Varieties of modern English and teaching English as a foreign language

As many variations of English have been emerged, learners of English are likely to be exposed to different varieties of English besides what is called “standard English”. Thus, scholars who are interested in English language teaching (ELT) have raised the issues of which varieties should be taken into consideration. This article provides a thorough insight into the presence of varieties of modern English and its effects on ELT.

TẠP CHÍ KHOA HỌC  SỐ 36/2019 197 VARIETIES OF MODERN ENGLISH AND TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE Dang Thi Quynh Trang, Bui Hoai Huong Department of Academic Foundations, International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi Abstract: As many variations of English have been emerged, learners of English are likely to be exposed to different varieties of English besides what is called “standard English” Thus, scholars who are interested in English language teaching (ELT) have raised the issues of which varieties should be taken into consideration This article provides a thorough insight into the presence of varieties of modern English and its effects on ELT Keywords: varieties of English, English language teaching, World Englishes Received 19 November 2019 Accepted for publication 20 December 2019 Email: trangdq@isvnu.vn INTRODUCTION The terms “English as a world language”, “English as a global language” or “English as an international language” can be used interchangeably [8] English as a global language is used interchangeably with English as a world language in this essay to refer to a language that has gained a global significance when it has a special role recognized by every country [3] Crystal [3] claimed that in order for a language to gain a global standing, having a large number of native speakers is insufficient: instead, it has to be used in other countries Considering this criterion, English is well-qualified to be a global language as there are nearly 1.5 billion people speaking English as a second or foreign language while there are only around 400 million native speakers according to Crystal [3] EXPLANATIONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF ENGLISH Undoubtedly, there are many varieties of English around the world such as American English British English and Indian English Seargeant [7] defines a variety “as a recognisable system of linguistic features which are associated with a community of 198 TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THỦ ĐÔ HÀ NỘI speakers or with a particular social context” Bauer in [1] stated that “variety” can be used to refer to a language, a dialect, an idiolect or an accent In other words, “variety” is a neutral term used to refer to any form of language whether it is determined by geography, social class or context.The reasons why varieties of English evolved can be traced back to the two diasporas of English, the first one referring to the migration of around 25000 people from England to America and Australia, the second one referring to the colonisation in Asia and Africa [10] Varieties of English evolved from the first diaspora arc called “new Englishes” and those evolved from the second one arc called “New Englishes”, “new Englishes” resulted from the mixing of dialects among people settling in these areas, or the influence of languages of indigenous population [10] As in the case of Australia and New Zealand, the situation is described as “koincization” Koineization is the process of “mixing and subsequent leveling of features of varieties which arc similar enough to be mutually intelligible, such as regional or social dialects” [9] After discovered by James Cook in 1770, Australia was occupied by around 160,000 convicts from Britain and Ireland and then by a large number of settlers who originated in many parts of the United Kingdom such as London, south-west England, Lancashire Scotland, and Ireland [10], “Koineization” or “dialect-mixing” occurred as a result This situation was then affected by aboriginal languages The similar situation happened in New Zealand there were large numbers of immigrants coming from various regions such as Britain, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom “New Englishes” emerged when students were taught by non-native teachers whose English was different from those of native teachers These students had much exposure to the language for several years while they were using it for a number of purposes [10] Second, varieties of English emerged as the result of language contact, that is, people of different languages come into contact “Linguistic variation and change is the result of many factors, but one of the most influential factors is the degree of contact with speakers from different language backgrounds or speakers of a different dialect.” [4] EFFECTS ON ELT The proficiency of native speakers has been considered a standard to assess the proficiency of second language learners as Cenoz & Genesee [2] claimed, ‘bilinguals, in and outside the school, are usually evaluated against ‘monolingual’ competence in their non-native languages In fact, it has been recorded that the goal of English teaching in many nations has been what is considered native varieties, namely British or American varieties [10] This leads to the prevalent priority towards native teachers in many countries such as Japan, Kuwait and Qatar [4] However, this view has been challenged by McKay [4] as many bilinguals not consider native-like proficiency as their goal of learning English They consider English as the key to access a large amount of information available in