Post by Otaku on Dec 3, 2007 19:10:38 GMT 8
English as a Second Language
vs.
Internation English as a Second Language
vs.
Internation English as a Second Language
With English spoken in 73 countries, which English should be chosen as the 'international' English?
In my opinion, I think the English-speaking world should come together, put all their differences aside about which English is better and figure out an international English language that can be taught to countries who want to learn ESL.
I think it was stupid for Japan to adopt an American English spelling/grammar textbook then ask countries from all around the world to come to Japan to teach 'American English'. Baka, if you ask me!
I don't think it is fair to hire an individual from one country, tell them to teach their native language but from the standpoint of another country's English. What this shows is the employer's insensibility to the English teacher hired and the ignorance of the employer to hire people all around the world to teach one style of English. It is quite impossible for an English speaker to know every English-speaking countries' grammar rules, spellings and word choices.
Furthermore, how do you go about teaching American, British, Australian or New Zealand English when there is no official language in those countries?
I believe an English teacher teaching English in a foreign country should not be required or asked to teach an English other than their own. If a country wants to learn a specific country's English, they should ONLY employ people from that particular country. At the point that they hire from multiple countries, they should accept that country's English as is, with no equivocations.
Maybe I'm a radicalist, but I think ESL teaching is still up-and-coming. Yeah, the term 'ESL' has been slung around for a long time but I don't think we have yet figured out how to teach English from a IESL perspective. I believe English-speaking countries need to first get together and come to a consensus as to how to teach English from an international perspective...get on the same page, so to speak.
However, I don't see this happening because currently there is too much quarreling amongst English speakers from different countries. We have Americans saying, "We invented Phonics and greatly added to the English lexicon so American English is better." You have British saying, "Well, Americans stole their language from us so you wouldn't even have a language if it wasn't for us." While other countries are screaming out, "What about our country's English? English is the only language I've spoken since birth. What makes your countries' English more precious than ours?" There's too much bickering going on in the English-speaking community. I think we need to solve the bickering before we can start looking towards solutions.
Another thing adding to the problem of teaching English from the international perspective is that language is living and constantly changing so you can't go about teaching it in a formulaic method. This problem compiled with every culture in the world being completely different, it is virtually impossible to employ the same English strategy for every culture.
Japanese learn English in a very mathematical forumlatic way, which is unforgiving when faced with different Englishes. One time I was told by my JTE that I was saying "often" wrong because I was saying "of'n". How dare an Japanese English teacher who can't maintain a decent English conversation tell me my pronunciation is incorrect. When English doesn't fit into the Japanese English cookie-cutter, they have a hard time adjusting.
I'm saddened when I've talked to some of non-American-English friends and they tell me they mold their English to the textbooks. Unless you've lived outside your country in another English-speaking country or studied the linguistics of other Englishes, it's preposterous to assume that the person should know any other English other than their own country's English.
That being said, I think it's beneficial for English teachers working in a foreign country to know other countries' Englishes because it gives their students a broader perspective on the language but I don't think it's necessary, and the employer should know this when they hire you.
As our world is rapidly becoming a more closely bonded society, I think we all need to strive for a little bit more cultural and language sensitivity and understanding.