The extent to which they are developed can influence an individual's ability to become self-sufficient and lead a productive life. Language is a primary way individuals communicate what they think and feel. They find self-identity through language, shape their knowledge and experience by means of it, and depend upon it as a lifelong resource for expressing their hopes and feelings. Children acquire language at an early stage and internalize much of its grammar through use before formal training in school begins. Continuing attention to language makes students aware how language functions and helps them control and use it in increasingly effective ways.
Language is therefore basic to learning in all disciplines.
Skillful use of language may be the single most important means of realizing the overarching goal of education to develop informed, thinking citizens. The reading and study of literature add a special dimension to students' lives by broadening their insights, allowing them to experience vicariously places, people, and events otherwise unavailable to them, and adding delight and wonder to their daily lives. The study of English develops fundamental communication skills that prepare students to engage in fluent and responsible communication and to analyze information that comes to them. Because thinking and language are closely linked, teachers of English have always held that one of their main duties is to teach students how to think. Thinking skills, involved in the study of all disciplines, are inherent in the reading, writing, speaking, listening and observing involved in the study of English.