English and as a means of global communication, in which native-like TẠP CHÍ KHOA HỌC  SỐ 36/2019 199 proficiency is not necessary Therefore, the new goal for teaching English as an international language should be to promote intelligibility and comity among users [6] Since English is increasingly being used in multilingual societies [4] and the number of people using English as a second or foreign language outnumbered those speaking English as their first language, learners are more likely to be exposed to different varieties in their workplace Thus, an awareness of different varieties of English should be raised in classrooms Besides, the wide use of native focused content in English language teaching textbooks needs to be reconsidered because of the diverse contexts where English is spoken [6] DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION In summary, varieties of English result from the wide spread of English because of migration and colonisation and later because of the language contact among countries This development of different varieties of English should lead to profound change in English language curriculum and attitudes As many varieties of English emerge, new goals and approaches of teaching English need to be more tailored to learners’ needs and teaching materials need to be conceptualized In terms of language content, there should be less focus on what is so-called standard English, the English spoken by native American or British countries More varieties should be emphasized or at least mentioned in English programmes in order to raise students’ awareness as they are likely to encounter other varieties of English such as Indian English and Korean English when they enter the labour market The problem with students who are primarily exposed to American English and British English pronunciation is that they find it difficult to understand an Indian or a Chinese speaking English The focus should be switched from standard English to communicative skills Apart from language content, the content of reading texts and listening scripts need to be conceptualized instead of focusing on what is going on in the nations where English is spoken as the first language Additionally, in the author’s opinion, the signature of British such as Big Ben and London Eyes should be omitted from English textbooks as English is now considered as an international language, a common language for cultural, economic and politic exchange rather than a particular language of a specific country Last but not least, the rise of varieties of English has changed the attitude of learners towards other varieties of English than standard English People who speak non standard English now gain more respect What matters is not the language they speak, but the message they deliver By helping English as a Foreign Language learners understand this, teachers can promote students’ self-confidence and motivation to use English outside educational institution The author personally believe that this rise of varieties of English is a positive trend towards teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language 200 TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC THỦ ĐÔ HÀ NỘI REFERENCES Bauer, L (2003), An Introduction to International Varieties of English, - Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press Cenoz, J., & Genesee, F (Eds) (1998), Beyond bilingualism: Multilingualism and multilingual education, - Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters Crystal, D (2012), English as a Global Language (2nd ed.), - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Galloway N & Rose, H (2015), Introducing Global Englishes, - New York: Routledge Matsuda A & Friedrich, P (2012), “Selecting an Instructional Variety for an EIL Curriculum” In A Matsuda (Ed), Principles and Practices of Teaching English as an International Language - Bristol: Multilingual Matters, pp 27-38 McKay S.L (2002), Teaching English as an International Language, - Oxford: Oxford University Press Seargeant P (2012), Exploring World Englishes Language in a Global Context, - New York: Routledge Seidlhofer B (2003), A concept of International English and related issues: from 'real English' to 'realistic English'?, - Council of Europe, Siegel, J (2001), Koine formation and creole genesis In N Smith and T Veenstra (eds) Creolization and Contact, - Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp.175-197 10 Jenkins, J (2003), World Englishes: A resource book for students, - Psychology Press CÁC BIẾN THỂ CỦA TIẾNG ANH VÀ VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY TIẾNG ANH NHƯ MỘT NGOẠI NGỮ Tóm tắt: Khi nhiều biến thể tiếng Anh xuất hiện, người học tiếng Anh có khả tiếp xúc với nhiều loại tiếng Anh khác bên cạnh tiếng Anh gọi “Tiếng Anh chuẩn” Vì vậy, học giả quan tâm đến lĩnh vực giảng dạy tiếng Anh (ELT) đặt câu hỏi ảnh hưởng tới việc giảng dạy ngoại ngữ Bài viết cung cấp nhìn sâu sắc diện biến thể tiếng Anh đại ảnh hưởng ELT Keywords: Các biến thể tiếng Anh, giảng dạy tiếng Anh, tiếng Anh ngoại ngữ  ... an international language, a common language for cultural, economic and politic exchange rather than a particular language of a specific country Last but not least, the rise of varieties of English. .. Britain and Ireland and then by a large number of settlers who originated in many parts of the United Kingdom such as London, south-west England, Lancashire Scotland, and Ireland [10], “Koineization”... colonisation and later because of the language contact among countries This development of different varieties of English should lead to profound change in English language curriculum and attitudes As many