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World Englishes and Globalization
No other Lingua Franca has made great strides in its developmental acquisition in native and non-native speaking countries than English. Europe is a continent credited with native English speakers and which offers a dialect which other countries try so much to borrow. Given the geographical background of the student or teacher of English, semantics, among other things, could prove to be an issue. In some of these regions, learning of ‘’The Queen’s language’’ means more than expanding their communication barrier. It could offer a wealth of opportunities to them beyond their borders. Regrettably, their native dialect lingers on which increases their biases of discrimination. In this essay, there will be pros and cons of teaching/learning English as a foreign or second language. Several arguments will be forwarded with the support of other material aside from the course outlines. The first part will focus on EFL, otherwise known as the reception of English to non-native speakers who reside in non-English speaking regions. After that, the essay will be on the teaching of English to non-native speakers in English speaking countries, otherwise referred to as ESL.
The reception of English in a non-native region to be taught as a foreign language offers immeasurable benefits. Statistics show that with the turn of the new decade, the number of people who consider English as a foreign language would exceed its native speakers. With the globalization spread across the world thawing boundaries into a global village, the need to communicate in a ‘’universal’’ language keeps growing. English is considered a way of life and whether it is a foreign or even in-born language is of no consequence. Most countries define this language as an essential tool in a professional set-up, especially in regions where it is not considered the people’s first language. Another multi-dimensional advantage of teaching English as a foreign language is the cultural approach that a teacher can take (Wong, 177). Using the language familiar to them and their students, a tutor can find a similar ground between the learning curve. Integrating the common and the new concepts in language may help the students form a better transition to become eloquent in speech and writing. Taking Hong Kong as an example would be perfect to illustrate the strides made by secondary learners in the region. According to Kachru’s model, the city belongs to the ”expanding circle”. This category, however, fluid belongs to the EFL section. Inculcating the language into their schools and workplaces has opened up the frontiers of Hong Kong to be compared to opportunities for its citizens. Students take up English as a major in their classes due to the present need of studying the pedagogy of one of the world’s most spoken languages.
Unfortunately, to get the benefits the people involved in the teaching or learning have to surmount a couple of challenges. The supremacy of how a native speaker of English pronounces some words or has semantic problems tends to overwhelm some of the late learners (Wong, 178). Using the same example of Hong Kong would show a bias towards UK English compared to other dialects. The effect of the mother tongue can prove to be too high as more learners strive to eliminate the originality of how they pronounce some words. The perception of viewing British English is quite degrading as the participants of the study see its accent as ‘‘superior’’. Apart from that, cultural alienation in the host country separated Chinese teachers and native English speakers (Wong, 179-180). The latter is preferred in the education sector, which beats the purpose of learning a foreign language if foreigners are required to teach it. The level of intimidation felt by non-natives in Hong Kong happens to be more than needed. Educators need to look at the sociolinguistic approach of taking English to the people to make it suitable for them, not the other way round.
In the second part of this essay, there is a look at the teaching of English as a second language in English speaking countries. According to the course module, such regions could involve the more significant part of Nordic Europe and America. The learning of a second language is sometimes proof of a person’s competency in their English speaking host country. The benefits and challenges accrued by students in this category are quite similar to those in EFL. One of the significant advantages is the flexibility the students will have in conversing in two languages. In this section, the examples of American, Australian and Canadian educators will be used. These regions have most if not all of their citizens speaking English. For non-native speakers, they have the benefits of easing down a learning path as the environment around them encourages them too.
Furthermore, accessing resources related to English, whether auditory or in the textbook form is easier for them in comparison to their counterparts (Polyuduva, 31). Due to the digital era, virtual classrooms are a reality as those classes bound by bricks and mortar. Finding tutors is much easier as there is no evident clash between the target language, which is English. For a person living in Australia, America or any other country which has a proliferation of English, they undoubtedly have an easier time transitioning into intelligible pronunciation. With time, most residents even have their accents change to fit that of the natives around them.
Despite the unique benefits offered for ESL learners, their challenges bear a strong resemblance to English start-up learners internationally. One of the most prominent disadvantages is the preference of a ‘’native’’ accent which is dominantly the British tone. The level of proficiency of a person may be doubted if they have a lingering American/Australian accent. Even the learners themselves prefer a British direction of language and tend to look down on a teacher from their parts of the world (Griffiths & Soruç, 54). A survey of 45 non-native teachers of English showed their reluctance to use the features of English as a Lingua Franca in their teaching modules. While this approach may seem more professional, it leaves out the problems of pronunciation that many learners have. These teachers confirmed the use of ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) in these particular countries leads to blocks in securing and keeping employment. Another unique challenge is the problems in semantics, pronunciation or morphology the learners face. The reason why it is different is the students are often overwhelmed by the perfection in the eloquence of the community around them. It is quite difficult for them to accept their limitations which are quite reasonable in any learning atmosphere (Griffiths & Soruç, 56-57). The feeling of inability to master the ‘’correct’’ English is a matter most of the majors face when taking it on as a second language. The desire to have a somewhat native intonation is sometimes higher than acquiring the boost an additional style brings.
To summarize the arguments in the essay, English is perceivably dominant in the international sphere in education, business or entertainment. There is a reasonable doubt whether there is any other language which enjoys the privileges besotted to it. In a foreign land, the teacher and student may both have lingering accents where the two parties aim to diminish. In an English speaking country, the influence of the community has a significant impact on their progress. The involved parties should celebrate all sectors as they make strides to form intelligible communication. The importance of the mother tongue is to be expected as we enjoy a diverse culture of international languages with different phonetics. Both sides have pros and cons, but one of the most important things to note is the cognitive benefits of learning a second language has. Communication is more important; it should be of little consequence whether a person sounds like a British native.
Works Cited
Griffiths, Carol, and Adem Soruç. “Contextual Differences regarding Students’ Perceptions of English as a Lingua Franca according to Subject Major and Nationality.” The Journal of Language Learning and Teaching 9.1 (2019): 53-69.
Polyudova, Elena, ed. Acquiring Lingua Franca of the Modern Time: Current Issues and Strategies in ESL Studies (Volume II). Vol. 2. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018.
Wong, Ruth. “Non-native EFL Teachers’ Perception of English Accent in Teaching and Learning: Any Preference?.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies 8.2 (2018): 177-183.