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Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 454
LANGUAGE IN INDIA
Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow
Volume 11 : 12 December 2011
ISSN 1930-2940
Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan -
A Global Criterion
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar
Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
=========================================
Abstract
There has been a great deal of discussion about the history and traditional ways of teaching
English in Pakistan. However, this paper departs from tradition and argues for teaching of
different varieties of global lingua franca (English) of post-modern era. Pakistani nation is
facing a worst tsunami of economy and we suggest that a possible way to deal with this issue
is the learning and teaching of global language and education, where English with different
varieties is a must.
We don’t underestimate the importance of English speaking countries but at the same time
we urge for giving due respect to the rest of the world which includes Europe, Africa and
many Asian countries.
Hence, global as well as local varieties of the language should be incorporated in learning and
teaching of English to develop a better understanding of uses of English across different
socio-cultural settings. Mostly, English is discussed in political scenario but we advocate for
the economic benefits of teaching World Englishes.
Keywords: World Englishes, International English, ELT, Language Ownership.
Introduction
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 455
The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination; it is
the property of the language itself. (Derek Walcott, 1986)
No doubt, information technology has caused a big change in modern age; however, another
phenomenon that has equally contributed to this progress is the global spread of English.
English serves a multitude of different purposes now, for unprecedented numbers of different
"owners" of it (Gilsdorf, 2002). She further writes, “Paradoxically, it is owned by other
cultures, by us, by everyone, and by no one”. Scholars use different terms like English as an
international language (e.g. Kirkpatrick 2007; Jenkins, 2000), World Englishes, (e.g. Kachru,
1998a; Kingsley 2004), English as a global language (e.g. Graddol 2006, 2010; Crystal 2003),
English as a world language (e.g. Mair 2003) and English as a Lingua Franca (e.g. Jenkins,
2006; Seidlhofer, 2005). However, the fact remains that English has become the working
language of the world. At least for next half century (in most cases if not all) no real progress
is possible without being fully aware of the role of English language across the globe. For our
purpose, we will use the term World Englishes (WE) to refer to different varieties of English
or global English.
Status of English Language in Pakistan
Many have discussed the status of English language in Pakistan; however, most studies
(Rahman, 1999; Mahboob, 2002; Shamim, 2008) have focused on the descriptive outlook of
English language teaching without really looking at it from an international perspective.
Therefore, this paper discusses the role of global English for Pakistani university students.
We will focus on why students need to focus on WE and how the teachers should contribute
to this learning process. We argue for the following suggestions in the language learning and
teaching of WE: 1) present socio-economic situation in Pakistan necessitates that students
learn global English 2) teachers have to incorporate both local as well as global issues (WE)
in teaching of English; and 3) classroom and research have to pay special attention to
different varieties of English and awareness should be developed regarding the facts and
issues about WE.
Justification for World Englishes
It’s now almost half a century when scholars (Halliday et al. 1964; Kachru, 1965; Crystal,
1969) started to feel about the importance and role of different varieties of English in the
world. According to Widdowson (1994), native speakers are no longer the only owners of
English but newly arrived non-native speakers are also affecting the language a great deal.
English has been performing as a cross-cultural mediator (Richards et.al., 1985). This makes
it indispensible for Pakistani students to learn the WE. The world has become a global village
and a new post-industrial economic order (Warschauer, 2000) is taking place. Students
should recognize the power of English language in fields like international economics,
politics, and education (Kubota & Ward, 2000).
In addition, being a part of global society Pakistani students have to learn the global language
and WE. Rapid changes in every field of life are posing serious threats to the nations of the
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 456
world, especially developing countries like Pakistan, as they are not able to cope with the
quick transformations. The world is facing challenges like rising unemployment, pollution,
commoditisation of education, greater uncertainty and risk at jobs and the ever growing gap
between the developed and developing countries (Hsieh & Tseng, 2002; Stiglitz 2002).
At the same time globalization helps people to connect with each other throughout the world.
As a result, our lives are not only affected by people living around us but also public of the
world (Pike & Selby, 1988). Everybody else is affecting everybody else, directly or indirectly.
Globalization has made us globally interdependent (Becker, 1979). Pakistan, without doubt,
is a part of global world and lives of the people are being affected by the world. We should be
cognizant of the situation and take part in global society by learning the different varieties of
English. Equipped with WE, we can move forward to face many social and economic
problems.
Pakistani students have to learn English because it has already gained the status of intra-
national and inter-national means of communication in the world (Crystal, 1997; Jenkins,
2003; Halliday, 2008). As Graddol (2006) puts it: “Rather, it has become a new baseline:
without English, you are not even in the race”. Graddol (2010) further suggests that it is now
considered a basic skill rather than treated as a foreign language. It has the status of official
language in Pakistan and is a working language of courts, administration, official letters, and
a medium of instruction in the Higher Education of Pakistan. A number of Pakistani students
go abroad for studies every year and they cannot really get the best out of it if they are not
good at WE. There are more than 7 million Pakistanis living and working abroad which
constitutes almost 4 percent of the total population (Eteraz, 2009). Therefore, they cannot
survive in the global challenges without being equipped with the tools to meet them. English
language has gained the status of working language for Pakistanis with the people of the
world. If we really want to progress and prosper, our students and researchers have to work
this with the help of tools like WE.
