Role Of English In 21St Century

English in the 21st Century
One of the most telling statistics uncovered by recent destination surveys (2001-2) for new graduates by University of loughborough and the graduate report for their English Subject Association provides interesting — and perhaps surprising — reading: graduates in English, comprising Language and American studies as well as Literature, come near the top of the subject rankings (fifth in national, and fourth in Loughborough University’s findings). Is English, therefore, a vocational subject ?
Whether we appreciate it or not, the answer may be yes, and yet there is a paradox here, for a study of language and its use in specialised contexts (for example, conversational, literary or formal) does not seem to bear directly upon the “real world of work.” Does a knowledge of how Shakespeare extended and mixed linguistic styles count as training? Or how does Emily Dickinson’s portrayal of death helps us cope with our own sense of loss?
The commonsensical answer is, not directly, and I am sure that future employers are more drawn to English graduates because they can rest assured that such employees’ prose will be well-written. This may sound like faint praise for our students, but, increasingly, this sort of literacy is called for in most management and public service occupations. The development of postgraduate opportunities in the subject area is increasing steadily, and embraces exciting new associations with Information Technology and multimedia editing, say, as well as challenging debates within the traditional definition of the subject that provide new understandings of gender and literature itself. This is a deeper literacy than in simple grammar and vocabulary.
Let us take an example: I am intrigued by Shakespeare’s use of the word “providence” in Hamlet. When the tragic hero returns from England in Act V, I have a feeling that he is a changed man. The dictionary definitions of the word point us to a sense of God’s pattern and...