Activity Questions 1.6

Based on the information provided in the sources:

The sources discuss the different language families of India, listing the Indo Aryan, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic or Munda, Andamanese, and Tibeto-Burman language families.

However, the sources do not state that English belongs to any of these specific language families. English is mentioned in the context of its role in Indian society and the development of Indian English, which is described as English mixed with Indian languages.

Therefore, based strictly on the provided text, the language family to which English belongs is not identified among the options listed, as these options pertain specifically to language families of India according to the sources.

Thus, drawing on the information in the sources, the correct answer among the choices provided is:

None of these

Based on the information provided in the sources, the statement “Elasticity and flexibility are basic features of any language” is True.

The sources explicitly discuss these characteristics when describing how languages function. For example:

• The sources note that “languages are quite open; they are quite fluid” and “they are very flexible in nature”. This is discussed in the context of languages lending and borrowing words from other languages.
• It is also stated, “Look how elastic, look how absorptive, look how open languages are”.
• Furthermore, when discussing how language works in society, the sources mention that “if you look at the features of the language, you see that they are quite open to change, they are very flexible, they are very absorptive and elastic in nature”.
• Specifically, English is described as being “fluid” and “open to change” because it travelled across India forming different variants and mixed with Indian languages. The fact that English had many variants and accents shows “how fluid and porous the languages” are.

These descriptions, particularly those referring to “languages” in a general sense, support the idea that elasticity and flexibility are inherent characteristics of languages.

Based on the information in the sources, there are five main language families in India.

The sources list these families as:

• Indo Aryan
• Dravidian
• Austro-Asiatic or Munda
• Andamanese
• Tibeto-Burman

Examples of languages from these families and their locations are also provided. This diversity contributes to the multilingual nature of Indian society, which is described as being “a very fabric of our society”.

Based on the information in the sources, the statement “Monolingualism is the very fabric of our society” is False.

The sources explicitly state that “Multilingualism is a very fabric of our society”. It is also mentioned that “the very fabric of our society is multilingualism” and that “our country is very multilingual”.

Furthermore, the sources discuss monolingualism as a common misconception among some teachers and people, suggesting that children should only be exposed to a single language like English. This view is presented as incorrect, as “Multilingualism is a very fabric of our society” and “Our brain is equipped to be multilingual; we are multilingual in nature”. Multilingualism is also noted to have significant benefits, especially cognitive ones.

Based on the information in the sources, the statement “First language/mother tongue aids the learning of a second language” is True.

The sources specifically address this point when discussing misconceptions about language learning. They state that it is a common misconception that a child’s mother tongue is an obstacle or hindrance to language learning.

The sources explicitly contradict this by stating, “In fact, the opposite is true. That is mother tongue, aides foreign language learning.”. It is further noted that “having a sound knowledge in mother tongue can only aid second language learning.”.

Therefore, according to the provided material, the mother tongue acts as an aid, not a hindrance, in the process of learning a second language.