Futuristic Plans
Educationists are futurists as they have the power to foresee the changes in world. They learn,
judge and plan for the times unknown. From centuries, especially in the modern knowledge-
based age, the destinies of the nations are shaped in the classrooms. And, in this process,
universities play a pivotal role. Universities should be aware of their role in the society and
they should be fully aware of where, when, how and for what purposes education is delivered
within communal and higher education communities (Hanna, 1998).
We are near the bottom compared to the development of countries of the world. “Education
indicators in Pakistan are the worst in South Asia and amongst the very worst in the world”
(Coleman, 2010).
Similarly, the report of Competitive Support Fund (CSF) of 2010-11 makes it quite clear that
Pakistan is having serious concerns with economy. As CSF reports our higher education is
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 457
now facing serious challenges as we fell from 118th to 123rd place among 139 countries. Only
12 % are below us.
We argue that reasons for this, at least in part, lie in the fact that our students and teachers are
not conscious of the varieties of global language. We are losing the competition with our
immediate competitors in the region like India, China, Indonesia, and even Bangladesh. We
need a strong and versatile language policy in this situation. English has become the global
lingua franca (Graddol, 2010). However, we should know that what English we need and for
what purposes. Instead of simply mimicking the native speakers (the term Native itself being
debated among scholars), we should have the abilities to use language creatively and
subversively (Seidlhofer, 2009).
Teaching World Englishes
Here, we would like to suggest some ideas related to the issues involved in teaching of WE.
WE can be used to encourage and motivate students to learn about the global issues in the
field of education and language studies. We can develop an international understanding
among our students with the help of WE. The purpose of the teachers should to be to
administrate elements in their students that will result in an increased understanding of the
global language (English) and global community. In the present socio-economic conditions,
Pakistan badly needs a change and the universities (students and teachers) have to come
forward to lead the nation to a desired goal and attain its dignity in the world.
The Role of Universities
The universities have to take practical steps to develop perspective consciousness in students
and to widen other dimensions that will contribute to the enhancement of a global perspective.
All of us do have opinions but they are not enough. To contribute something to the society,
we have to realize that we have a perspective about everything and especially about education,
language policy, and research in the universities. Again, simple awareness of the perspectives
is not enough; we have to put that realization into practice.
The statistics of recent times show that we can do nothing at a global level without English.
Therefore, we have to change our attitude toward English. We should not consider English
language as a liability or colonial gift; rather we should accept it as a source of progress
internationally in the fields of education and economics. We have to twist this linguistic blade
in our favor and use it as a tool to carve our comfortable place in the global community.
The problem with Pakistanis and most outer and expanding circle learners is that they study
English language as a separate identity from the world in which they live; they think that it
does not belong to them. But how could we do that with a language spoken and understood
by many in the society. We have to own the language, at least in important fields, to get the
maximum out of it in our real life situations.
The Need to Change Our Language Policy
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 458
Hence, we have to change our language policy and we have to change our traditions of
English language teaching. Currently, most of our universities teach language through
literature. The curriculum of the first author’s M.A. degree named as M.A. English Language
and Literature had 90% literature syllabus and the same is true for many other universities.
Again, there were 56 authors selected for course with more than fifty from USA and UK
alone.
We need to change this approach. We have to teach different perspectives to our students.
This will be helpful for the students to look into the matter from various points of view and
then they can really make a clear judgment about the varieties of English in the world. We
have to teach our generation about the different opinions existing about any one particular
issue. They should be informed and then they should be given the power to choose their own
perspective. Materials from all parts of the world should be part of the syllabus and not
simply from UK and USA. We need to be aware of the different varieties within their specific
socio-cultural settings.
The Whole and the Parts
We cannot understand a language in simply holistic view. We need to be fully aware of the
parts as well as the whole to get the maxim out of it. In this way, students will be able to see
different varieties of language and then they would be able to differentiate among various
existing varieties. They would be able to see the points of similarities and differences
between other Englishes and Pakistani English. They would be able to perceive unique
features of Pakistani English. For example, distinctively organized words (e.g., eveninger and
morninger for evening and morning) have been witnessed by Baumgardner (1987) in
Pakistani Newspaper English. Mahboob (2003, 2011) also talks about the semantically
extended use of the Urdu word “purdah” in the use of English language in media. He further
comments about the ownership of English language as an Islamic Language (2009).
The materials from different parts of the world would enable students to develop a sense of
consciousness about the existing varieties of English in the world across different cultural
settings.
Considering Regional Varieties
Language is a dynamic system, which is always in the flux. Any given language affects and
gets being affected by the other languages in the society. English is no exception. So,
whenever we talk and teach about the history of English language, WE cannot be overlooked.
