After reading Chapter 1 from Harmer (2007) and the article by Robert Phillipson (2012) state your opinion about:
- http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif"The language myth"
- Principles that underpin linguistic imperialism
- Role of mother tongue-based multilingual education
- Challenges ELT Professionals face
To see this story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, click on the title below:
Having read both texts regarding Linguistic Imperalism, I was able to observe Harmer (2007) differs from Phillipson (2012) regarding some aspects about the effects of it on other languages.
ReplyDeleteHarmer considers the following factors as the ones which helped spread the use of English worldwide: the process of colonisation, the increasing global commerce, tourism and the presence of English in popular culture.
Phillipson focuses mainly in educational aspects, referring to the denial of multilingualism as a social reality, over-relying on English as "the language of success", the promotion of the native speaker as the ideal teacher and earlier education to achieve proficiency, even though he also considers international trade, tourism and regional integration.
As regards to the role of mother tongue-based multilingual education, Phillipson considers it a positive way of preserving mother tongues and cultural identities, otherwise teaching would be “inappropriate and ineffective”. Harmer, instead, asserts that instead of trying to conceive English as the responsible of the extinction of other languages, communities should strengthen their identities to preserve the language they represent and English as a lingua franca could even promote speakers of minority languages to foster and preserve their own languages.
According to Phillipson, ELT professionals should not be monolingual, since the lack of experience in learning another language would hinder teachers in understanding how complex learning tasks results. Moreover, he proposes ELT teachers should challenge governments’ quick decisions to foster English, such as importing native speakers or starting English much earlier in order to achieve better proficiency, since in this sense mother tongues will be negatively affected culturally and linguistically.
Harmer states teachers should approach to English according to the students’ needs and expectations, but at the same time offering the capacity to learn how to adapt and be understandable among people with different mother tongues and backgrounds, avoiding limiting them within the British or American target.
Agostina.-
About "The Language Myth", I think that countries such as Pakistan are taking globalization of English to the extremes, because it is obvious that you can't learn anything if you don't understand what is to be learnt.
ReplyDeleteThis myth also underpin linguistic imperialism, as it encourages, if not obliges, people to learn and use English, leading to the loss of less popular languages.
As regards the mother tongue-based multilingual education, I believe that it would be the right thing to do, because, as language is directly connected with the identity of the speakers, leaving it aside means to ignore the culture that language carries.
Conceivably, the challenges ELT professionals face are many, but it's all about taking decisions. As Harmer's text says, the choices a teacher make depend on a great variety of factors, from the student's needs to the material available.
Nowadays English is an international language which is used by many people in many different areas, with many different purposes, and that does not mean it's wrong. However, we need to understand that it's not the only one, so as to give other languages the possibility of growing as popular as English.
Adriana.
I think English is a language widely spread around the world but i don't consider linguistic imperialism because nowadays there are other languages that are becoming more and more spread for example chinese.
ReplyDeleteAs regards mother tongue i think it is important for us to be aware of our culture and as AGUSTINA stated english is not the only language helping to the extintion of other languages.
As regard english as an international language i agree with both comments, english should be teached having in mind student's needs.
Daniel Segatta.
I do think that English is used all over the world but as Daniel said i don´t consider it linguistic imperialism because people learn other languages besides English.
ReplyDeleteAs regards mother tongue i think its important that communities be aware of their on language because they are the ones that are going to make it last over the years and if they don´t when language is lost it also goes with it culture,customs,etc and its very hard to take it back.
As regards English as an international language i think that it should be teached but always of corse,considering the needs of the ones that are going to learn the language.
Carla
According to Harmer, the principles that underpin linguistic imperialism are: the conquest of many countries where English was not spoken, the spread of global commerce, an amount of academic discourse arround the world that takes place in English (information exchange),the majority of travel and tuorism is carried on in English and English a dominating language in popular culture. On the other hand, Phillipson considers that "British policies in Africa and Asia have aimed at strengthening English rather than promoting multilingualism. British ELT have been key tenets (monolingualism, the native speaker as the ideal teacher, the earlier the better, etc.). They underpin linguistic imperialism". He also mentions that the British aims for spreading English are related to political and commercial interests.
