Debates

DEBATES

1. Study the passage on 'Power Generation in India' carefully and analyse the prospects of nuclear power in meeting the power requirements. Jot down your points on the topic Should we opt for nuclear power to meet a significant part of our future requirements?' and begin the debate.

POWER GENERATION IN INDIA

The electricity generating capacity in India has grown manifold from 1712 MW in 1950 to nearly 140,000 MW today. Nuclear power accounts for 2800 MW of the total, which is less than 3 per cent. Two-thirds of the balance power capacity is coal-based. Oil and gas account for about 20 per cent with a small percentage of hydroelectric power. The renewable energy of wind power has the same share as nuclear power. Solar power has a tiny share on a decentralized basis. Only 45 per cent of our rural house holds have access to electricity. Biomass sources from wood, agricultural waste, animal dung ... are still used as domestic fuels by a majority of Indian households. Per capita electricity consumption in 2001 was 408 units compared to 2300 units in the world and 8000 in the rich countries. The National Electricity policy of 2003 of India aims at increasing the per capita availability of electricity to over 1000 units by 2012. This would mean a total capacity of more than 200,000 MW by 2012.

2. Debate on the topic, "Can E-books and E-Magazines replace print media?" after going through the table representing the "Advantages and Disadvantages of E-books":

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF E-BOOKS

The internet and the world-wide-web have brought in new ways to gather information and they have changed people's approach to books, storing and retrieving information. Today, information is available in electronic form and is easily accessible. Libraries without books are already turning into a reality. They are more of an information resource centre where we have access to what we have in print form. Printed books are more reader-friendly, but compact discs are more convenient as they remove time and space barriers. So the electronically stored material has an edge over printed books.

Advantages

1. Saves paper, space and even money.

2. One can read several e-books at a time and can come back to the place that we left last time.

3. Helps to cut money spent on education and reduces the weight of backpacks of students.

4. They are easily searchable, more portable and long lasting after many times of reading.

5. They do not get stains and do not get lost.

6. The most advanced and latest scientific journals which don't even occur as print material are available online.

Disadvantages

1. Difficulty in developing some hardware or transcribing or converting text to 010010010101010.

2. Time and energy consuming.

3. Reading a book develops a sort of intimacy and makes reading a pleasure which will be missing in e-books.

4. It is complicated for the average user to download the e-books.

5. A printed book gives one the value of ownership which cannot be found in the case of e-books.

6. Continuous reading of e-books is more strenuous.

3. Read this news item which highlights the remarkable land mark to be achieved by the English language. Discuss the role of English as a Universal medium of communication (lingua franca) and have a debate on the topic. "Are Communication Skills in English essential for a successful career?"

ENGLISH IS ABOUT TO GET ITS MILLIONTH WORD

Most people would willingly acknowledge that English is the universal language, and now, it is about to reach a landmark of its own, by getting its millionth word this year 2006. And telling the story of the language's expansion is Global Language Monitor is San Diego-based linguistic consultancy. GLM said as on 21 March 2006, there were about 988, 968 words in the language, and that it would soon reach its one million mark.

Riding the crest of globalisation and technology, English dominates the world as no language ever has, and some linguists are now saying it may never be dethroned as the king of languages. Scholars say that about one-fourth of the world's population can communicate to some degree in English. It is the common language in almost every endeavour, from science to air traffic control to the global jihad, where it is apparently the means of communication between speakers of Arabic and other languages.

It has consolidated its dominance as the language of the Internet, where 80 per cent of the world's electronically stored information is in English. There may be more native speakers of Chinese, Spanish or Hindi, but it is English they speak when they talk across cultures, and English they teach their children to help them become citizens of an increasingly intertwined world.

At telephone call centres around the world, the emblem of a globalised workplace, the language spoken is, naturally, English. On the radio, pop music carries the sounds of English to almost every corner of the earth. English has become the second language of everybody.

In some places, English has invaded the workplace along with the global economy. Some Swedish companies, for example, use English within the workplace, eventhough they are in Sweden, because so much of their business is done, through the Internet and other communications, with the outside world. Unlike Latin and other former common languages, most scholars say English seems to be too widespread and too deeply entrenched to die out.

4. Read the following passage and make notes using the outline given below it. Based on the notes have a debate in the class on the topic " English Vs Mother Tongue as medium of education".

THE CRUMBLING TOWER OF BABEL

From time immemorial, language has served to bind humans in shared kinship and yet divided people in terms of race and nationality, status, and privilege. The 20th century, particularly the period after the Second World War, created the technology for all manner of change. Air travel became routine, and worldwide broadcasting and instant communication with any part of the globe commonplace. New trade links sprang up between nations and contributed to making the world a smaller place. This new globalised environment has made English flourish as the world's lingua franca in many spheres of activity. English dominates international trade, finance, diplomacy and science. Tourism and the entertainment industry have extended its reach and the Internet has made it even more pervasive. English today is, way and ahead, the most popular, the most required foreign language.

Although English will be spoken by more people than ever before, the proportion of its native speakers (relative to native speakers of the world's languages) will actually decline by 2050. Chinese will remain unchallenged as the world's largest language in terms of native speakers, with Hindi and Urdu ranking second and third, Arabic speakers will overtake native English speakers. Bengali, Tamil and Malay are among the world's most rapidly growing languages. The bad news is that 90 percent of the 6000 existing languages may become extinct in the coming century. Over half of these languages are already endangered; in fact, 96 percent of them are spoken by just four percent of the world's population, according to UNESCO. It is reported that on average one language disappears every two weeks.

India is one of the hotspots of linguistic diversity in the globe. It is home not only to several languages that will rise to positions of dominance in the hierarchy of world languages in the coming decades, but also to many that seem doomed to extinction if no action is taken. The 1991 census counted 114 languages, subdivided into 216 mother tongues. However, the 18 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and their 85 mother tongues accounted for more than 96 percent of the population. The census does not give information on mother tongues with fewer than 10,000 speakers, many of them spoken by tribal people. These could be the ones most at risk of disappearing, say experts. India has to face up to a difficult challenge. The demand for English as a passport to the world and a better life will doubtlessly continue and grow. But the country also needs to foster education in the mother tongues, including those spoken by relatively small numbers of people. Being multilingual and yet retaining strong ties with one's mother tongue will both be essential skills in the even more globalised world of tomorrow.

Notes:

A. Language its role: ________

a. In 20th Century:

1. ________

2. ________

3. ________

b. Role of English various field:

1. became lingue franca

2. __________

___________

___________

B. Changes in future:

a. Languages spoken by more people

1. __________

2. __________

3. __________

4. __________

5. __________

b. Languages to become extinct :

__________

__________

__________

C. Indian Linguistic scenario:

a. The 1991 census:

1. __________

2. __________ 96% of population

b. The demand for English: __________

c. Need for future: __________

Other topics for Debate:

1. Nuclear family Vs. Joint family.

2. Advancement in science and technology creates more problems.

3. Co-education fosters healthy rapport among students.

4. Satellite channels spoil the society.

5. Use of mobile phones in colleges - Good or Bad?