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Volume
7. Issue 3
Article 3
Article
Title
Toward
a Critical Notion of Appropriation of
English as an International Language
Author
Phan Le Ha
Bio
Data:
Dr.
Phan Le Ha has a BA (Arts) in English,
from Vietnam National University, Hanoi
BA (Social Sciences) in International
Studies, from Vietnam National University,
Hanoi MA (TESOL) from Monash University,
Australia PhD from Monash University,
Australia
Phan
Le Ha has been working as a university
lecturer and researcher in Vietnam and
Australia. She is currently the Editorial
Assistant of the Australian Journal of
Education. She has also taught in BA (Arts)
and MA (TESOL) courses at Monash University.
Her research interests are the relationships
between language, culture and identity;
postcolonial Englishes; Critical Discourse
Analysis; and English teacher education.
She has given presentations at international
conferences, and published in international
journals, such as ELT Journal, Australian
Journal of Education, and Asian EFL Journal.
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Foreword
Undoubtedly, English has gained itself the
status of a world language, an international
language, or a lingua franca in almost all
settings (Crystal, 1997; Seidlhofer, 2001,
2003; Brutt-Griffler, 2002; McKay, 2003; Llurda,
2004). There are a number of ways to view
EIL. Widdowson (1998, pp. 399-400) suggests
that EIL can be seen as "a kind of composite
lingua franca which is free of any specific
allegiance to any primary variety of the [English]
language." EIL is also used interchangeably
with other terms, such as English as a lingua
franca, English as a global language, English
as a world language, and English as a medium
of intercultural communication (cf Seidlhofer,
2003, p.9). Seidlhofer uses the term 'International
English' rather than the short term EIL, arguing
that the former is "more precise because
it highlights the international use of English
rather than suggesting, wrongly, that there
is one clearly distinguishable, unitary variety
called 'International English'" (p.8).
This paper takes Seidlhofer's proposition
of 'International English'.
Although users of English, to various extents,
have been able to appropriate the language
for their own purposes (Canagarajah, 1999;
Hashimoto, 2000; Phan Le Ha, 2004), this paper
argues that when the native speaker norms
are in contact with the norms of other speakers
of English, it is often the case that the
former are used to make judgements against
the latter. Despite its international status,
English in different forms of uses is still
used to exclude many of its users, to construct
an inferior Other. As such, it celebrates
globalisation yet limits integration, and
strengthens the power of certain dominant
forms of English. As long as these limitations
of EIL are not acknowledged and remain unresolved,
its users still face discrimination and unfair
judgements.
Together with acknowledging the international
status of English, this paper aims to re-examine
the social, cultural and political aspects
of this status so as to obtain an insight
into how English is beneficial to most users
yet at the same time a "killer language"
and a "tyrannosaurus rex" (Pakir,
1991; Swales, 1997; cited in Llurda, 2004,
p. 314). Afterwards, the paper will propose
the author's critical notion of EIL pedagogy.
It is important to note that although I draw
on postcolonial theory and use many of their
terms, such as Self, Other, Inner Circle,
Centre/centre and Periphery/periphery, I am
also aware, like many other authors such as
McKay (2003), of the limitations of these
terms.
Centre Englishes versus other Englishes
This section examines in what way EIL is still
problematic and can still be used to discriminate
against many of its users. Discussions are
drawn on from the literature about how the
Englishes in the Centre are still treated
as 'better' and standard Englishes compared
to other Englishes.
To begin with, although many authors have
argued for the co-existence of a family of
'Englishes' (Kachru, 1986; Brutt-Griffler,
2002) given the widespread use of English
and the way people have adapted it for their
own uses, this family has not co-existed with
equality yet. The notion of a family suggests
a sense of support, love and care among its
members. However, the Englishes in this family
seem to enjoy a fiercely hierarchical relation,
in which some members play the dominant role
trying to 'support' and at the same time 'bullying'
their weaker yet vulnerable 'sisters' and
'brothers'. Although there are varieties of
English, such as Singaporean English, Indian
English, African English, Australian-English,
American-English, and British-English, it
is arguable that international norms and rules
of the language are not set by all these Englishes,
nor even negotiated among them. Only the so-called
'native' speakers of English have a voice
in the matter (Pham Hoa Hiep, 2001). We can
see examples of this in the norms of English
academic writing (Farrell, 1997a, b; Phan
Le Ha, 2001), or in the debate of cross-cultural
issues (Kaplan, 1966; Ballard & Clanchy,
1991, 1997; Liddicoat, 1997; Phan Le Ha, 2001;
Phan Le Ha & Viete, 2002), or in the case
of many students who have been using English
since they started schooling in their countries
(some African and Asian ones) but still have
to take TOEFL or IELTS tests for their entrance
into universities in the US and UK.
