WORLD ENGLISHES AND LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM: IMPLICATIONS IN ELT (original) (raw)
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The global spread of English and the resultant explosion of English Language Teaching in many parts of the world have been termed as "Linguistic imperialism" by . According to his theory, English has been cleverly promoted around the world by the British and American agencies with the sole intention of increased profit and continued domination of third world countries. This view also holds that this spread is detrimental to the local languages and cultures. Many other scholars and academics from all over the world have joined the debate bringing to the fore issues such as nature of domination, ways of resistance, cultural and linguistic hybridity and pluralization, identity politics, representation and appropriation of English, etc. The reactions to Phillipson's top-down structural view of domination have thus been marked by competing narratives and interpretations. In this paper I review the debates and make an attempt to characterize the opposing positions pertaining to the global spread and role of English today.
World Englishes: The study of new linguistic varieties (review)
The Canadian Journal of Linguistics / La revue canadienne de linguistique, 2011
As recent as it is, the field of New Englishes has seen phenomenal growth since its inception in the early 1980s. The term just celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary (Pride 1982), and a number of introductions, handbooks, and collections of articles have appeared of late. But, as Mesthrie & Bhatt (M&B) themselves ask, '[i]f the field is well served by books and articles, why the appearance of one more' (p. 2)? The answer to this question is what also recommends the book to readers of this journal: M&B's aim is not just to synthesize previous research and 'identify gaps in the field' (p. 2) but to make the connection with other outcomes of language contact, such as pidgins and creoles. Their emphasis is on 'the linguistic forms characteristic of new varieties of English and on ways of describing and understanding them' (p. 3); the main body of the book thus consists of an account of the morphology and phrasal syntax (Chapter 2), cross-clausal syntax (Chapter 3), lexis and phonology (Chapter 4), and pragmatic and discourse features (Chapter 5) in various New Englishes. This structural, descriptive approach is entirely in line with what is customary in the field (but has been regretted by, e.g., the contributors to Singh 1998, according to whom such an approach fails to do justice to the sociopolitical nature of the subject). In Chapter 1, M&B first define terms and concepts and place their subject historically and geographically as well as within the discipline. Their discussion of distinctions within what they label the 'English Language Complex' (p. 3) is detailed but concise, and both clarifies issues and pinpoints their controversial nature. In entitling their book 'World Englishes, ' M&B signal that their interest includes phenomena like Euro English and exceeds the bounds of the second-language varieties of English which originated through education in former colonies and are now summarized under the heading 'New Englishes. ' M&B rightly point to the problems inherent in the term nativization (p. 11), which is often used to denote the acculturation of the former colonial language to local circumstances, as in the adoption of indigenous words for flora, fauna, topography, or cultural phenomena, but simply refers to the formation of a first language in, for instance,
MIANU – SCIENCE AND PRACTICE (SAP), Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, No. 1, Volumen I, IX - 2021., ISSN 2787-8228 (Print), ISSN 2787-8236 (CD-ROM), 2021
The English hegemony of the world in terms of language has become the sine qua non of the modern way of life. International communication depends on knowledge of the English language, and digital evolution has contributed to that to the greatest extent. Today, we can say that the whole world is digitally connected into one networked system of interplanetary communications. English has thus become the world's lingua franca language in the business world on a global scale. The question is whether we can predict the further spread of this language or its stagnation, perhaps even its replacement with some other world language? In this article we want to point out as well as give a basic theoretical overview of the phenomenon of the English language. In the discussion, we rely on the opinions of English linguists to support our idea about the strength of the English people to expand, partially impose, their achievements of civilization by spreading the language worldwide. The world citizens have found the knowledge of English an essentially important element of life. English, therefore, has become a part of everyday life.
World Englishes: The Study of New Linguistic Varieties, by Rajend Mesthrie and Rakesh M. Bhatt
Changing English, 2010
The main focus of this book is on linguistic structure, in particular on the linguistic forms characteristic of new varieties of English, and on ways of describing and understanding them. In this, the book makes an extremely useful contribution to the field. It is less successful in its attempt to cover and explain current trends in the spread of English, which is the aim of the final chapter.
Hegemony of the Empire to the Language Hegemony: A Correlational Case of English
Language and power have been interlinked and are noticeable in the form of presence of languages like English, French and Spanish in different countries around the world due to rules of British, French and Spanish colonies. The colonial empires made systematic attempts for linguistic and cultural colonization as well making people believe that the language of colonial rulers was superior to their local languages. The spread of English around the globe today had its roots in the colonial empire of British. Through the power, which these rulers enjoyed, they established the hegemony of their language. And in the present day, the economic and military powers of these hegemonic powers are also serving as the tools to establish their linguistic hegemony. With this background, the present paper seeks to review how hegemony of power, which Britain and America enjoyed and enjoy, is correlational with the hegemony of English language spread and use around the globe.