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‘I would like to sound like Heidi Klum’: What do non-native speakers say about who they want to sound like?
Abstract
English nowadays plays an important role in the political, diplomatic, commercial, economic and cultural activities on the global stage (see, e.g., Graddol, 1997, 2006; Jenkins, 2000; Warschauer, 2000; Crystal, 2003). As a result of the widespread use of English around the globe, several scholars contend that English no longer exclusively represents the culture of native English-speaking countries, nor are they the exclusive 'owners' of English (see e.g. Widdowson, 1994).
... Following recent studies on ELF learners' preferences on who they want to sound like and research findings on the sociolinguistic complexity of their speaker role models (SRMs) (Muir et al., 2021;Sung, 2013) and imagined communities (ICs) (Tajeddin et al., 2023), this study situates its primary question in the context of the ELF teaching conceptual framework with international intelligibility as its goal. Thus, it reaches beyond the general phonetic interpretation of who should ESL/EFL learners sound like and into the more personal, sociolinguistic implications of who ELF speakers want to sound like-that is, who do they want to be like as English language users? ...
... There is a paucity of research on SRMs in SLA except for two recent surveys with an ESL/ EFL focus. One examined Hong Kong university students' opinions of Ns and NNs as pronunciation models (Sung, 2013). The other asked 8,472 international participants whether they had role models, who they were, and what characteristics they exhibited (Muir et al., 2021). ...
... Theoretically, this study draws from existing work on ICs (Tajeddin et al., 2023), from social learning in imagined communities (ICs) (Haneda, 2006;Norton, 2001), as well as from pronunciation learning models and language learning role models. However, in line with its ELF orientation, this study offers a critical examination of pronunciation learning models (Sung, 2013) and language learning models (Muir & Dörnyei, 2013). Thus, it veers away from the linguistic ESL/EFL theorization of the nonnative student as a diligent English learner of professed native-speaker models of correctness (Rajendram et al., 2022;Seltzer, 2022) towards a sociolinguistic ELF interest in the multilingual student as an effective English user in preferred social environments of personal significance (Canagarajah, 2007). ...
To examine speaker role models (SRMs) in second language acquisition (SLA), this study explored the sociolinguistic English as a lingua franca (ELF) perspective targeting international intelligibility. Thus, it examined the way ELF learners align with self‐selected English speakers and anonymous (audio‐recorded) English speakers as potential SRMs. The researchers asked the participants, 57 Iranian English majors, “Who do you want to sound like in English and why?” and analyzed their answers in the context of their SRMs and envisioned selves in imagined communities (ICs). The study's findings revealed that most participants had SRMs with three sets of characteristics—high English language proficiency and intelligibility, likeable personal attributes, and notable professional accomplishments. To explore anonymous English speakers in particular as potential SRMs, the researchers asked participants to rate anonymous speakers' intelligibility and likeability. The findings established that, based on the sound of their voices alone, anonymous audiorecorded speakers were less likely to be selected as SRMs. Further, the study found no significant difference between anonymous native and nonnative speakers, celebrities and others, for whom accent intelligibility and likeability increased but did not determine the likelihood of selecting them as their SRMs. Based on its findings, this study draws implications for language and teacher education and offers classroom applications with specific activities.
... Published examples of GELT are increasing (e.g., A. Matsuda, 2012;Rose & Galloway, 2019), though they often focus on oral language. Some approaches familiarize students with varieties of English (e.g., Galloway & Rose, 2018;Sung, 2013), whereas others teach learners explicitly about localized world Englishes through an independent unit or even as the major course content. This latter approach has attracted interest outside of TESOL classrooms because of its value in exposing native English speakers to the rich and heterogeneous nature of English. ...
... We found no suitable textbooks, so we compiled resources that fulfilled our criteria: thematically related concepts, with vocabulary and texts of varying lengths and difficulty levels. Readings for both units included academic articles and textbook excerpts (e.g., Matsuda & Matsuda, 2010;Paltridge, 2012;Sung, 2013) as well as more generalist texts by applied linguists (e.g., Crystal, 2009;Graddol, 2006;McWhorter, 2013). We also made a purposeful attempt to include multiple readings by EAL writers (e.g., Blommaert, 2016;Kachru, 1992;Matsuda & Matsuda, 2010;Sung, 2013). ...
... Readings for both units included academic articles and textbook excerpts (e.g., Matsuda & Matsuda, 2010;Paltridge, 2012;Sung, 2013) as well as more generalist texts by applied linguists (e.g., Crystal, 2009;Graddol, 2006;McWhorter, 2013). We also made a purposeful attempt to include multiple readings by EAL writers (e.g., Blommaert, 2016;Kachru, 1992;Matsuda & Matsuda, 2010;Sung, 2013). ...
The Global English language teaching (GELT) paradigm gives increased recognition to the plurality of varieties, users, and uses of English worldwide. However, application of GELT to the academic writing classroom can be challenging because of written language’s reliance on codified standards; as such, few examples of GELT‐informed academic writing courses for English as an additional language (EAL) students are available to practitioners. In this article, the authors describe their institution’s approach to designing a university academic writing course for EAL students that blends content‐based instruction and a language and genre awareness approach, critically engaging students with principles of Global Englishes. The course aims to provide support for academic language and writing development while embracing language difference as a norm. This article describes the course approach, design, and feedback while discussing challenges and benefits for EAL writing teachers and students.