If we want to talk about the history of English language, we have to consider different
regional varieties of English. The history will be incomplete without explaining the varieties
of English in UK, USA, Australia, Canada, India, Pakistan, France, Singapore, China,
Nigeria to name only a few.
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 459
Students would not be able to make a clear understanding if we provide them information in
bits and pieces. They have to be fully aware of the past and present status of English language,
which would be useful to perceive the future of English in the world.
More than two third communications in English (Sharifian, 2011) across world take place
between so-called non-native speakers. These communications allow insights into how
speakers assert their multilingual identities and their joint ownership of the lingua franca they
are using – and in using it, they are shaping and developing it (Seidlhofer, 2009). Thus, in the
teaching of English, we have to teach the WE for a real understanding of the true nature of
language and its characteristics.
Only discussing the Inner Circle varieties or even Inner and Outer Circle varieties would not
do justice to the topic. Therefore, we should offer a clear and full picture of the scenario to
our students, which will enable them to be better able to develop them in the right direction to
meet the challenges of the world.
Requirements for Pakistani Students
Pakistani students have to develop their understanding about the different perspectives and
issues regarding the worldwide use of English. The teachers should provide a deep insight to
the students about the thematic understanding of the issues presented by Y. Kachru (2005).
She classifies the research interests in WE as:
i. the spread of English in history;
ii. the linguistic processes that marks the characteristics of different varieties;
iii. the use of English in socio-cultural contexts;
iv. intelligibility for both local and global varieties;
v. effects of English on local languages and at the same time the effects of local
languages on English;
vi. issues of bilingualism and multilingualism;
vii. literary creativity of English in various settings;
viii. the functional application of varieties in different communities;
ix. the demands of the multiple kinds of users;
x. the teaching and learning of English in the outer and expanding circles; and
xi. many other issues like linguistic imperialism or linguistic divide, etc.
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
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Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 460
By discussing and comprehending these issues in the global scenario, students would be able
to understand the potential inconveniences that might be caused due to the lack of proficiency
in English language. They would be better able to realize the demands of the market and
prepare themselves accordingly.
Need to Incorporate Different Varieties
Another important thing in the teaching of WE is incorporating many different varieties in the
process. Students should be given access to spoken materials from different cultural and
regional settings. If possible, international speakers (not necessarily from English speaking
countries) should be invited to share their own cultures and experiences. Recordings of
different varieties of English should be given to the students and then they should be asked to
judge after some time of experience.
Teachers and scholars with international experience should be utilized to share their
experiences of the world. Such an approach will help students understand that how many
different varieties of the language exist in the world. Again, students will be able to perceive
the qualities of WE. Cultural and linguistic differences of various societies would become
clear to the students and they can use their knowledge for the development of the nation in
particular and global society in general. They will come to realize that they are both actors
and participants in the ongoing development of world. They have to grasp the true nature of
“think globally, act locally”.
Conclusion
Finally, as the literature suggests that now people don’t learn English to communicate with
so-called native speakers but as an international (and in many cases like Singapore as a
national as well) lingua franca for many more uses in variety of contexts and purposes. The
learning of English now should be focused on local and the global. Context is very much
important as the uses of language changes frequently across functional contexts. For example,
Chinese learners of English would use “I will go to your room” instead of “I will come to
your room” compared to Pakistani learners when intended to visit someone (Personal
observation).
Thus, we propose that this is the best time for us to invest in WE as two third of our
population is young below thirty. They need this tool to communicate and compete with their
counterparts around the world. They need to learn, judge and decide what is good for the
local as well as global masses in this post-modern society of 21st century. “Whatever decision
we make about the teaching and learning of English in Pakistan, it will depend on what we
want our future to be” (Talaat, 2002). We need to make English our own language as Jaitly
(2011) asserts that English has become a ‘biological language’ in India. We should realize as
Mufwene (2010) puts it: English has “ spread world-wise but [has] not only become ‘global’
but also indigenized, both adapted to new communicative habits and subjected to local
norms.”
Language in India www.languageinindia.com
11 : 12 December 2011
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar and Yongbing Liu, Ph.D.
Teaching World Englishes in Pakistan - A Global Criterion 461
Acknowledgment
The first author is thankful to China Scholarship Council and Ministry of Education, Pakistan
for an award of scholarship for PhD studies. Suggestions from two anonymous reviewers
were also helpful to improve the article.
================================================================
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==============================================================
Muhammad Shahbaz, Ph.D. Scholar
International Students’ Dormitory, Room No. 623
Northeast Normal University
Renmin Street,
5268, Changchun
Jilin
China, 130024
shahbazasian@gmail.com
Yongbing Liu, Ph.D. Corresponding Author
Dean, School of Foreign Languages
Northeast Normal University
Renmin Street
5268, Changchun
Jilin
China 130024.
ybliu.nenu@gmail.com