ReplyDeleteTaking into account the role of mother tongue-based multilingual education, Phillipson says that when English- medium education neglects mother tongues and local cultural values, it turns to be inappropriate and ineffective. We can relate his opinion with waht Harmer points out, that concentrating on how to maintain communities with a srtong enough identity will help to preserve the language they represent.
The challenges that ELT Proffessionals face, as my parteners said, are that teachers should bear in mind the student's needs as well as the material that is available to use. Besides, Jenkins says that "Instead of conforming to a native satndard, learners need to learn English , but about the Englishes, their similarities and differences, issues involved in intelligibility, the strong links between language and identity, and so on."
Mailén.
According to Harmer the principles that strengthen linguistic imperialism are related to economics in the sense that English is used as a lingua franca whenever international businesses are involved. He also states that many conferences worldwide are written and delivered in English so that it became the most desirable language to use in academic discourse. Moreover, Harmer explains that English constitutes the preferred language when travelling and tourism are involved. He also says that English constitutes the dominating language in popular culture such as pop songs. On the contrary, Phillipson believes that this excessive use of the English language is closely connected to military, cultural, political and economic purposes. Furthermore he is certain about the strong impact American and English policies may have on countries where English language is not widely spoken since it can prevent children from accessing relevant education. Phillipson also stresses the idea that the main aims these policies possess are political and commercial. I personally think that we must keep in mind the idea that when we are teaching English, we are not just teaching a language, we are also inculcating a culture, customs, values, ways of leaving and behaving; and they are of course not innocent at all.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the role of mother-tongue based multilingual education is concerned, Phillipson claims that what is of extreme importance is to keep alive the mother tongue, it is to say, it should not be ignored. He concludes that educators should use English as a medium not as a substitute for the mother tongue because that would be fruitless and inappropriate. On the other hand, Harmer writes about the problem of language death, he concentrates on how to maintain communities with a strong identity to preserve the language they represent. This constitutes a major issue because as David Crystal states, “for once lost, a language cannot be resurrected and its loss takes with it culture and customs and ways of seeing the world.”
As regards the challenges ELT Professionals face, Harmer concludes that they should not ignore the context in which language-learning takes place. Furthermore, an ELT Professional should adapt the way of teaching the language according to the students’ needs. He highlights the importance of teaching different varieties of English that will depend on students’ age, he advises that beginner students should start with a prestige variety of the language and as they become older they should be aware of the different kinds of varieties the English language possess. He says that it is of great importance the exposure of students to what he calls the reality of World English. Phillipson advises ELT in the sense that when the materials are not appropriate for the context in which they work demands such as importing native speakers or starting English earlier should be challenged. Taking everything into account, I believe that ELT Professionals should be aware of the students’ needs and they should adopt materials for each group.
Laureana.
1- Principles that underpin Linguistic Imperialism.
ReplyDeleteThe article taken from “The Guardian” perfectly explains Britain’s interests in teaching English from an early age in non English-speaking countries. This article stresses the idea that British goals in making English a global language are mainly political and commercial. Studies, such as those carried out in Spain, have revealed that primary English is not a successful option for students.
In the text written by Harmer (2007) the factors that caused the widespread expansion of English are enumerated:
a- A Colonial History: First American settlers arrived to Massachusetts coast not only with a set of beliefs and a particular way of living, but also with a code for communication, the English language.
b- Economics: Economic power helped English to survive and grow as an international language. Nowadays, it is the language which acts as a mediator in international businesses.
c- Information Exchange: The academic sphere has also chosen English as the mean of communication for academic discourse all around the world.
d- Travel: Much travel and tourism is carried on, around the world, in English.
e- Popular culture: English is also the dominating language in pop music and films, among other forms of entertainment.
Many people see the growth of the English language as a non desirable phenomenon which badly affects the remaining countries in the world. In this sense, people considered the expansion of the language and its teaching as a linguistic imperialism which hides political, economic and military interests.
2-Role of mother tongue-based multilingual education.