When looking at the English languages, McArthur
(1998) examines the forms of Englishes, linguistic
insecurities and other related issues. His
analysis suggests that Standard English has
its own triumphant and decisive status, no
matter how many Englishes have come into being.
As one example, in the US Black English, also
known as Afro-American English, is institutionally
considered inferior with low quality, and
thus those who speak it are labelled low level
achievers (p.197).
Standard English is what Pham Hoa Hiep (2001)
criticises. He argues that it is native speakers
who set the norms for what is called Standard
English. He clarifies his argument by drawing
on definitions of 'Standard English' made
by a number of authors. For example, Strevens
says that Standard English is "a particular
dialect of English, being the only non-localised
dialect, of global currency without significant
variation, universally accepted as the appropriate
educational target in teaching English, which
may be spoken with an unrestricted choice
of accent" (cited in Pham Hoa Hiep, 2001,
p.5). Pham Hoa Hiep also refers to Quirk's
discussion of Standard English, which Pham
expresses in his own words as "the natural
language that educated English native speakers
use" (p.5). Thus, according to Pham,
it cannot be assumed that English belongs
to no particular culture, or is "culture-free"
(p.4). Indeed, he argues that the use of English
does play an important part in both one's
desire to communicate with the world and one's
will to preserve one's identity. Put differently,
English does affect identity formation, and
Pham urges EFL teachers to assist students
in achieving these two aims.
Native speakers of English, apart from the
pride of owning the language of international
communication, may see their language at risk
of being 'corrupted' or 'polluted', since
it has been modified and promoted everywhere
without any control (Marzui, 1975a; Crystal,
1988, cited in Pennycook, 1994). In order
to oppose this trend, native speakers of English
have found a way to protect Standard English
by calling "anything that isn't 'standard'
'dialect' if lucky and slang if not"
(McArthur, 1998, p.200). For example, McArthur
shows that the issue of Standard English versus
Afro-American English is a matter in educational
agendas in the city of Oakland in California,
USA. The English Afro-Americans speak is perceived
by educators as "a distinct language
spoken by the descendants of slaves"
(Woo & Curtius, 1996, cited in McArthur,
1998, p.198).
Let me now take a specific look at the forum
on EIL initiated and sustained by Widdowson
(1997) to examine in more depth what aspects
of EIL are still controversial. Widdowson
(1997), partly in response to authors such
as Phillipson (1992), takes a provocative
position in the discussion concerning 'EIL,
ESL, EFL: global issues and local interests'
raised in World Englishes Journal. Since Widdowson
"wanted to raise a number of questions
for discussion" and thus made his paper
"provocative" to invite debates
(p.135), I would like to respond to several
points he raises.
Firstly, Widdowson makes an analogy between
Englishes and Latin languages, assuming that
the evolution of Englishes, such as "Ghanaian
and Nigerian [developing] out of English",
parallels the development of "French
and Italian from Latin" (p.142). Although
I understand that Widdowson wants to argue
for the independent status of all languages
that develop out of English, I still find
this assertion problematic. It obviously ignores
the fact that French and Italian are separate
and independent from Latin, a dead language
that was mainly confined to Europe. This is
far different from the story of Ghanaian and
Nigerian being dependent on English, the language
of developing dominance and inherent hegemony.
The names Widdowson uses, "Ghanaian and
Nigerian", position these languages as
other than English. They are not English,
so there is only one English, and the question
of whose English again comes implicitly onto
the scene. I understand that Widdowson does
not want his discussion to be viewed this
way, but the politics associated with English
deny his 'positive' assertion.
