English in Mizoram

English, the universal language, spoken in almost all countries also happens to be one of the most popular languages in the northeastern state of Mizoram. The widespread proliferation of education throughout the state not only elevated the literacy rate to a phenomenal 88.29% but also made a part and parcel of the people's everyday affairs.

In Mizoram English is the official medium of communication in any formal occasion or ceremony. English language has also spread its wings to penetrate into the state's academic circuit as well as the administration.

It is interesting to note that the current Mizo language was developed by the 19th century Christian missionaries, who used the English script as a platform to develop the Mizo alphabet. The writing pattern of the Mizo script was a medley of the Roman alphabet and the Hunterian transliteration, interspersed with traces of a phonetics based spelling system. It was the inclusion of the Roman script that augmented the local inhabitant's knowledge and proficiency of English. In fact, even the small children attending primary school in Mizoram are fairly adept in speaking the language.

The simplicity and the flexibility of English have led to the acceptability and ever growing popularity of the language even in the remote reaches of the hilly terrains of Mizoram. Thus today the language is flourishing as one of the predominant languages of Mizoram.