... Regarding accents in particular, intelligibility problems with native speaker pronunciation can lead to non-native speakers adopting highly proficient, educated people from the local community as role models. Sung (2013Sung ( , 2016 reported that this is the case for learners in Hong Kong in his discussion of the results of a survey of attitudes to pronunciation. ...
... This leads to the additional common assumption which is that it is only native speakers that are the ideal language teachers. However, much evidence has been noted already where non-native speakers are viewed more positively as linguistic role-models than native speakers, cf. for example Sung (2013Sung ( , 2016 concerning the intelligibility of pronunciation. Also, Lorente and Tupas (2014) have discussed the view among learners of English in the Philippines that they are the ideal ESL (English as a Second Language) authorities in the area. ...
... Due to a growing recognition of ELF in applied linguistics, recently, many ELT educators have begun to conduct research into L2 learners' perceptions of pronunciation norms and models in various parts of the world, such as China (He & Zhang, 2010), Hong Kong (Li, 2009;Sung, 2013), Croatia (Stanojevic, Borenic, & Smojver, 2012) and Turkey (Coskun 2011). Some studies were interested in comparing attitudes of participants from different L1 backgrounds (e.g. ...
... Besides, these studies also made a number of different interesting findings. For instance, Sung (2013) found that, according to the Hong Kong participants, NS accents could sometimes hinder mutual intelligibility if the pronunciation in question was strongly accented or too regionally native-like. This led Sung to conclude that "'accentedness' is not only associated with a 'foreign', or 'non-native', accent, but also with native-speaker accents as well" (p. ...
English has been increasingly used in Thailand as a lingua franca ; that is, a means of communication between people who do not share a mother tongue nor speak English as a native language. Given the integration of ASEAN nations to form an economic region, the use of English as lingua franca (ELF) in Thailand and other member states of ASEAN will likely continue to increase at a significant rate. Kagnarith, Klein and Middlecamp (2012) observe that the increasing use of English as an inter-regional language of communication probably results from two causes. First, the use of English as ASEAN's working lingua franca has already been in effect. Second, the promotion of English as an international business language is one objective of the plan for the regional integration of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). In fact, the campaign to promote English as an official lingua franca in ASEAN is based on Article 34 of The ASEAN Charter ratified in February 2009: ‘The working language of ASEAN shall be English’.
... Due to a growing recognition of ELF in applied linguistics, recently, many ELT educators have begun to conduct research into L2 learners' perceptions of pronunciation norms and models in various parts of the world, such as China (He & Zhang, 2010), Hong Kong (Li, 2009;Sung, 2013), Croatia (Stanojevic, Borenic, & Smojver, 2012) and Turkey (Coskun 2011). Some studies were interested in comparing attitudes of participants from different L1 backgrounds (e.g. ...
... Besides, these studies also made a number of different interesting findings. For instance, Sung (2013) found that, according to the Hong Kong participants, NS accents could sometimes hinder mutual intelligibility if the pronunciation in question was strongly accented or too regionally native-like. This led Sung to conclude that "'accentedness' is not only associated with a 'foreign', or 'non-native', accent, but also with native-speaker accents as well" (p. ...
This paper aimed to investigate whether pronunciation norms based on native speakers of English still dominate English language teaching in Thailand in an era when English has acquired the status of a global lingua franca. The study examined non-native English majors’ attitudes toward various pronunciation issues that relate to the notion of English as a lingua franca by means of indirect (verbal guise test) and direct (questionnaire and semi-structured interview) attitudinal elicitation methods. Findings showed that the construct of the idealised native speaker is still anchored to the field of ELT and pronunciation teaching as it was nominated by the majority of participants as the end goal in pronunciation learning. However, to a certain extent, the participants’ perceptions were consistent with the notion of English as a lingua franca as they seemed to see non-native varieties as intelligible Englishes and consider them as important when classroom learning is involved. The paper ends by proposing pedagogical implications for pronunciation learning and teaching that are believed to be realistic, applicable and attainable for the English language classroom in Thailand and nonnative contexts. © Centre for Language Studies National University of Singapore.
... defined accent as "loose bundles of prosodic and segmental features distributed over geographic and/or social space" (p. 42) which is an evident marker of the social class of the speaker and the geographical position of the speech community(MOYER, 2013;SUNG, 2013). Therefore, an accent not only can identify a person in terms of social characteristics, but also it can define a speaker in terms of belonging to particular social groups (SMIT;DALTON, 2000;WALKER, 2010). ...
This study explores the influence of IELTS examiners' New Zealand accent(aka, Kiwi accent) on the speaking performance of 45 men and women Iranian IELTS candidates within the framework of communication accommodation theory (CAT) from the post-structuralism perspective in which identity is considered to be a dynamic approach. This is a mixed-method explanatory sequential design in which the candidates' speaking scores on a real IELTS test were compared to their scores on a mock test through employing a paired-samples t-test for each group of language proficiency (B2, C1, and C2). A semi-structured interview was also conducted to extract information about participants' feelings when facing the Kiwi examiners. The results revealed that 1) the candidates' self-identification and 2) their level of proficiency indicated how their performance was influenced by the Kiwi examiners' accent. Participants with B2 (band score 5.5-6.5) and C1 (band score 7-8) proficiency, Kiwi accent accentuated the differences of ethnicity and identity. They also attended to L1 cultural issues as a barrier. None of these issues were found in C2 participants (band score 8.5-9).IELTS instructors are to consider the candidates' identity features and cover all the main accents of English native speakers in their preparation programs.