Evidence suggests that within the English-speaking
world, there is a dichotomy between the superior
Self and the inferior Other, and the political
aspect of English does play an important role
in this dichotomy (Phillipson, 1992; Pennycook,
1998). Thus the question turns to 'power':
whose English is the standard? Whose norms
are to be followed? At this point, the question
is no longer as simple as 'French and Italian
developing from Latin.' It becomes a site
of struggle between the 'centre Englishes'
and the peripheral ones. For example, materials
for English teaching and learning in the Periphery
are mainly from the Centre (Phillipson, 1992).
Moreover, testing systems, such as TOEFL and
IELTS, developed by the Centre have been used
universally to assess learners' competency
of English. This suggests that the centre
Englishes and their related pedagogies are
generally used as international standards,
while other Englishes are for local uses only.
This argument of the relationship between
power and English has been challenged by Widdowson
(1998) in his reply to authors, such as Brutt-Griffler
(1998). He clearly states that he wants to
argue for English as "a kind of composite
lingua franca which is free of any specific
allegiance to any primary variety of the language"
(pp. 399-400) including the English from the
Inner Circle. He strongly supports his view,
asserting that it is because he is aware of
the politics of English and its consequences
that he attempts to urge English users to
look at it as the language "used internationally
across communities as a means of global communication"
(p. 399), but not as the language owned by
the Inner Circle. This implies that he wants
to encourage others to see English as politics
free. However, many authors have pointed out
that English walks hand in hand with politics,
and there is always some kind of politics
underlying English and ELT (Auerbach, 1995;
Pennycook, 1994, 1998; Pennycook & Coutand-Marin,
2004; Edge, 2003). Moreover, as long as there
are norms and requirements set by the Inner
Circle in cross-cultural communication (Farrell,
1997a, b; 1998) or paradigms of nativeness/non-nativeness
still function (Brutt-Griffler & Samimy,
1999), Widdowson's position is weakened.
Secondly, in an attempt to soften the debate
about Englishes, Widdowson (1997) suggests
seeing EIL as a composite of registers, such
as English for science and English for finance.
Put differently, he argues that EIL "is
English for specific purposes" (p.144).
However, Brutt-Griffler (1998, p.382) points
out contradictions and unreasonableness in
his suggestion, arguing that "there are
no free-standing registers." Thus, "the
question inevitably poses itself: Registers
of which language?" (p.382). Moreover,
I find his use of 'register' unrealistic when
he suggests taking ESP (English for Specific
Purposes) away from the issues of "community
and identity" and viewing it in terms
of "communication and information"
(p.143). Furthermore, as Widdowson states
in his article, it is impossible to control
language once it is used. It is thus clear
that ESP cannot be taken as the exception.
Although Widdowson tries to avoid Quirk's
(1987) view of "the importance of maintaining
the standard language" (p. 143) by assuming
that we can take a neutral view of English,
he once again ignores what lies beneath ESP.
Many authors have showed that English embodies
political and cultural missions that have
made it a non-neutral language (Phillipson,
1992; Brutt-Griffler, 1998; Pennycook &
Coutand-Marin, 2004). Also, I argue that EAP
(English for Academic Purposes), a register,
in cross-cultural settings acts as a harsh
gatekeeper to keep many non-native speakers
of English out of its game, as EAP norms are
based on the Self's standards (Farrell, 1997a,
b; Phan Le Ha, 2001, Johnston, 2003). Johnston
(2003) examines the issue of testing/assessment
and values in ELT, and he argues that testing
is value-laden in many ways. For example,
testing compares students to others, and testing
in fact reflects the real world surrounding
the student instead of being just about the
content being tested. He claims that standardized
tests, particularly TOEFL, do not consider
any individual circumstances of candidates.
In other words, these tests are developed
based on the Self's standards and ignore the
cultural, social and learning realities of
those who have to sit for these tests. So
EAP obviously empowers the Self and at the
same time prevents the Other from participating
in many academic events. Thus, even though
Widdowson tries to put 'the standard' aside,
it cannot stay aside without causing trouble
when it is problematic in its own right.
