5 ways Indian regional languages secretly boost (or hurt) your IELTS performance
Have you ever thought about why some IELTS candidates find the speaking section difficult, while others seem to find it easy (even if their grammar isn't fantastic)? The answer may lie not in the amount of English knowledge that one has, but rather, in the interference of one's first language.
India has an incredible diversity of languages - there are over 120 major languages and 22 officially recognised languages but what many IELTS students do not consider is that their regional language may influence their English, positively or negatively!
In an interview with TOI,
Ritika Gupta, CEO and Counsellor at AAera Consultants, revealed how.
1.
Pronunciation patterns
: A hidden trap
Photo: iStock
Imagine a Tamil speaker saying 'World' as 'Vorld,' or a Bengali speaker turning ' Van' into 'Ban.' Sounds familiar?
Many Indian languages lack certain English sounds.
For example, because 'v' and 'w' are not a phonemic contrast in Hindi or Tamil, there may be some confusion when pronouncing these two sounds. This will negatively affect your IELTS Speaking score under the "Pronunciation" band descriptor and the "Fluency" band descriptor (or category).
Tip: Use minimal pair exercises and listen to BBC or IELTS example interviews to train your ear.
2.
Grammar transfer
: A quiet saboteur
Certain languages, including Punjabi or Gujarati, frequently have syntax that is very dissimilar to English. For example:
Punjabi: 'He is individually market.'
Correct English: 'He is going to the market.'
This is because Punjabi, along with most Indian languages, does not include auxiliary verbs such as is, are, or has. If you are not careful, you will bring this structure into your IELTS with Writing or Speaking (which will lower your Grammatical Range and Accuracy).
Tip: Think in English and not by translating. Use apps like Grammarly to reveal your language transfer errors.
3. Vocabulary advantage: English borrowings help
Photo: iStock
Here's the good news: India's colonial history and modern media culture mean most Indian languages borrow heavily from English.
Terms such as 'hospital', 'mobile', 'school', 'government ', etc. continue to be common terms in Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada and even tribal languages, which provides students an advantage when it comes to vocabulary (particularly in the Listening and Reading components).
Beware: The usage might differ. 'Preponed' is commonly used in India but doesn't exist in standard English!
4. Fluency boosters: Storytelling like a native speaker
Urdu, Telugu and Bengali are some examples of languages where a strong oral tradition exists, with immense storytelling and poetry as well as expressive forms.
Speakers of these languages often do better in the Speaking section if they can grasp the sequence of their ideas in English. The stories, descriptors and emotions that are often comfortably used lead to answers that sound natural and engaging.
Tip: Practice mock interviews that include storytelling prompts like, 'Describe a time when' to take advantage of this potential storytelling strength.
5. Writing: Tone trouble
In a number of Indian languages, the conveyance of formality is made differently from English.
For example, English academic writing has passive voice, hedging such as 'it seems,' 'it is likely,' and a tentative tone. Many regional speakers direct too much or have too much emotion when they write, which affects their Task Response and Coherence.
Tip: Read some IELTS Band 9 sample essays to see the format, but also realise the tone.
Your regional language is not your weakness however, it is your linguistic fingerprint.
The secret is to think about how it is impacting your English and then adjust to it.
There are many study abroad consultancies that give guidance to students for the same. In time and with practice, you will learn to accommodate the idiosyncrasies and highlight the benefits of your first language such that it becomes not just your voice, it becomes your stronger voice.
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