... In the last decade, the increased use of English has led to ELF research area to focus on globalization and global identity (Sung, 2013a), accent (Jenkins, 2007) and phonological, sociological, psychological and political issues of accent (Walker, 2010). The focus of English as Lingua Franca highlights the alternative perspectives to EFL and ELT settings. ...
The twenty-first century reminds us an era of globalization that has impacted
several fields such as economy, science, society, flow of information, and education
with the help of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT has been
extensively used in the world, particularly in the developed countries (Murgor, 2015)
because societies have tended to be more multilingual and included diversity of thoughts
and cultural norms as a result to cope with these differences while communicating,
people have begun to use ICT to break the barriers from the idea of otherness (Marczak,
2013). In a sense, the responsibility to help its citizens to communicate with members
of other societies successfully belongs to the education system of a country especially
the foreign language teachers as foreign language teaching improves intercultural
communication competence (Ellis, Ginns, & Piggott, 2009).
... 104). It should be up to learners to decide what kind of English they would like to learn, given that learners' choice of a model may be closely tied up with their preferred identities and personal aspirations (Sung, 2013a). ...
In recent years, the use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) worldwide has given rise to the question of whether English as a Native Language (ENL) norms should continue to be used in the English Language Teaching (ELT) classroom. In this paper I explore the controversial issues surrounding the implications of ELF for ELT by considering the practicalities of language teaching and learning. I argue that ELF should not be seen as in competition with ENL or as a replacement of ENL for pedagogical purposes. Instead, ENL and ELF can play different but complementary roles in ELT. Although ENL may remain as the primary model for pedagogy as a point of reference, there is a need for teachers to raise students’ awareness of ELF use in reality, including the notion of language variation in ELF and the role of English in today’s world. 英語がリンガフランカとして世界中で使用されるに至り、ここにひとつの疑問が浮かび上がる。それは、母語としての英語（以下ENL）使用の基準が教室で英語を教える際に使われ続けてもいいのかどうか、という疑問である。本稿では、言語指導そして言語学習における実用性を念頭に、英語というリンガフランカ（以下ELF）の基準を英語教育（以下ELT）の指導に適用することをめぐる問題について考察する。筆者の考えでは、ELFをENLと競争関係にあるもの、あるいは指導を目的としたENLの代用として見なすべきではない。そうではなく、ENLとELFはそれぞれに異なった働きが、しかもELTの場で互いを補い合う働きがある。ENLは指導のための第一義的な参照対象であり続けると思われるが、その一方で、ELFの言語的多様性に対する考え方、そして現代社会における英語の役割を含めたELFの現実そのものを学習者が認識するよう、教師は努める必要がある。
... They, therefore, lacked the chance to develop an ELF perspective from interactions in real life (cf. Sung, 2013). ...
In this globalised world, there is an increasing need for advanced English users with excellent speaking proficiency. However, due to various reasons such as the washback effect of the current language testing systems, English speaking is a crucial yet overlooked skill among the four language skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) in many language learning classrooms. With the blurring boundary between the physical and virtual worlds, technology-enhanced language learning beyond the traditional classroom is being encouraged in pedagogy but still underexplored in academic studies. To this end, the short paper explores some obstacles of Chinese EFL learners’ use of voice messaging in a mobile learning community. By analyzing data from student interviews and a teacher’s journal, results showed that our participants faced speaking anxiety, including the self-consciousness of their accents and embarrassment. From the ecological and ethnographic perspectives, the study made an attempt to uncover some of the hidden challenges that Chinese EFL learners faced in sending English voice messages. Implications and recommendations for textbook design, teacher training, assessment reform and student learning will be discussed at the end of this paper.
... Huang, 2014), the ownership implication has long been understood as establishing a power dynamic in which NESs are romanticized as role models and English learners as perpetually "defective communicators" (Firth & Wagner, 1997, p. 285). The notion of NESs as model English speakers and teachers-what Phillipson (1992), Canagarajah (1999), and others have called the NES fallacy-intersects with neoliberalism to frame the recruitment of NES teachers as an educational necessity (Aneka, 2016;Canagarajah, 2013;Scales, Wennerstrom, Richard, & Wu, 2012;Sung, 2013). This ideation is racialized, as the NES fallacy associates idealized, so-called "standard," English language practices with whiteness and Anglo-American citizenship (H. ...
... For them, native speakers seem to understand their accented English due to the prevalence of the Chinese population globally that somehow makes it acceptable and legitimate for effective ELF communication. This is in accordance with what Kang (2015), Kung (2015) and Sung (2013) have clearly illustrated that while a native-like accent is still valued for language learners, the reality of EIL has made them rethink the practicality of pursuing a native-like accent that does not appear to be likely for L2 learners in an EFL context with limited L2 input. Furthermore, effective ELF communication does not predicate on a native-like accent based on the framework of EIL (Seidlhofer, 2011). ...