Regarding registers, I agree with Widdowson
that many native speakers of English are incompetent
in a number of English registers while many
non-native speakers are highly knowledgeable
in these registers. However, the point here
is that the former, in many cases, are still
the ones who have the power to imply to the
latter that 'I don't like your English because
it is not the English I use', and thus 'your
English is not valued'. Examples of this can
be found in Farrell (1998), Phan Le Ha (2000)
and Kamler (2001). These authors explore how
English academic writing is assessed in Australian
schools and institutions and find out that
examiners value a certain way of writing,
the "Anglo" style, and if students
fail to present their writing in this style,
their writing is not acknowledged and valued.
At this point, neither English nor ESP could
be neutral, in contrast to Widdowson's suggestion.
Thus far it is clear that although English
has achieved its international status and
been globalised, that EIL is for all and for
cross-cultural communication still has many
limitations.
Englishes
in the Periphery
So far this paper has suggested that Centre
Englishes have more power in terms of ownership.
Now it is time to consider how beliefs about
possession of English affect equality and
justice within the Periphery itself. Periphery
here includes both the Outer Circle and the
Expanding Outer Circle.
In many Periphery countries, English is purposefully
used to exclude people from power and social
positions, and to create discrimination among
people in their societies. Following are examples.
India is a highly hierarchical society, where
there are clear-cut borders among classes.
According to Ramanathan (1999), Indian society
is divided into an inner circle and an outer
circle of power, and the classes that belong
to the inner circle have more access to power
and privilege. The middle class belongs to
this inner circle. Ramanathan argues that
the Indian middle class has used English as
a tool to maintain its status and at the same
time to lengthen its distance from particular
groups of people in India. He finds that even
in India, a country of the periphery, "an
English-related inner-outer power dichotomy
appears to exist" (p.212). This suggests
that power and English adhere to each other
in this country. In order to consolidate power,
the Indian middle class has intentionally
made English a gatekeeper excluding those
of lower income and lower caste. Institutional
and educational practices with the effective
assistance of English go hand-in-hand to keep
outer circle students "out of the more
powerful circle" (p.218).
Phillipson (1992) argues how discrimination
and power distance have been exercised through
English in Africa. He observes that although
English enjoys high status in many areas of
Africa, sufficient access to it still belongs
only to a small group of elites. Although
both the elites and the masses see the advantage
of English and its connection to power and
resources, English is still somehow a luxury
property owned by the powerful. So English
obviously accompanies inequality and injustice
in many African countries.
The use of English - the language of power
- in many African countries is responsible
for silencing other African languages as well,
as Phillipson (1992) puts it. "The colonial
language [is] still
used in high status
activities, a dominant local language
[is]
used for less prestigious functions,
and local languages [are] used for other purposes"
(p.27). This practice suggests that English
really belongs to high-status groups of people,
and their achievements are more guaranteed
because they have the most access to English.
This also suggests the belief in the superiority
of English over local African languages, and
thus those who have most access to English
are assumed to be superior.
Gamaroff (2000) indicates that in South Africa,
within the domain of ELT, there arises a major
issue which is the controversial distinction
between English as L1 and L2. He states that
"these notions [of L1 and L2] are so
heavily value-laden that there is a danger
of the distinction between these two notions
being interpreted as a form of linguistic
apartheid" (p.297). He cited Young (1988:8)
who "advocates that the 'apartheid' labels
'L1' and 'L2' should be discarded because
they imply that black 'natives' are not able
to assimilate western language and culture"
(cited in Gamaroff, 2000, p.297). It is noteworthy
to cite Paikeday's (1985, p.76) views on this
matter:
When
theoretical linguists claim an innate facility
for competence in a language on behalf of
the native speaker
it seems like a
white South African's claim that he [or she]
can walk into a railway station in Pretoria
any day, purchase a first-class ticket, get
into any first-class coach, occupy a window
seat, and travel all the way to Cape Town
without getting thrown out at the first stop,
as though a black or a coloured could not
do it. (cited in Gamaroff 2000, p.297)
Gamaroff
observes that many other authors, in their
support of the elimination of the apartheid
label of L1 and L2, argue that "it is
socially and racially discriminatory to compare
levels of proficiency between L1 and L2 learners"
(p. 297). Given the sociopolitical difficulties
in South Africa, for these authors, this practice
of ELT is inherently problematic. It suggests
that this practice is power related and implicitly
used to maintain the discriminatory nature
already rooted in the society.
