Marginalisation of Bangla at University-Level Academia: An Analysis with Theory of Reasoned Action

Abstract

English has been investigated and criticised over centuries for its aggressive, invasive, and dominant nature, largely formulated by the British colonial enterprise and its legacy pertinent to the language. Given the coercion on minor cultures and languages in a non-native context, the use of English in education requires a detailed examination. The study critically examines the perceived superior position (e.g., tertiary educational institutions, social status hierarchy, and job market) of English and observes that a perniciously distorted perception of this language has permeated the minds of young learners in Bangladesh. This has raised grave concerns about the decadence of perception that influences students’ consideration of pursuing a tertiary-level liberal arts degree in English. Applying the Theory of Reasoned Action framework, this study – consisting of 142 participants – has identified that students prioritise English over Bangla as a subject, regardless of their literary values. They tend to fervently encompass the English language and literature together. Such incorporation helps sustain the neo-colonial attitude towards English as a language and, this is why the native tongue Bangla fails to fascinate them, despite having one of the world’s most treasured literary traditions. The discussion concludes that the overt promotion of English's benefits in this neoliberal era impairs the Bangla departments; therefore, English serves the learners only as a medium of global communication, not as a source of rich literary narratives.