English-Mind

Globalisation of the English language
By Manal Ismail, Staff Writer/Reema Saffarini, Special to Gulf NewsPublished: March 01, 2008, 01:05
Reema Saffarini and Manal Ismail discuss the highlights of the International TESOL Conference.
When you meet people for the first time how do you usually introduce yourself? Do you base your introduction on where you are from? The social clique you belong to? Does the language you speak have anything to do with how you look at yourself? What exactly shapes your identity?
Notes investigated the matter last week during the First International TESOL Conference (Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference that was held at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), and which featured a number of prominent national and international speakers in the field of teaching English language. The two-day conference — TESOL in a Globalised World: Exploring the Challenges — was held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
Study survey
Dr Fatima Badri, Professor of English and Linguistics and Director of TESOL at AUS, talked about a study she conducted to see how language and the elements of identity are linked.
According to Badri, there are fears in the Gulf region that the dominance of English in the educational system from kindergarten to university stands to be "one of the most important agents of [disassociation] from local cultures".
In her presentation, Badri examined the ways in which the use of more than one language expresses "different acts of identity".Who is an Arab?
If you had to answer this question, what would you say? Is it a person who speaks Arabic? Is it a person who comes from one of the 22 countries that make up the Arab world?
Badri surveyed a 100 Arab students to determine the relationship between the Arabic language and the Arab identity. She posed 33 questions to see whether Arab students studying in English in the UAE believe that their predominant use of English in everyday life impacts their "Arab-ness".
She also looked at how the linguistic behaviour of these Arab students affects their perception of the Arab identity.
According to Badri, the Arab identity has generally been associated with knowing Arabic. "To speak Arabic means you are an Arab," she said.
However, Badri says there are many other components that are said to comprise the Arab identity such as shared culture and language, common experiences and place in history, geography, social informatics and shared economic interests, ethnicity, religion and shared external challenges and conflicts.
In other words, said Badri, students believe that being an Arab depends on many factors besides language. "Increasingly, language is playing a less symbolic and more pragmatic role in the lives of its speakers," she said.
So what did the study exactly show?ObservationsStudents who took part in the study were from different parts of the Arab world, which included the Gulf, Levant and North Africa. Their opinions on the role of Arabic as an expression of Arab identity showed that language is no longer the most important criterion for being identified as an Arab. The survey also showed that although knowledge of the Arabic language is taken for granted, the students taking part in the study said they could no longer imagine themselves solving a mathematical problem in Arabic.
"The … definition of ‘Arab-ness' is now based on the feeling of belonging to the same culture. What makes students identify themselves as Arabs is their shared destiny and not necessarily the language," said Badri.
In fact, when the students were asked to act as Ministers of Educations in their own countries and come up with an "educational language policy", answers showed that many thought that a foreign or second language should be introduced from the elementary level and be used as the medium of instruction for scientific and technological subjects up to grade 12 and at the university level. "The students suggested that teaching Arabic should be restricted to religious studies, history and Arabic literature," said Badri.
Results
The survey also looked at how frequently the students use English and Arabic with their parents, siblings, friends, strangers and at the university level. Fifty-seven per cent said that they never use English when talking to their parents; however, the use of both English and Arabic reached more than 80 per cent when addressing friends, strangers and people at the university.
Sixty-three per cent said they prefer to use English when studying, while 43 per cent said they prefer Arabic.
Seventy-one per cent of the students said that they "definitely do not" see changes in "belonging to their Arab identity" as a result of learning English.
The overall responses of the students, said Badri, reveal that "students prefer using English for interpersonal functions without feeling less Arab".
She added that students feel they need to master English because it is the "language of knowledge".Threatening the Arab identity Even though speaking a foreign language in everyday life does not make an Arab less Arab, Badri believes that the Arab identity and language are under threat. "The threat … does not come from English as a language, but from the negligence of Arabic," she said.
"There is a need to raise awareness among Arabs that a language that is not used in the sphere of communication is threatened with disappearance. Also, there is a need to have an educational system that encourages a balanced bilingualism by encouraging the use of Arabic language as well as a medium of instruction."
With English developing as the universal language, it is necessary to instill English language skills in today's youth. The question is, how do we teach those skills and what methods can be used to effectively teach students?Suhair Al Alami from the Al Ghurair University in Dubai discussed the main benefits of utilising literature in ESL contexts.
"By using literature to teach English, students gain a deeper understanding of the values of other cultures and individuals," she said.
Al Alami highlighted four universal emotions that can be portrayed in texts from around the globe. These emotions can be used to connect to a reader at a deeper level. This theory, as introduced by various researchers, has been initiated as an approach for teaching English literature in international contexts.
"According to research, happiness, fear, anger and sadness are what comprise the universality of human emotion," she said. "Whether you're in the UAE or the depths of China, people are happy and people are sad. These emotions should be viewed as the main vehicle for engagement with a literary piece."
Learner-centred educationAl Alami also stressed that the student must be placed as the centre of a structured curriculum. "The teacher must no longer be the unquestionable authority in the classroom," she said. "Educational practitioners must cater to students needs to effectively enhance their capacity for learning."
Tailoring classroom content to students' interests will leave students with a feeling that they don't have to learn, but that they want to learn.
During the event
Dr John Mosbo, Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), welcomed the participants on behalf of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and President of AUS and Dr Winfred Thompson, Chancellor of AUS. He said that English has become a lingua franca in the Gulf states, emphasising the importance of keeping English language teachers up-to-date with the latest developments.
A number of issues were discussed, including teaching English to students of different cultures; language and identity construction in the global world; early literary practices in UAE primary schools; Islamophobia and English language teaching in the Arabian Gulf; challenges of teaching American literary texts to Emirati students. A number of workshops were also held pertaining to English language teaching and globalisation in cooperation with the AUS Faculty Development Centre.
"This conference is the first of its kind in the region because it does not discuss how we can teach English as a second language, but how it should be taught in a globalised world. English has become the lingua franca and is being used by more people whose first language is not English rather than those whose first language is English," said Dr Fatima Badri, Professor of English and Linguistics and Director of TESOL at AUS.
Three preliminary speakers highlighted the English language teaching challenges in a globalised world. Robert Phillipson from the Copenhagen Business School asked whether English is a necessary lingua franca or an uncontrollable lingua frankensteina. David Graddol of the English Company Ltd spoke about how globalisation is challenging TESOL, while Julie Belz discussed the role of computer mediation in the instruction and development of second language pragmatic competence.
Most students associate literature with large textbooks and turgid language. However there are methods to make the process more engaging for students. One example would be to include a glossary at the end of the text.
"An attached glossary would encourage students to look up unfamiliar terms, which will not only help them in understanding the reading, but develop their vocabulary in the long run," Al Alami said. "The selection of words can be determined by the English level of the class and the frequency of their use."
Creating interactive discussions can also help clarify anything that students may perceive as vague or complex. Asking readers to respond to text will also make it more involving. Content is also an important consideration when choosing meaningful text.
"Instructors should consider factors like the age, interest and familiarities of the group they are teaching," Al Alami said. "Only this way would instructors receive optimal input."
Al Alami also added that writing could be simplified by promoting brainstorming exercises and going through a series of stages including prewriting, drafting, revising and proofreading, "Through a step-by-step approach, students can learn from their errors and be more confident in their work," she said.