The role of English and its relation to power
in other periphery countries, such as Vietnam
and Japan, where English is learnt as a foreign
language, also needs to be documented. Vietnam
and Japan are selected because Vietnam is
considered a developing country whereas Japan
is a highly developed nation. The dominant
status of English also varies in these two
countries. While English is the most popular
foreign language among several other ones
to be taught in Vietnam, it is a must for
all Japanese students in order to enter university.
Moreover, English seems to have influenced
Japan in a much deeper level, compared to
Vietnam. For example, Japanese tend to believe
that in order for them to communicate well
in English and to be understood in English
they have to have a concrete identity as Japanese
(Kawai, 2003, Suzuki, 1999). Moreover, Japanese
people's ideologies of English also reflect
a deep level of influence of English in Japan
(Kubota, 1998). This will be discussed on
the part about Japan below.
It should be noted that Vietnam has witnessed
the rise and fall of a number of dominant
foreign languages in its own territory. Chinese,
French, and Russian respectively had once
enjoyed dominant foreign language status in
Vietnam, but English has replaced Russian
since the early 1990s, after the Vietnamese
government introduced the open-door policy
in 1986. The collapse of the Former Soviet
Union after that contributed to the welcoming
of English and the decline of Russian in Vietnam.
English is introduced at almost all school
levels and has been present in almost every
corner of urbanised areas and has rapidly
reached tourist attractions in remote areas.
The early 1990s witnessed the explosive growth
of the English language, resulting in "an
official acknowledgement of the role and status
of English" (Do Huy Thinh, 1999, p.2).
The Ministry of Education and Training in
Vietnam (MOET) conducted its first survey
of language needs in late 1993, contributing
to the formation of "A National Strategy
for Foreign Language Teaching and Learning
throughout All Levels of Education" (MOET,
1994c). The status of foreign languages, especially
English, then was "reconfirmed by an
Order, signed by the Prime Minister (August
15, 1994), in which government officials are
required to study foreign languages, usually
English" (Do, 1999, p.2). Do (1999, p.2)
strongly states that "in contemporary
Vietnam, there has never been a stronger,
clearer decision concerning foreign language
education policy and planning made at the
highest-level authority."
Although English in Vietnam does not seem
to have anything to do with social classes,
it does act as a gatekeeping tool in the society,
particularly with employment and educational
opportunities. Almost all jobs require a certificate
in English, and even work promotion now starts
considering English proficiency a criterion
(Nunan, 2003). The high status of English
has thus resulted in those who do not have
sufficient competency in English feeling excluded
from positions which may lead to power.
The sudden replacement of Russian by English
in Vietnam has caused the society to have
negative attitudes toward Russian, and thus
made teachers of Russian struggle for their
living. Phan Le Ha and Song-Ae Han (2004)
has shown that English and ELT have lent a
hand in creating distance and even confrontation
between teachers of different languages, particularly
teachers of Russian and teachers of English
in Vietnam. Teaching and learning English
is no longer neutral or politics free.
Japan is a country highly regarded by the
West (Pennycook, 1998). As an economic superpower,
Japan does not suffer from cultural, economic
and structural disadvantages of developing
countries. However, it is Japan's ideologies
of English that are a matter of concern. As
observed by Kubota (1998, p.295)
the dominance of English influences the Japanese
language and people's views of language, culture,
race, ethnicity and identity which are affected
by the world view of native English speakers,
and
teaching English creates cultural
and linguistic stereotypes not only of English
but also of Japanese people.
Thus,
"through learning English, the Japanese
have identified themselves with Westerners
while regarding non-Western peoples as the
Other" (p.299). This apparently has to
do with whom has power, and hence supports
Westernisation (which is often spelt out as
internationalisation) while turning a blind
eye to "global socio-linguistic perspectives"
(p.302). Power does matter and English has
been inexhaustibly made use of by all parties
to gain power. But within the game of power,
English is not an equal property for all.
