Paper short abstract:

It is essential to harmonize endeavours in building bridges across communities and continents in the twenty first century, as no one can survive in isolation. Language is a major tool in developing communication between countries and communities.

Paper long abstract:

Language is known for its dynamic nature as it never stays static. It constantly under goes transformation at different levels. It preserves and transmits culture. Other forms of preservation of culture are architecture, painting, music, performing arts and folk forms of artistic expression. Culture specific words in any language make it all the more glorious. Communicative competence and linguistic competence appear to be distinctly different, but there are areas of contact and overlapping. In a way, linguistic competence is integral to communicative competence. Language used, establishes the social status and extends identity to the speaker. Social stratification results in diglossia or polyglossia.

The primary aim of language teaching is to open up its resources to the learners in order to make them find the right words and use sentences to convey the intended meaning. Bi-cultural awareness and competence are pre-requisite for any language teacher to communicate aptly and create inquisitiveness in learning a foreign language. Learning involves better inter-personal relations and interactions. In a rapidly transforming global context and emerging new economies intercultural awareness, respect for all languages and cultures are of paramount significance. Language as the chief tool of communication makes it imperative to pay attention to socio-cultural aspects of a speech community in detail. It is essential to harmonize endeavours in building bridges across communities and continents in the twenty first century, as no one can survive in isolation. This paper seeks to throw light on Intercultural dimension in English Language Teaching/Learning in India.

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