18-12-2023

Exploring Literature: English vs. Regional Languages

Do you love words and fancy yourself as being a wordsmith? Courses such as B.A. English Literature or regional languages such as Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, or Urdu lead to many lucrative and niche career opportunities. Through literature, we learn about politics, society, culture and much more. You will have the opportunity to study notable works and present interpretations with like-minded literary enthusiasts.

Let us take a look at literature courses and career scope in English and Regional languages.

Courses in Literature: English vs. Regional Languages

Students are first introduced to English Literature in the 11th and 12th Art stream as one of the subjects. After 12th grade, the English Literature courses available are -

Course Name Course Duration Course Eligibility Course Syllabus
Diploma in English 1 year Minimum 50% marks in 12th board exams
  1. Introduction To The Study of the English Language
  2. Structure of English Language
  3. Instructional Methodologies of the English Language
  4. A Study in English Grammar
  5. Teaching and Learning of English Through Construction
  6. Teaching English at the Primary and Secondary Levels
PG Diploma in English 1 year Minimum 50% marks in an undergraduate programme from a recognised university
  1. English Language Teaching
  2. Linguistics
  3. Modern Grammar
  4. Phonetics and Spoken English
  5. Literature
B.A. English 3-years Minimum 50% marks in 12th board exams
  1. Indian Classical Literature
  2. European Classical Literature
  3. Indian Writing in English
  4. British Poetry and Drama
  5. American Literature
  6. Popular Literature
  7. British Romantic Literature
  8. British Literature 14th Century to Early 20th Century
  9. Women’s Writing
  10. Modern European Drama
  11. Post-colonial Literature
M.A. English Literature 2-years A minimum score of 50% in a relevant discipline with English as the main subject
  1. Modern English Usage and Grammar
  2. Chaucer to Elizabethans
  3. Metaphysical to Milton
  4. Augustans and Neo-Classical Writers
  5. Pre-Romantics and Romantics
  6. Phonetics and Spoken English
  7. Victorian Literature
  8. Literary Criticism
  9. Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
  10. American Literature
  11. World Literature
  12. Modern British Literature
  13. Stylistics, Discourse Analysis and Pragmatics
  14. Indian English Literature

Candidates can apply for a literature course in any regional language after 12th grade. you can opt for any of o regional languages such as -

  1. Urdu
  2. Marathi
  3. Kannada
  4. Bengali
  5. Hindi
  6. Malayalam
  7. Tamil
  8. Sanskrit

A few regional language literature courses available are -

Course Name Course Duration Course Eligibility
Certificate Course 1 year 12th grade with minimum 50% marks
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) 2-years (Honours)
3-years
12th grade with a minimum of 55% marks
Master of Arts (M.A.) 2-years BA degree with at least 55% aggregate marks

Career opportunities: English vs. Regional Languages

Literature graduates pursue careers as -

  1. Creative writers - write creative content for books, ads, or editorials
  2. Copywriters - write advertising copies
  3. Journalists - research and write news articles
  4. Marketing content writers - write marketing content for products, services, and businesses
  5. Documentation specialists - write documents for IT company products and services, NGO initiatives, and any activity that has to be recorded
  6. Scriptwriters - write scripts for video ads, movies, television series, business video scripts
  7. Professors - teach literature in colleges and universities
  8. Language teacher - at schools or coaching classes
  9. Translator - translate movies, Tv series, books, news, or any literature

English Literature graduates find these roles with -

  1. English language book publishing companies
  2. Educational book publishers
  3. English news channels
  4. English newspaper
  5. Multinational company
  6. Schools and colleges
  7. NGOs

Regional language literature graduates find these roles with -

  1. Book publishing companies
  2. Educational book publishers
  3. Regional news channels
  4. Regional newspapers and magazines
  5. Regional blog websites
  6. Multinational or regional marketing firms
  7. NGOs
  8. Schools and colleges

Language is the thread that binds us all together. It is through language that we communicate our culture, thoughts, ideas, shared ethos and aspirations. Every field is touched by language and as important as English is, the regional languages have their unique station in society. Thus, studying regional language literature is as relevant as learning English literature, if not more. There are niche and high demand roles for Literature graduates in various fields to empower businesses with tools for communication. A Literature graduate can become an author or use their command in the language to support businesses and facilitate smooth communication.