Together with creating inequalities inside
a number of peripheral countries, English
as an international language is also used
by these countries to judge each other's level
of development. I remember when a group of
Malaysian tourists came to Vietnam in 1996
and they were astonished to find out that
Vietnamese students could speak very good
English (I was at university in Vietnam then).
They commented "You're so intelligent.
You can speak English so fluently. How come
you can achieve that? We used to think in
Vietnam few people could speak English or
knew it, so before we came here we were afraid
of facing a lot of problems." They, perhaps,
subconsciously related fluency in English
with "intelligence" and at the same
time assumed that knowing English was more
civilised, and thus superior.
After all, whether learning English for good
and practical concerns or for other reasons,
everyone or every country wants to gain power.
If the Centre sets communication norms, such
as whose English counts, for the Periphery,
then peripheral countries judge each other
based very much on how possession of English
is connected to development, representation
and recognition. Not only does English have
sufficient power to be regarded as a measure
of ability and mentality to communicate with
native English speakers, it also plays a key
role in facilitating a country's international
integration. Because English is used in regional
and international conferences and forums,
even Japan is afraid they will be "under
represented in the international community"
if its leaders are not able to speak English
"directly with their counterparts"
(L'estrange, 2000, p.11).
From the above discussions of the ownership
of English, it is clear that English is not
yet a global/world property. No matter how
much 'good' English has done in the world,
its cultural, political and social aspects
together with its continual adherence to imperialism
have confirmed its guilt and intentional engagement
in 'oppressing' speakers of other languages
with the assistance of the ELT industry. However,
I do not think the story stops here. English
users may be better served by proactively
taking ownership of its use and its teaching.
English users, particularly non-native speakers
of English, will then "be the main agents
in the ways English is used, is maintained,
and changes, and who will shape the ideologies
and beliefs associated with [EIL]" (Seidlhofer,
2003, p.7).
A critical notion of appropriation of EIL
Many authors have been investigating the tendency
of English to become a world language, and
suggesting the establishment of related critical
literacy pedagogies (Canagarajah, 1999; Gee,
1999; Pennycook, 2001; McKay, 2003). Examples
can be seen in their efforts to appreciate
the role of speakers of other languages in
spreading and transforming English into a
world language (Modiano, 2001; Brutt-Griffler,
2002). Likewise, a critical approach to second
language acquisition has been constructed
to destabilise the L1 norms (Cook, 1999; Kramsch,
2000, 2001; McKay, 2003). Alternative teaching
methods have been proposed to replace the
problematic Communicative Language Teaching
(CLT), such as the Context Approach (Bax,
2003). Also, some TESOL courses have been
re-designed to make students from non-English-speaking
backgrounds aware of how their images have
been constructed through English and ELT,
and in what way their voices can be heard
(for example, in the TESOL course for Masters
students offered by the Faculty of Education,
Monash University, with the subject Language,
Society and Cultural Difference, students
are exposed to postcolonial theories and have
the chance to challenge the dichotomy of Self
and Other).
Let me discuss one point raised by Widdowson
(1997) to seek a solution for more 'ethical'
English and ELT. I agree with Widdowson that
"as the language [in this case, English]
is used it cannot be kept under your control"
(p.136). People do appropriate it. However,
on this point, different views have been expressed.
On the one hand, Lin et al., (2001) show that
no matter how people appropriate it, the Other
is still seen as second-class users of English.
These authors suggest a quite fixed story
about the Self and Other, in which the Other
is always inferior, just because they are
the Other speakers of English. The word 'Other'
in TESOL already carries this dichotomy and
implication. On the other hand, Canagarajah
(1999) demonstrates that Sri Lankans have
been able to appropriate English for their
own purposes taking into account local cultural
and political factors. He offers an approach
that resists "linguistic imperialism
in English teaching" as the title of
his book suggests. Pennycook (2001, p.71)
also supports Canagarajah's view, suggesting
change and possibilities of "third spaces"
or "third cultures" (italics in
the original), notions that are discussed
by Kramsch (1993).