This study explores Chinese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ attitudes towards accent for effective English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication. Notwithstanding the research conducted on EFL learners’ perceptions of different variations of the English language for their language learning, little attempts have been made to investigate their perspectives in detail within the context of China. This inquiry thus intends to bridge this gap by exploring EFL learners’ accent preferences for ELF communication. Data were collected qualitatively from 34 students at an international university in China to examine their experiences of EFL learning and ELF communication. Data were classified and categorized based on learners’ accent preferences and then coded for analysis from their learning discourses, cultural media, material conditions and social agents. The results point to various sociocultural and sociohistorical variables that have reified their language choices and ideology to further underpin their native speaker (NS) and non-native speaker (NNS) dichotomy.
... ;Bauman (2013);Evans and Imai (2011);Jenkins (2010);and Sung (2013). ...
... Learning EIL is also believed to help learners develop the sense of tolerance of linguistic diversity as well as enrich their linguistic repertoires when international or intercultural communication is concerned. It is essential that learners should be made aware of the diversified contexts of English where people use varieties of English to serve a wide range of communicative purposes (Buripakdi, 2012;Cheng, 2013;Chinh, 2013;Cook, 2002;Jaber & Hussein, 2011;Jindapitak, 2013;Jindapitak & Teo, 2011, 1012Jenkins, 2000Jenkins, , 2006Matsuda, 2003;Sung, 2013). Adding to this, Kramsch and Sullivan (1996) claim that ELT should enable learners to do business with both native and non-native or local and international speakers in the global world market. ...
In Thailand, there has been much debate regarding what accents should be prioritized and adopted as models for learning and use in the context of English language education. However, it is not a debate in which the voices of English learners have sufficiently been heard. Several world Englishes scholars have maintained that being a denationalized language, English should be viewed through the lens of linguistic hybridization. In this paper, we investigated Thai university English learners’ preferences for varieties of English and their attitudes towards the importance of understanding varieties of English in order to generate a better understanding as to what extent native and non-native varieties gain acceptance as English models. We also explored whether learners’ attitudes were consistent with the ideology of English as an international language which sees English in its pluralistic sense. The findings of this study suggest that even though the majority of learners preferred native-speaker accents as models for learning and use, they consiered non-native Englishes worth understanding and learning. The findings challenge the old paradigm of English language teaching that is based on the concept of linguistic Americanization or Britishization, prioritizing the native-speaker school of thought. In closing, we proposed some pedagogical suggestions that, we believe, are consistent with how English functions in the world as an international lingua franca.
Within the conceptual framework of the Sociolinguistics of Globalization and Critical Applied Linguistics, and drawing upon poststructuralism and postmodernism, this research enquiry employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine educational discourses in the Tunisian context. It is set to problematize language idealization and culture essentialization in the Tunisian EFL curriculum. To proceed with the investigation, intertextually-related corpora (the Education Act, the English Programs, a sample EFL textbook, EFL audio-materials) have been critically analyzed by using a number of research tools: CDA, Social Semiotic Analysis, English Users’ Nationality Analysis, Content Analysis and Postcolonial Discourse Analysis. The findings reveal a top-down macro-micro-discourse structure of homogeneity that underlies the Tunisian EFL curriculum. The overarching macro-discourse of nationalism, due to its inherent centripetal force, seems to generate micro-discourses of linguistic normativity, cultural ethnocentricity, subjugated subalternity, and as a corollary, a “curriculum of the hero.” An alternative dialectical macro-micro-discourse structure of heterogeneity, commensurate with the sociolinguistic reality of the Expanding Circle, is recommended. The alternative model, inherently centrifugal in orientation, is contingent upon a macro-discourse of transnationalism, which impacts, and is mutually impacted by micro-discourses of linguistic variation, cultural heteroglossia and agentive subalternity. The alternative macro-micro-discourse structure is expected to generate a curriculum of criticality whose cogito is “I am in the text, therefore I am.” It ultimately suggests moving towards language and culture pedagogy that empowers subalternity to speak and act outside colonial relations of power. The implications of the alternative model for reconciling acrimonious dichotomies and endorsing a pedagogy of criticality and “third space” are delineated. Limitations and recommendations for future research are outlined to open up new pathways for further interrogation of the Tunisian EFL curriculum in order to expand an area of research that is still underexplored.
Key words: language, culture, curriculum, discourse, homogeneity, heterogeneity, (de)idealization, (trans)national paradigm, deconstruction, multi-inter-trans-culturality, apriority, posteriority, intertextuality, hegemony, subalternity, Expanding Circle, hybridity, third space, mimicry
This chapter takes up the issue of authenticity in language pedagogy. Traditional views of authenticity take the native speaker to be the primary authority for linguistic norms. Written standard language is especially highly valued here. It is argued herein that TELL environments are equally valid as learning environments, and that students can use the freedom they provide to develop their own locally negotiated cultural and linguistic norms. Evidence is provided that students on a net-based MA program develop their own norms for reducing language, and use them and other means to mark membership of a local TELL community. Thus, TELL is a rich and authentic environment for learners of English to become what is referred to as “language practitioners.”
