Language & Globalization Module I: The Issue of Language and Globalisation (Part 2)

Your participation in Module 1

Clarifying on assignments DISEÑO, DESARROLLO E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN MODELO INSTRUCCIONAL VIRTUAL PARA PROGRAMAS DE FORMACIÓN DOCENTE Clarifying on assignments

The story so far … (from Module 1, Part 1) DISEÑO, DESARROLLO E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN MODELO INSTRUCCIONAL VIRTUAL PARA PROGRAMAS DE FORMACIÓN DOCENTE The story so far … (from Module 1, Part 1) Together: How can we define issue? What is language? What is globalisation? In groups: How is globalisation affecting language(s) in general? And English in particular? What is the situation of English in the globalised world? What does it mean for us as language teachers? And for education in general?

Unit I: The Issue of Language & Globalization Part II: International Languages & English

Unit 1, Part 2 Agenda What is an international language? DISEÑO, DESARROLLO E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN MODELO INSTRUCCIONAL VIRTUAL PARA PROGRAMAS DE FORMACIÓN DOCENTE Unit 1, Part 2 Agenda What is an international language? English as an International Language The future of English? Teaching Implications? (A first look ….) Thinking ahead to Module 2 (about causes and effects of international languages) Some futuristic thoughts from David Crystal

What is an “international language”?

Brutt-Griffler: International Languages Econocultural function: economic/commercial dominance and a cultural/intellectual role in the global community. Stabilized bilingualism: the establishment of bi-/multi-lingual communities (without the IL necessarily usurping the domain of other, indigenous languages). Use of IL not only an elite lingua franca, but also as a means of empowerment and resistance. Linguistic convergence and divergence within the IL: divergence creates new varieties, while simultaneously convergence maintains overall unity.

Smith: International Languages “Used by people of different nations to communicate with one another”. Learners do not need to internalize the cultural norms of native speakers of that language. The ownership of an international language becomes “denationalized”. The educational goal of learning the international language is to enable learners to communicate their ideas and culture to others.

What about English? McKay’s revisions to Smith’s assumptions: English is used both for international communication and for “intra-national” communication in multi-lingual countries. As an IL, English is no longer connected to Inner Circle cultures. As a “local international language”, English becomes “embedded” in the local cultures of Outer (and Expanding) Circle countries. As a “global international language, one of the primary uses for English is to enable speakers to share their ideas and culture. McKay also notes difficulties, with respect to Brutt-Griffler’s third point, in demonstrating that English is necessarily learned by various levels of society and is not an elite lingua franca.

Which of the following would McKay consider an international language? Mandarin Arabic Hindi English

McKay on English as an International Language Unless a language is spoken by a large number of native speakers of other languages, the language cannot serve as a language of wider communication. In is in this sense, as a language of wider communication, that English is the international language par excellence. In many instances, English is a language of wider communication among both individuals from different countries. individuals from the same country. In this way, English is an international language in both a global and a local sense.

English as an International Language Of all languages with over 100 million speakers, only English has more L2 speakers than L1 speakers. Arabic could be understood to be about 51% L1 (though this is a complicated statistic!) Russian is about 58% L1. Hindi-Urdu is about 59% L1. Bengali is about 72% L1. Mandarin is about 82% L1. Spanish is about 84% L1. Portuguese is about 92% L1. Japanese is about 99% L1. Hinglish has about 350+ speakers (almost all L2!)

Does the word “nation” in “international language” obscure how language really works?

What “language” is not … Languages are not nations. Languages are not people. Languages are systems of communication (that enable humans to cooperate).

Systems of Communication Perhaps instead of talking about whether languages are “international” (or even what that means) we should focus on the ways that these systems of communication function in terms of: Who do these systems enable to communicate? How many communicators are involved? Where these communicators are (especially in relation to each other)? Why they are communicating? How they are communicating? How this communication happens?

English as an International Language

What is/are … English as a first language (E1). English as a second language (E2). English as a foreign Language (EFL). International English (EIL), or English as a Global Language (EGL), or Global English, or “Globish”? World Englishes? Code-switching & code-mixing?

How many varieties of English are there?

Kachru’s Circles of English Inner Circle (e.g. USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) 320-380 million. Outer Circle (e.g. Singapore, India, Malawi, etc.) 150-300 million. Expanding Circle (e.g. China, Russian, and most everywhere else!) 100-1000 million

Kachru’s Circles of English

So what about India? English is officially maintained by law as a lingua-franca for use within the country, but otherwise its position is no different from any other language learned for communication between different L1 communities. English is an L1 for some, an L2/FL for others. Estimates for “English-capable” persons in India vary between 55 million and 350 million – between 1% of the population and a third. This suggests it belongs to the Outer Circle – but since the population of Britain is only about 63 million, India may well have a larger “English-capable” population than the classic Inner Circle country!