Developing her views in relation to how users
of English can appropriate English, Kramsch
(2001) stresses the importance of how English
language teachers can assist students in acquiring
their own voices in using English to "secure
a profit of distinction" (italics in
the original) (Kramsch, 2001, p.16). She contends
that language teachers' responsibility is
to
help students not only become acceptable and
listened to users of English by adopting the
culturally sanctioned genres, styles, and
rhetorical conventions of the English speaking
world, but how to gain a profit of distinction
by using English in ways that are unique to
their multilingual and multicultural sensibilities
(Kramsch, 2001, p.16).
The
views expressed by Canagarajah (1999), Pennycook
(2001) and Kramsch (2001) actually challenge
and disrupt linguistic imperialism and the
postcolonial dichotomy of Self and Other.
However, they do not reject English. Instead,
they support the use of English for one's
own benefit and equality, but at the same
time urge English users to work together to
eliminate the discourses of colonialism active
in current imperial forms. These views suggest
a new and more sophisticated notion of 'appropriation',
which consists of resistance and reconstitution.
Therefore, appropriation, as I would argue,
necessitates the Other's awareness of resistance
and conscious selection to reach reconstitution
under one's own control. Hashimoto (2000)
provides an example of how a country resists
Western globalisation and English dominance.
He argues that "the commitment of the
Japanese government to internationalisation
in education actually means 'Japanisation'
of Japanese learners of English" (p.39).
Indeed, the use of English plays an important
part in both one's desire to communicate with
the world and one's will to preserve one's
identity (Kubota, 1998, Pham Hoa Hiep, 2001).
It also influences one's perception of one's
identity (Kramsch, 2001; Lin et al., 2001).
Put differently, English contributes to identity
formation, which constitutes both dynamics
and the sense of belonging. This notion of
appropriation, I believe, would somehow facilitate
English to serve global citizens and at the
same time would not take their sense of belonging
away. However, if only the Other takes up
this notion of appropriation, part of the
effort is still left unsupported. The Self
should also adapt its notion of the ownership
of English to this idea of appropriation for
the sake of all. In the context of English
and ELT, facilitating appropriation by learners
of English is part of the job that world English
language teachers and applied linguists need
to fulfill. If this could be achieved, then
the issue of power and the politics of language
would become less pressing in the arena of
English and ELT.
Before closing this paper, I would like to
add one more point to McKay's (2003) appropriate
EIL pedagogy. She agrees with Brutt-Griffler
(2002) that the recent worldwide spread of
English is mainly due to "macroacquisition",
the term coined by Brutt-Griffler (2002),
and thus this nature necessitates alternative
pedagogy for EIL. McKay offers a number of
features of EIL, such as many learners of
English learn the language for specific purposes
and use it in multilingual contexts. They
also learn English to communicate their cultures
and knowledge with others. She calls for a
pedagogy which goes against assumptions commonly
held in ELT, that the spread of English is
because of linguistic imperialism, that the
native speaker model is no longer valid for
learning and teaching goals, and that the
focus on only the native speaker's culture
is no longer beneficial to both teachers and
learners. I agree with McKay's (2003) points,
however, I want to emphasise that when it
comes to academic assessment, users of English
will normally lose their sense of 'owning
the tongue' or at least feel insecure. Still,
certain norms are employed to make judgements,
and thus certain power is exercised. So the
point here is that if we all work hard for
an EIL and for fairness in the teaching and
learning of EIL but do not have the same attitudes
towards academic assessment, then our efforts
will be in vain. Likewise, as long as non-native
teachers of English "are still anchored
in the old native-speaker dominated framework"
and "non-native speakers of English are
not conscious of being speakers of EIL"
(Llurda, 2004, pp. 319-20), EIL will not be
recognised and appreciated.
So I suggest, together with encouraging and
valuing users' appropriation of English, TESOL
workers also need to promote an EIL pedagogy
in which the teaching and learning of EIL
should involve valuing and nurturing the expression
of other cultural voices in English, making
explicit the values that support judgements
about 'good' English and individual ability,
and helping students to construct identities
as owners, meaning makers, and authorised
users of EIL.
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