In this chapter, the focus lies on language practices on virtual learning sites. A questionnaire sent to students on net-based courses in English demonstrated that the informants still had a conservative view of norms in the English language, in that they aimed to have native speaker-like proficiency. They reported that English as a lingua franca was relevant for communication with other non-native speakers in informal situations; however, education in particular was seen as a preserve of native-speaker norms. The informants saw English as a lingua franca as a performance variety that they wanted to learn alongside native varieties. However, textchat data of actual language practices demonstrated that users of English can develop their own norms through interaction with other non-native speakers. The conclusion of these studies is that, even though they may still report that they want to be like native speakers, they do develop their own language practices in the process of interacting with others. This entails that they have a much freer practical view of what is authentic language than their reported attitudes suggest, and I propose that this is due to them using the language on a virtual learning site. Thus, virtual learning sites are environments where, consciously or unconsciously, new non-standard linguistic practices can be developed.
This chapter takes up the issue of authenticity in language pedagogy. Traditional views of authenticity take the native speaker to be the primary authority for linguistic norms. Written standard language is especially highly valued here. It is argued herein that TELL environments are equally valid as learning environments, and that students can use the freedom they provide to develop their own locally negotiated cultural and linguistic norms. Evidence is provided that students on a net-based MA program develop their own norms for reducing language, and use them and other means to mark membership of a local TELL community. Thus, TELL is a rich and authentic environment for learners of English to become what is referred to as "language practitioners".
This article presents an investigation into what norms are negotiated in a CALL classrooms by non-native speakers of English who are Internet novices. There is an on-going debate regarding the status of non-native speaker norms. Although there is more and more recognition that they are valid learner targets, native speaker norms are still reported to have the highest status for learners. Internet language use, though, has led to a change in the perception of norms, as communities of non-native speakers can set their own norms over those of native speakers. Data are analysed from academic textchat seminars which show that a community of inexperienced Internet users set their own norms, which go directly against their L1 community cultural norms of respect towards teachers. This paper proposes that it is an affordance of CALL environments that they can do this. This work is further evidence that it is smaller discourse communities that set norms separate from those of larger geo-political national communities.
Heteroglossia n. 16
Langues et cultures dans l'internationalisation
de l'enseignement supérieur au XXIe siècle
Volume II. Analyser les politiques linguistiques:
études de cas sur le plurilinguisme et l’anglais
https://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/heteroglossia/issue/view/93/showToc
English as a lingua franca (ELF) has received a great deal of attention in the field of applied linguistics in the last decade or so (Jenkins, 2007, 2014; Mauranen, 2012; Seidlhofer, 2011). As is currently conceptualized, ELF refers to the common language of choice among speakers from different lingua-cultural backgrounds (Jenkins, 2007; Seidlhofer, 2011). ELF does not imply a single, unified variety of English but primarily refers to language in use in contexts where multilingual speakers are involved (Cogo, 2010). In other words, ELF can be understood as social practice, with an emphasis on meaning-making processes. Much of the earlier research focused on identifying linguistic features characteristic of ELF communication (see Jenkins, 2000; Seidlhofer, 2001). But with the increased recognition of the variability and fluidity associated with the use of ELF, researchers have recently turned their attention to investigating communicative strategies which multilingual speakers employ to achieve mutual understanding and negotiate meaning in ELF interactions (see Cogo & Dewey, 2012; Jenkins, Cogo & Dewey, 2011). Furthermore, there exists a growing body of research into attitudes and perceptions of ELF communication (see Cogo, 2010; Jenkins, 2007; Kaloscai, 2009), given the impact of ELF perceptions on ELF-related communicative practices, especially with respect to issues relating to (non-) conformity to native-speaker norms.
This paper reports on a qualitative inquiry into language identities in English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication from the perspectives of a group of Chinese-English bilingual students at a Hong Kong university. Using eighteen university students’ narratives of their lived experiences in ELF communication, the study revealed that the students oriented to multiple language identities closely associated with their self-perceived proficiency of English in their communication experiences. It was found that they acknowledged the co-existence of their dual identities as language users and language learners in ELF communication and made reference to their language expertise by way of explicit orientations to their self-ascribed identity as English majors. Furthermore, the students constructed and negotiated their language identities differently in relation to their interlocutors who were defined in terms of the native/non-native dichotomy. Taken together, the findings point to the multiple and variable nature of language identities that are implicated in ELF communication experiences and demonstrate the role of language ideologies in mediating language identities in ELF contexts. The paper also calls for more nuanced understandings of bilingual individuals’ own – or emic – perspectives on their language identities in ELF communication.
Jenkins’ (2000) Lingua Franca Core (LFC) details pronunciation features that her research has suggested are crucial for speakers’ mutual intelligibility when they are using English as a lingua franca (ELF). The multilingual classroom is, ipso facto, an ELF environment; but current ELF pedagogical materials are all geared towards monolingual groups and assume a degree of familiarity with the learners’ L1 which is unrealistic to expect from a teacher whose learners represent many different L1 backgrounds. This dissertation seeks to answer the question: if a resource existed which made the necessary knowledge more readily accessible, would teachers of multilingual classes be willing and able to use it to facilitate their students’ mutual intelligibility?