The Asian English Future?

The Future: China? There are probably more English users in China than in the entire rest of the planet. Since 2001 English has been compulsory in primary schools from Grade 3. China produces over 20 million new users of English each year.

The Future: China?

The Future: India? Estimates of English users in India vary widely (10.3-333 million). The number of L2 and L3 users is much larger than L1 speakers. The number of Hinglish users exceeds the number of English users. Recent reports on the deficiency of English instruction in India have prompted interest in reform. India’s population will probably surpass China’s by 2030.

Hinglish in India

Hinglish in the USA

Will English fragment?

Will Englishes converge?

Future?

Teaching implications?

What kind of English should we teach??

Should we teach a specific variety or varieties, or should we teach strategies?

Canagarajah: “Linguistic pluralism” “[English] is losing its identity as a language belonging to the traditional ‘native speaker’ communities.” “English is attaining a global speech community, which speaks different norms, with people having to negotiate these diverse varieties across borders.”

Canagarajah: “Linguistic pluralism” “We should move away from a desire for a uniform grammatical system to developing pragmatic strategies for negotiating linguistic pluralism if we are to prepare students for the knowledge society.” “Students should be able to inductively process the underlying system in the varieties one encounters in social interactions … [and] draw on intuitive skills to develop relative communicative competence in new varieties according to one’s needs. Therefore, teaching should encourage the learner’s ability to discern the structure, pattern, or rules from the available data of a given language.”

Thinking ahead

For what reasons did English begin to spread internationally?

Factors influencing spread? Economic? Political? Cultural? Technological?

Why does English continue to spread?

Factors still influencing spread? International organizations: 85% make official use of English. Motion pictures: the United States controlled about 85% of the world film market in the mid-1990s. Popular music: 99% of the groups work entirely or predominantly in English. International travel: the US is the leader in tourism earning and spending. Publications: more books are published in English than in any other language. Communication: about 80% of the world’s electronically stored information is in English. Education: English plays a significant role in higher education. (Taken from SPM1. Gallego ,Hernandez, Marenco, 2016 ) Economic? Political? Cultural? Technological?

What might impede or reverse the spread of English?

Factors that could impede/reverse the spread of international languages Little incentive to acquire more than superficial familiarity. Loss of official/preferred status (Brexit?) Technological innovation (automated translation, etc.) Lack of resources (nationally or individually). Negative societal attitudes. (e.g. “Yanquí go home!”)

What might be some of the negative effects of the spread of English?

Negative effects of international languages Threats to local/national languages. Influences on cultural identity. Association of language with economic/political elite. Promotion of social inequalities based on lack of access to instruction/instructional materials.

Thoughts on the Future from David Crystal

Crystal: The Future? Will English fragment? (Yes … and no ....) The US’s position as the preeminent L1 English-using nation could be threatened by economic/political upsets (and, potentially, increased multilingualism?). Rise of “new Englishes” (particularly in Asia) and their relative influence. Local Englishes might be used to express/maintain identity along side a international “World Standard Spoken English”.

Crystal: The Future? Will English kill off other languages? (Yes … and no ….) There is a shift towards English in many regions or domains. Other world languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin) will probably impact more minority languages than English. We must work to preserve humanity’s linguistic heritage. Vanishing Voices One language dies every 14 days. By the next century nearly half of the roughly 7,000 languages spoken on Earth will likely disappear, as communities abandon native tongues in favor of English, Mandarin, or Spanish. What is lost when a language goes silent? Russ Rymer (2012) Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/vanishing-languages/rymer-text

Crystal: The Future? Will English change other languages? (Definitely yes.) English will continue to be a major source of loans and loan translations. Yet English itself will continue to be affected by other languages (as it always has been).

Crystal: The Future? But … There has never been a language so widely spread or spoken by so many people as English. Thus, there are no precedents to help us see what happens to a language when it achieves genuine world status.

DISEÑO, DESARROLLO E IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN MODELO INSTRUCCIONAL VIRTUAL PARA PROGRAMAS DE FORMACIÓN DOCENTE What to do next! Complete reading for Unit 1. McKay Chapter 1, Canagarajah from babel to pentecost. Participate in (all students) and summarise (chosen students only) Online Discussion Forum (ODFM1). Complete and Submit Reading and Writing Journal (RWJM1): Reading comprehension + Reflection + Self- evaluation Start reading World Englishes (Kirkpatrick, 2008 p. 177-183) Enjoy your learning!

See you next time! Albedro Cadena Dept. of Languages & Cultures University of La Sabana Chía, Colombia albedro.cadena@unisabana.edu.co Skype: albedro