Next, the issue of the perceived superiority of native teachers to the non-native ones shall be discussed. For a long time, it has been the general perception that native speakers of English make for the most competent teachers of the language, with the evidence of this being the strong demands for native-speaker teachers across the globe. However, this view has of late, been contested, where it is suggested that native speakers of English may not make better teachers simply based on the fact that they know English as a native language; pedagogic expertise and tangible competence in the language must be taken into consideration.
There are many arguments being made against the native-is-better perception, one of them being that English, like History, is a subject. If it does not mean that one has to have had lived through the whole of history to be a competent teacher of History, the view that native speakers of English are the best teachers is also invalid. Also, it is argued that native speakers do not by default, have the best knowledge for teaching English; the perception that they possess this knowledge disregards the need for second language teaching techniques and the study of the process of teaching itself. Lastly, it remains a fact that non-native speakers of English are more acquainted with the kind of complications a second language learner might experience, putting them in a better position to comprehend and anticipate the difficulties encountered by students. From another perspective, from the fact that native speakers of English are not any more competent than non-native speakers in their rate of acquisition of a new language, it is hence only logical to reason that they are not superior in comparison, with regards to the teaching of the language.
The next issue that shall be discussed is the methods of assessment in the teaching of the English language. One contentious debate with regards to this issue is the question of if English learners should be assessed against the standards of the Inner Circle and their idea of ‘correctness’. A current problem that exists in the teaching of English is that in spite of the extent of adaptation to the more appropriate local contexts, assessment methods are still tied to the native-speaker norms. As such, the ‘washback’ effect is widespread; students will continually strive to learn a form of the language that is engineered only for success in the examinations, and teachers will impart a form of language and skills adapted to the same standards. In view of this, it is evident that there would be little change to assessment methods in time to come.
Despite some evidence that assessment methods across the globe are converging towards non-native speaker contexts, the rules of native-speaker English remains such that they do not take into consideration the actual usage of English in the Outer Circle. As such, in spite of the fact that certain usages of the English language are accepted as standard in their local context, it would still be seen as non-standard in international tests simply because they do not reflect the norms of the Inner Circle. Hence, it is evident that despite the measures taken to make the teaching of the English language more appropriate to the context, the benchmark for assessment is still based largely on native-speaker standards and not actual proficiency. Until official assessment methods are revised, the contentious debate remains; if certain features of Outer Circle Englishes are merely different or non-standard in comparison to Inner Circle Englishes.
Lastly, the essay shall address the question of why English is the most sought after language to learn in the world today. The widespread use of English is primarily the result of two factors; the British colonisation and the economic prowess of the United States of America. Till today, in the countries that were once British colonies, official proceedings and education in school are still mainly carried out in English, making it a necessary language to learn. These countries make up a significant portion of the English speaking population outside the Inner Circle. On the other hand, the economic dominance of the United States of America has also spurred the learning of the English language in Expanding Circle countries for the facilitation of trade and businesses.
Apart from these historical and external economic reasons, there are also other factors for which people seek to learn English, two of them being for practical and intellectual reasons. It is practical to learn the English language because of the fact that it is the language of international air traffic control. At the same time, its use in international maritime and emergency services is also in developmental stages. In addition, the English language is also the choice of language for academic conferences and tourism across the globe, making it the most important language to acquire in these fields. For many, intellectual pursuits typically involve the reading of scientific, historical, and academic information. Globally, most of such information is written in English, and this includes eighty per cent of electronic resources. Hence, it is evident that English is the most useful language to learn for the facilitation of intellectual pursuits.
However, there are also a more dubious reasons for which English is learnt; its perceived prestige. In many countries, it is often deemed that being able to speak English means that one has a high social status. Also, in certain cultures, people believe that English is an intrinsically more coherent and beautiful language that is also easier to learn. However, as Crystal suggests, this type of belief is in fact naïve; it is not possible to objectively compare languages in this manner.
Hence, it is evident that many issues still plague the teaching and learning of the English language across the globe till this day, and evidence shows that it would be difficult to change the situation due to the general attitudes towards the Outer Circle standards. Some reasons for which people wish to learn the language also further affirms the lopsided views towards the language, one example being its perceived prestige. As such, it is apparent that it will be long before a consensus is achieved with regards to which varieties of English are standard. Till then, the teaching and learning of English will still be based largely upon the native-speaker standards.
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References
Jenkins, Jennifer. (2009). World Englishes. New York: Routledge.
Educational Technology and Production. (2012). World Englishes: Study Guide. Singapore: SIM University.