In this dissertation, after discussing existing literature on LFC-based pedagogy and potential barriers to its implementation by teachers of multilingual groups, I will present a novel resource which contrasts twelve L1s against the contents of the LFC in a tractable grid format. I will then document and discuss its use in a language school environment.
The resource was given to five teachers at St George International (SGI) language school in London to pilot with their classes. The teachers were interviewed before and afterwards to discover their typical approaches to pronunciation instruction, their perceptions of students’ mutual intelligibility and their experiences of using this LFC-based resource to devise and deliver a pronunciation syllabus.
The interview data suggest that preparing to teach pronunciation in this way was an innovative approach for these teachers and that, despite their apparent willingness, they were not wholly able to use the LFC grid as intended. I conclude that having appropriate material from which to devise an LFC-based syllabus for a multilingual class is not enough. Further necessary preconditions are: stable class composition; existing knowledge of the LFC; and training in contrastive phonology and pronunciation.
This paper reports on a qualitative inquiry into the under-researched relationship between accent and identity in English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication from the perspectives of second language (L2) speakers/learners of English. Using data collected via in-depth interviews with a group of students at a Hong Kong university on their ELF communication experiences, the paper reveals that participants’ perceptions of the relationship between accent and identity in ELF communication are highly complex and that their accent preferences appear to be driven by a range of identity-related and practical reasons. In terms of identity-related reasons, participants’ desire to speak English with a native-like accent was found to be related to their wish to express their identities as competent L2 speakers of English, whereas participants who indicated a preference to speak English with a local accent tended to emphasize the need to project their lingua-cultural identities and avoid native speaker associations. Further, participants’ concerns about intelligibility in ELF communication were found to be among the main pragmatic considerations in their accent preferences. The findings demonstrate the role of L2 speakers’ accent preferences in shaping their pursuit of desired identities in ELF communication and have important implications for pronunciation instruction in ELT.
This paper reports on a qualitative inquiry that investigated a group of Hong Kong university students’ perceptions of their linguistic identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication. The participants of the study were proficient second language (L2) speakers of English who reported to have participated in intercultural ELF communication on a regular basis. By analyzing data gathered via two rounds of in-depth interviews, the study revealed that these participants did not evaluate their “non-native” status negatively but embraced their identities as legitimate and empowered speakers of English in ELF interactions. In addition, they validated their identities as multilingual, multicompetent, and translingual speakers of English with the ability to draw upon a diverse set of multilingual resources flexibly in ELF contexts. The analysis also found that these participants’ linguistic identities were constructed and negotiated in relation to the perceived linguistic competence of other ELF speakers, especially L2 speakers of other cultural/national backgrounds. This paper sheds light on the complexity of linguistic identities in ELF contexts and contributes to the growing ELF research in the Asian context.
Hong Kong English (HKE) has been the subject of a growing body of research over the last few decades. This article presents an overview of research into HKE from both linguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives. The first section reviews the linguistic features of HKE at phonological, grammatical and lexical levels as documented in the literature. In the second section of the article, the development of HKE as a ‘new’ variety of English is discussed from a sociolinguistic viewpoint, with a view to addressing the question of in which phase HKE is currently situated according to Schneider's (2007) Dynamic Model of evolution for New Englishes. A review of the literature suggests that HKE displays a number of phonological, grammatical and lexical features which makes HKE distinguishable from other varieties of English, with the majority of these features attributable to the influence of Cantonese, the first language of the majority of HKE speakers. With reference to Schneider's model, the article suggests that HKE can be situated in phase 3 and is considered an ‘emergent’ variety with its norms still in the process of developing. While there are signs of increasing awareness of HKE as a distinct variety in the local community, ambivalent attitudes towards the acceptability of HKE as the linguistic norm still exist. It remains to be seen whether HKE will eventually reach phase 4 and become an autonomous variety of English in the near future. This review ends by suggesting several further research directions with respect to the study of HKE.
This paper reports on a study that investigated the perceptions of a group of bilingual speakers of English and Chinese in Hong Kong concerning issues surrounding accent, identity and English as a lingua franca (ELF). Data were primarily collected via in-depth interviews with 28 university students in Hong Kong who are also regular users of English in lingua franca contexts. The analysis shows that the participants' perceptions of their preferred identities as speakers of English in ELF settings in relation to accent were varied and complex. Among the participants who preferred to use a local accent of English, their preference was not necessarily motivated by the need for expressing their lingua-cultural identity, but primarily by pragmatic considerations. It was also found that some participants' desire to speak English with a native-like accent was associated with their wish to present a positive identity or self-image as bilingual speakers of English. The paper calls for the need to recognize the role of individual variations in accent preferences for identity construction in ELF.
This paper reports on an exploratory inquiry into the perceptions of a group of second language (L2) learners of English with regard to their identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication contexts. Drawing upon data gathered from two rounds of in-depth interviews with nine participants from a Hong Kong university, the study found that these L2 learners displayed different degrees of affiliations with their local and global identities in ELF communication. While some participants expressed their preference to foreground either their local or global identities, some other participants reconciled their local and global identities and embraced their hybrid, glocal identities in ELF communication. The analysis suggests that ELF communication could offer a myriad of identity options for L2 learners and give rise to hybrid linguistic practices in their L2. Finally, the paper points to the need to acknowledge the role of individuality in identity construction in ELF settings.