According to the article written by Robert Phillipson, using English as the only medium of teaching and neglecting mother tongues and local cultures is inappropriate and ineffective. Personally, I believe that if our aim is to teach English, it is appropriate to make use of the language while teaching it. There are a variety of resources available to make use of such as body language, gestures, mimicking, etc in order to make ourselves understand.
3-Challenges ELT Professionals face.
One of the most important challenges ELT professionals face is considering the possibility of importing native speakers or starting English ever earlier, either as a subject or as a medium of instructions, in the hope of making a more effective way of learning English.
Sofia, S.
As Harmer stated, linguistic imperialism is the proliferation of an language to the extent that it could be seen as promoting cultural uniformity. In my opinion, this can be true in some cases. For example, cases in which people are obligated to study a language in order to be successful could be considered linguistic imperialism, or when a foreign language is seen as having more value than the local or native language of an area. However, I do agree that in some cases, such as in multilingual settings, it is desirable to operate in multiple languages. In terms of mother-tongue based language education, Phillipson discusses the importance of maintaining the cultural and language-based heritage of English language learners. I do agree with the idea that is is important to maintain the cultural indenties of language learners, but I not necessarily agree that mother-tongue based language education is always the best way to do so. For example, when learning another language, it is also important to be in touch with the cultural and identity of the language that is being learned, which I believe is better accessed by learning in that language. In my opinion, there are other ways to maintain the cultural identity of language learners, such as dual-language or immersion education. Finally, ELT professional face many challenges. As Agostina stated, it is very important for ELT professionals to understand and have experience of the language learning process, so it is important for them to not be monolingual. ELT professionals also have the additional challenge of understanding the cultural identities of their students, and evaluating their language needs.
ReplyDelete- Kendra
I strongly agree with all of the comments made by my partners. As Robert Phillipson says "British goals both in the colonial period and today are primarily political and commercial", so I would say that English is used as a medium to linguistic imperialism, as English education neglects mother tongues and local cultural values. This is what is happening today in our schools, so English "is clearly inappropiate and ineffective" used. For that reason ELT professionals should be aware of their students' needs and their cultural heritage, in order to avoid being monolingual.
ReplyDeleteMelisa
As the article by Robert Phillipson states, there is a huge demand for English worldwide, going from trade to tourism. He also explains that British goals are mainly political and commercial, but also connecting the use of the language (English) to cultural and economic purposes among the world. On the other hand, Harmer also states that by some English has been regarded as a way of promoting cultural, military or even economic hegemony. But he also shows that the idea that learners and non-native speakers of English are victims of linguistic and cultural imperialism is not shared by everyone; to prove this, he presents the example that Nigerians might communicate with two or more languages in a multilingual situation.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the role of mother tongue-based multilingual education, the article states that the research evidence is unambiguous; but also affirms that an education based on neglecting mother tongues and local cultural values is definitively inappropriate and ineffective. In my opinion, if a professional does not also make use of his mother tongue to teach, he would be discarding a fruitful medium to teach English. Moreover, this professional would be missing the opportunity to become proficient in both languages and, would probably understand better the complexity of the learning tasks he is committed to if he takes advantage of not only the foreign language, but also his mother-tongue..
Concerning the challenges ELT professionals have to face, the article by Robert Phillipson claims the idea of importing native speakers, or starting English ever earlier, either as a subject or as the medium of instruction, in order to make the learning of English much more effective.
Belén Paci
The Principles that underpin linguistic imperialism are the process of colonization, the increasing global commerce, tourism, the presence of English in popular culture and education. Of course, we can see how influential English is in different aspects of life because it is a Lingua Franca. However, I agree with what Daniel and Carla stated, there are languages such as Chinese and Portuguese that are arising, so this Linguistic Imperialism could be diminishing at some point.
ReplyDeleteAs regards to the role of mother tongue-based multilingual education, I think it helps in the preservation of mother tongues and cultural identities.
Finally, ELT professionals should not ignore students’ needs and expectations. Instead, they should adapt their teachings according to students.
Joana Herrán.
"Gifted Hands" Movie.
ReplyDeleteWatch it and write your impressions about the Teaching and Learning Process as shown in the film.
Write your posts and consider your classmates'answers as well.
Deadline: August 28th 2012.