Relearning language

The Hindu of yesterday carried an interesting article on language, busting quite a few myths and presenting some interesting facts about language.  The article, titled 'Stories they tell about languages' (written by Rama Kant Agnihotri) states that there is nothing 'pure' or perfect structure of any language, least of all, the language spoken by the majority.  Though I did not fully get the author's final solution, I guess he is proposing a strategy by which our school children learn languages, rather than a language. Moreover he is suggesting a logical enquiry into language rather than 'grammar' of one particular language.

In the opening para, the author clearly expresses his anger at the claim that the language spoken by the majority is the best, the most relevant.  Unless we replace the rote-learnt grammar with a scientific study of language...

We will continue to neglect the language of children and the community; the levels of silence will continue to increase in classrooms; the clamour for English will become more intense, privileging a handful and neglecting the majority on the margins.  Yes, there is something inherently wrong with the formulation 'minorities on the margins'; those minorities constitute the majority of our population. 

Interesting to note the authors wide horizon to speak of 'language of children... of silence... of those on the margins'. To conclude, I am reminded of a quote of Alvin Toffler who once said,

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.