This article reports on an exploratory study which investigated the perceptions of Hong Kong secondary students towards native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). Qualitative data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with 25 students from four secondary schools. The results indicated that the participants identified the strengths and weaknesses of both NNESTs and NESTs. While the perceived strengths of NESTs included the use of interactive teaching styles and their accurate pronunciation, the weaknesses were concerned with their teaching of grammar and examination skills. By contrast, NNESTs were perceived by the students to be competent in the teaching of grammar and examination strategies, but the perceived weaknesses were concerned with the use of relatively ‘traditional’ teacher-centered teaching methods and their inaccurate pronunciation. The analysis also revealed that the perceived strengths and weaknesses of NESTs and NNESTs are largely complementary. Implications for classroom teaching practices and teacher education are discussed.
As the English language has become a global lingua franca today, it is not surprising that changes in attitudes and perceptions towards learning English in the international context have taken place at the same time. In this paper, I critically examine the notion of ‘integrative motivation’ in the literature of second language (L2) learning with respect to the changing role of the English language in the global context. In particular, this paper attempts to re-conceptualise the notion of integrative motivation by considering the results of recent empirical research on L2 motivation. It is argued that the predominant motivation of learning English among most L2 learners is no longer concerned with ‘integration’ in the target native English-speaking culture, but with the construction of a ‘bi-cultural’ or ‘world citizen’ identity, as well as identification with the international community. The paper ends by suggesting new ways of understanding the concept of motivation in L2 learning in today’s global context.
This paper presents findings from an exploratory study that investigated the perceptions of a group of Hong Kong university students concerning their identities in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) contexts. Qualitative data were collected primarily via in-depth interviews with a group of second-language speakers of ELF who use English with people from different first-language and cultural backgrounds on a regular basis. The analysis revealed that these participants came to terms with their identities as non-native speakers of English and emphasized the importance of maintaining their cultural identities as Hong Kong or Chinese speakers of ELF. In addition, most of them valued their ‘multicompetence’ in English, Cantonese and Putonghua when speaking English in ELF situations. The inquiry also found that some participants’ identification with other non-native speakers of English within the ELF community was rather selective and that different members within the ELF community were not perceived as equally ideal speakers of ELF. The study offers some valuable insights into the identities of ELF speakers and the wider ELF community within an Asian context.
This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that explored the perceptions of a group of advanced second language (L2) learners of English with respect to their desired identities as global citizens and their accent preferences in English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) communication. Data were drawn from in-depth interviews with four case study participants from a Hong Kong university who explicitly expressed their desire to enact a ‘global’ identity in ELF contexts. The analysis shows that despite their identification with the global community, these L2 learners held rather different views about what they meant by their own global identities in ELF communication. It was also found that their accent preferences varied considerably among the participants. The findings of the study suggest that the expression of a global identity in ELF contexts is not necessarily perceived to be associated with any particular accents of English.
The starting point of this paper is the recent shift in the use of English, such that non-native speakers (NNSs) using English for international communication now outnumber its native speakers (Crystal 1997; Graddol 1997). This shift, it will be argued, has serious implications for ELT pedagogy. Principal among these is the need for empirically established phonological norms and classroom pronunciation models for English as an International Language (EIL), in which intelligibility for NNS rather than for native speaker (NS) receivers is the primary motivation. Three sets of data drawn from NNS-NNS interaction are provided in order to exemplify the kinds of empirical evidence that are necessary to enable us to make informed claims about phonological intelligibility in EIL, Then follows the author's proposal, based on such evidence, for a revised pronunciation syllabus for EIL, the Lingua Franca Core. This core approach, it is suggested, is better able to promote both intelligibility and regional appropriateness among EIL interlocutors, as well as being more teachable, than either of the two most commonly adopted classroom models, Received Pronunciation and General American. Finally, the importance of developing learners' accommodation skills as an integral part of pronunciation teaching for EIL is discussed.
One of the most salient aspects of speech is accent – either dialectal differences attributable to region or class, or phonological variations resulting from L1 influence on the L2. Our primary concern is with the latter, because of the strong social, psychological, and communicative consequences of speaking with an L2 accent. The decline of audiolingualism led to a concomitant marginalization of pronunciation research and teaching. It was believed that pronunciation instruction could not be effective, in part because of the unrealistic goal of native-like speech in L2 learners, and also because of research findings that suggested that instruction had a negligible impact on oral production. The recent revival of interest in pronunciation research has brought a change of focus away from native-like models toward easy intelligibility. The effects of this change have yet to be fully realized in L2 classrooms. However, many L2 students themselves are keenly interested in pronunciation instruction, a fact not lost on individuals who have recognized a lucrative marketing niche in ‘accent reduction/elimination’ programs that may do more harm than good. Our presentation will relate the core issues of intelligibility, identity, social evaluation, and discrimination to appropriate pronunciation pedagogy for L2 learners.
