We mustn't forget that English is a European language (where it is used as a second language everywhere; and have you heard the average Norwegian youngster speak the language?)
And we mustn't forget that English is an African language (where it is not only a second language, but also the first and official language across half the continent!)
It might be a question of how people sound - as there are lots of different African english accents. But we have to ask if the English speak English the best!
Certainly a lot of teachers around the world feel insecure about their accent - but there are so many ways today to empower educators to feel confident and prepared to teach pronunciation.
This then throws up the question: What is a native speaker teacher of english?
Which leads us to the notion of native speakerism (see Native speakerism: hiding behind privilege - E L Gazette) - or the "native speaker fallacy", which suggests that the ideal teacher of English is a native speaking teacher (see: NNEST - Wikipedia)
The latest E L Gazette looks at the latest story:
Language professionals challenge “native” requirement in hiring
After months of collaboration, educators Vincent Richard, Ana Jovic, Meri Maroutian and Dr Natalia Wright have published an open letter to the Council of Europe addressing what they describe as “the misuse” of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in the hiring practices of many educational institutions and employers globally.
An excerpt reads: “The CEFR was designed as a structured scale to assess communicative competence, not identity. Proficiency is achieved through study, exposure, and practice—not through birthplace or upbringing. Conflating “native” with advanced CEFR levels misrepresents how language skills develop and devalues the effort required to reach high levels of proficiency. It creates confusion for both job applicants and students.”
Speaking exclusively to EL Gazette, Vincent Richard said: “This letter has already drawn a lot of attention, especially on LinkedIn. Some prominent academics, teachers and teacher trainers, for example, have already signed it. This is very satisfactory. But for it to really have an impact and encourage the Council of Europe to respond, the campaign must continue. We want as many people as possible to sign it, of course, and we will be especially pleased and grateful if the big actors which we have invited to sign the letter, take the plunge as well. One of the reasons why native speakerism and bad hiring practices carry on is the law of silence. This must cease. There are people and institutions which could take a clear stance at last and make a real change. So here lies an opportunity!”
No comments:
Post a Comment