Which English? Whose English?

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ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE:

Which English? Whose English?

“Language is a system of arbitrary, vocal symbols which permit all people in a given culture, or other people who have learned the system of that culture, to communicate and to interact” (Widdowson 1971, p. 3). Due to the complex nature of language and its intricate connection with its socio-cultural context (Hymes 1971, 1986, Halliday 1991), English must reflect the cultural values inherently present in those context. It follows then that as the usage of English increase around the world and the variety of contexts in which it is applied expands, then the variety of cultures it reflects will also continue to diversify.

For more than two decades, the ‘ownership’ of English globally has been a topic of lively debates, as English has been increasingly used as a tool for international and intranatioanl communication. Due to the ongoing nature of the development of language and the diversification of English worldwide, it will be argued that English is ‘owned’ by its current users, and both native speakers and non-native speakers should be free to apply and develop the language as a means to their own purposes. However, in order for users to be in a position to take advantage of their usage of English, they need to be aware of the social implications of language use in context, to make informed language choices in order to achieve their goals. This has wide ranging implications for educators and learners in ESL/EFL classrooms in terms of the language itself, linguistic theory and social empowerment.

THE DIVERSIFICATION OF ENGLISH

The emergence of English as an international language has largely been a consequence of two significant historical circumstances: British imperialism, in nineteenth century; and the economic dominance of the USA, in the twentieth century (Brumfit 1982, p. 1). Although ‘world English’ has been developing for more than 400 years, the extent of the geographical spread, and the speed of this spread, especially in the last four decades, has been unprecedented (Crystal 1995, p. 110). Varieties of English (including standard, pidgin and oreole) are used in more than 72 countries with an estimation of 2,090 million users by 1997, approximately a third of the world population at that time, with non-native speakers in the majority (Crystal, 1997, p. 57-60).

Platt, Weber and Ho (1984) use the term ‘New Englishes’ to refer to varieties of English. “All living languages and language varieties are constantly changing in form and functions. (p.198). Thus signifying the development of varieties of English as distinct from their parent forms, and as vehicles to new freedoms in the application of language.

The diversification of English has occurred, not only because of the geographical spread of the language, but also because of the benefits people believe it offers, primary in access to wide ranging fields of knowledge, business and politics. And extending a view to future, Lee (1981) speculates that this “widespread use of English in trade and commerce, the multi-national corporations, the travel, entertainment and communications industries and in medicine, science and information technology is likely to increase in he future if only because of the continuing operation of a powerful self-reinforcing cycle” (p. 57). Therefore, it is hardly surprising that people around the world are turning to English for the perceived benefits it can offer to their immediate and long term futures.

As a result of the spread of English into disparate cultures, it is being used by non-native speakers in new ways and forms. Platt, Weber and Ho (1984) define ‘New English’ as ones which meet the following criteria: has developed through an education system; has developed where a ‘native variety’ of English was generally not spoken; used for a variety of functions in society; and has become ‘localised’ or ‘nativised’ (culturally influenced) by unique language features. They identified six new Englishes, meaning the above criteria, namely Indian English, Kenyan English, Singapore English, Ghanaian English, Nigerian English and Caribbean English (1984, p.9). In Singapore, Lee (1981) raises the concern that with the introduction of English came a “distinctive western-oriented way of life” (p. 60) which resulted in a “two-layered Singaporean culture”. In an attempt to counter this shift away from traditional cultural values, the education policy in Singapore was then modified to use standard English for its ‘utilitarian value’, to try to minimize the use of ‘Singlish’ and to use mother tongues to reinforce traditional local values. In Indonesia, in the Expanding Circle, English is primary studied for access to the latest developments in science and technology, however, English lexicon are also being incorporated into the national language Bahasa Indonesia, thus extending that traditional language to include vocabulary for “modern, cosmopolitan topics”. These are just a few examples of the different ways varieties of English being used in culturally diverse contexts by non-native speakers.

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THE OWNERSHIP OF ENGLISH

This widespread use of English and the resultant diversity in its form has given rise to debate over the ‘ownership’ of English. With non-native speakers in the majority of English users in the world, what does this mean for the future of the language? Will it fracture into numerous and weak varieties that eventually will lose the commonality that facilitates the function of English as international language? Or should a standard English be used for international communication, and if yes, then which one? These are not easy questions to answer, and hence a debate of ...

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