The Practice of Academic English in Sikkim (Journal Article)

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Abstract: With a history of both colonial (English) and indigenous educational practices (Monastic), Sikkim’s engagement with the English language reveals the state’s transition towards modernity. While the principal spoken languages of Sikkim are Nepali, Bhutia and Lepcha; English is taught in schools from the primary level as a compulsory subject which apparently makes the students exposed to Academic English from an early stage. Sikkim’s language ecology bears witness to a linguistic cleavage between English as an Academic Language and as a Social Language, particularly at the university level. This paper attempts to discuss: (i) How does Academic English fare in the language ecology of Sikkim? (ii) How does one withstand the contradictory pressures of vigorous ethnolinguistic identities as opposed to the linguistic imperialism of the English language in Sikkim?