learn these languages in Dhaka University, Alliance Francaise, and Goethe Institute. Recently, the English Institute of North South University has introduced French course. On the other hand during the Muslim reign Farsi was the language of the Royal administration and law court in Bangladesh. At present, a student can attend Farsi course for one semester by just paying tk. 250 in Iran Cultural Center but there are not many students who are interested to learn Farsi, French, and German. On the other hand, hundreds of students each year appear for TOEFL and IELTS exams in English language. 

            From the above picture it is clear that the status of English is much higher than foreign languages like German, French, and Farsi. We can not deny the reality that if a person is good at English then he can earn money in any part of Bangladesh but if a person is good at French, German, or Farsi he has hardly any scope to earn money by using his skills in these languages. 

Recommendations:

From the discussion so far there is no doubt that English is the second language of Bangladesh but this reality is not reflected in our constitution. Officially Bangladesh is not known as an ESL country to the outside world. So Bangladesh should be declared as an ESL country by the government without any delay. We learn English not because we like Shakespeare or Dickens. We learn English from out of every day necessity. If Bangladesh is declared as an ESL country and English language is given a clear status in the constitution then it will not only reflect the reality but also it will help us internationally. Now Bangladesh is desperately trying to attract foreign investors. Before any company comes to Bangladesh for exploring the investment opportunities one of the key areas they would look for is the availability of pool of English graduates and they also expect that the normal workers will have basic understanding of English language. If we become an ESL country then these foreign companies while searching about Bangladesh will get assured about the strong presence of English language in this country. 

The same picture is there about educational sector. Many Bangladeshi students want to go to developed countries like the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia for higher education. If Bangladesh is declared as an ESL country then these students will be benefited because then the Universities of those countries will get the idea that English has special significance in Bangladesh. 

            So I recommend to the government of Bangladesh that English should be declared as the second language of the country by amending the constitution. 

Conclusion:

Bangladesh is the only country in the world whose people sacrificed their lives for the language. Now the historical language movement of 1952 is acknowledged internationally as the International Mother Language Day. It is true that our people are emotional about their language, Bangla. However, it is equally true that now our people have become desperate about getting skilled in English language. As a result, there are more than fifty private universities now in Bangladesh. If North South offered B. B. A and Computer Science courses in Bangla medium then they would not get even 10% of the number of students they have now. It is now good time that we finish the great contradiction about the language issue and declare Bangladesh as an ESL country for our own benefit.