According to current estimates, about eighty percent of English teachers worldwide are nonnative speakers of the language. The nonnative speaker movement began a decade ago to counter the discrimination faced by these teachers and to champion their causes. As the first single-authored volume on the topic since the birth of the movement, this book fills the need for a coherent account that: traces the origins and growth of the movement. summarizes the research that has been conducted. highlights the challenges faced by nonnative speaker teachers. promotes NNS teachers' professional growth. No discussion of world Englishes or the spread of English internationally is now complete without reference to the NNS movement. This book celebrates its first decade and charts a direction for its growth and development.
David Crystal's informative account of the rise of English as a global language explores the history, current status and potential of English as the international language of communication. This new edition of his classic work includes additional sections on the future of English as a world language, English on the Internet, and the possibility of an English “family” of languages. Footnotes, new tables, and a comprehensive bibliography reflect the expanded scope of the revised edition. An internationally renowned scholar in the field of language and linguistics, David Crystal received an Order of the British Empire in 1995 for his services to the English language. He is the author of several books with Cambridge, including Language and the Internet (2001), Language Death (2000), English as a Global Language (1997), Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (1997), and Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (1995) as well as Words on Words (University of Chicago, 2000). First edition Hb (1997): 0-521-59247-X First edition Pb (1998): 0-521-62994-2. © David Crystal 1997, 2003 and Cambridge University Press, 2009.
English is used as an important means of international and intercultural communication around the world more than ever. Because of its widespread use in the global context, non-native speakers of English around the world outnumber native speakers by far (Crystal, 1997). According to Kachru and Nelson (1996: 79), ‘accepting even cautious estimates, there must be at least three nonnative users of English for every old-country native user’. A similar phenomenon is also observable in the English Language Teaching (ELT) profession, with the vast majority of teachers of English as a second and foreign language in the world being non-native speakers.
This article analyzes the emergence of a new stage of global capitalism, called informationalism, and its consequences for English language teaching, focusing on three critical issues. First, globalization will result in the further spread of English as an international language and a shift of authority to nonnative speakers and dialects. This change will call into question basic notions of language, culture, context, and the relationship between ESL and EFL. Second, economic and employment trends will change the way English is used. Increasingly, nonnative speakers will need to use the language daily for presentation of complex ideas, international collaboration and negotiation, and location and critical interpretation of rapidly changing information. Finally, new information technologies will transform notions of literacy, making online navigation and research, interpretation and authoring of hypermedia, and synchronous and asynchronous on-line communication critical skills for learners of English. The above changes, taken together, will render ineffective curricula based strictly on syntactic or functional elements or narrowly defined tasks. Rather, project-based learning—incorporating situated practice and critical inquiry, and based on students' own cultural frameworks—will be required if students are to master the complex English literacy and communications skills required by the emerging informational economy and society.
This paper reports on my first‐hand experiences of being a ‘purist’ in Hong Kong, during which time I was not allowed to use mixed code, a common discursive practice among Hongkongers in Hong Kong. I shall discuss the difficulties in using ‘pure’ English and ‘pure’ Chinese in my daily life, as well as exploring the problems I encountered when I used ‘pure’ English in teaching English to a small group of ESL students at a primary school in Hong Kong. I argue that mixed code is very much characteristic of everyday language use by most Hongkongers and represents an important marker of their ethno‐linguistic identity. In relation to language teaching, I suggest that mixed code may be usefully adopted in teaching English in Hong Kong, rather than being shunned at all costs.
Perspectives from both World Englishes (WE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) can assist in the description of Hong Kong English phonology. Mario Saraceni's article (English Today 94) provides some useful insights into the current debates about English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). His discussion of the background to this debate identifies three viewpoints: a traditional ENL view with its adherence to native-speaker models; the WE (World Englishes) paradigm with its ‘pluralised and pluricentric view of English in the world’; and the emerging ELF position, with its rejection of native-speaker norms in favour of ‘endonormative realisations of lingua franca varieties’ (Alessa Cogo, English Today 95). However, Cogo believes that the second and third positions are not separate paradigms, and that ELF sits ‘comfortably within a WE framework’, as claimed by Jenkins (2007:17). In this article, I would like to show how the two positions can work together to inform pedagogy by exploring the possible options for English pronunciation models in Hong Kong.
For a distinctive variety of English to subsist and be acknowledged in Hong Kong, localization is not enough. Indigenization through general acceptance is also necessary, but will not easily be forthcoming, regardless of the claims and assertions of linguists in Hong Kong or elsewhere regarding the existence of a distinctive ‘Hong Kong English’. In addition, Hong Kong teachers of English will not accept or adopt distinctive local usages in their classrooms, regardless of the everyday use of such usages. The sociolinguistic situation is increasingly triglossic, in terms of the three languages Cantonese, Putonghua, and English, each of which has distinct functions in terms of Hong Kong, mainland China, and the world at large. A dominant ideology of linguistic purism impels people to seek outside standards with regard to both English and Putonghua, and to deny that there is a viable local variety of English, despite the length of time that the language has been used in Hong Kong.
A study of learner attitudes towards accents of English
- Forde
Forde, K. 1995. 'A study of learner attitudes towards accents of English.' Hong Kong Polytechnic University Working Papers in ELT & Applied Linguistics, 1(2), 59–76.
The Future of English? London: British Council. —. 2006. English Next
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Teaching English as an International LanguageHong Kong English: a stillborn variety
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