Contrasting Tongues: A Study of English Language Skills among Law and Engineering Undergraduates in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Despite the fact that English has become the most important language in India for defining professional identities, its impact varies by discipline. This study illustrates how disciplinary training influences linguistic literacy by analyzing the differences in language proficiency between Tamil Nadu undergraduates pursuing engineering and law. While law students must become proficient in interpretative reading, courtroom rhetoric and persuasive discourse, engineering students aim for technical accuracy, well-organized writing and problem-specific communication.
The study employs a comparative methodology that incorporates standardized documents made available by the bodies like AICTE and Universities and classroom observations to offer a comprehensive understanding of proficiency. The results show a startling difference: law students excel at oral fluency, argumentative writing and contextual vocabulary while engineering students excel at technical writing, brevity and domain-specific comprehension. In addition to being strictly academic, these differences have an impact on employability, professional flexibility and cross-disciplinary communication.
The study stresses that there is no one metric that can be used to evaluate English proficiency because it depends on a variety of factors including institutional, culture, disciplinary priorities and pedagogical exposure. This study highlights the need for specialized English training models that go beyond generic curricula by comparing the languages of two important professional streams. Law demands interpretive skill and rhetorical competence whereas engineering demands technical coherence and clarity. This needs to be recognized by institutions. Only by addressing these divergent needs can Tamil Nadu’s higher education system give students the language skills they need to compete globally.