Учебно-методическое пособие по работе с темой "COUNTRY PROFILE". Дедова С.А. - 9 стр.

                            III. LANGUAGES                                        that needs to be promoted, because it is a regional variety of English that
                                                                                  people in the region will want to use. People will be able to maintain their
1. Before reading the text try to explain the meaning of the title.               identity while speaking their variety of English. As Tommy Koh, a senior
                                                                                  minister in the Singapore government, put it recently, «When I speak Eng-
                 ENGLISH AS AN ASIAN LANGUAGE                                     lish I want the world to know I'm a Singaporean».
                                                                                          The curriculum of a new variety of English should reflect the lives,
        It is impossible to identify and isolate an «English» culture that is
                                                                                  cultures and values of the learners. Speakers of this new variety will want
common to all speakers of English. The cultures represented by Nigerian,
                                                                                  to preserve their identity by reflecting that identity in the local variety of
Singaporean, Indian, Scottish, Filipino or Australian Aboriginal English are
                                                                                  English they use.
all very different. So, while a language must be linked to a culture, a lan-
                                                                                          English language teaching materials are needed that promote the lo-
guage is not inextricably tied to one specific culture. Specific cultural iden-
                                                                                  cal or regional variety and represent the cultures of the speakers of these
tities can be represented by new varieties of English.
                                                                                  newly developing varieties. These materials also need to contrast regional
        In East and Southeast Asia English plays a major role in the region
                                                                                  cultures, so making the English language curriculum more a curriculum of
as a lingua franca of the political elite and the Association of Southeast
                                                                                  regional cultures.
Asian Nations. It is also used as a lingua franca between professionals and
                                                                                          This will not only liberate generations of Asian children who have
the business community.
                                                                                  had to learn how to ask what time the next train to Liverpool Street leaves,
        But what variety of English will serve as the region's lingua franca?
                                                                                  but will also alter the nature of what represents an authentic text. Japan's
I suggest that a variety which reflects local cultural conventions and prag-
                                                                                  current English teaching goals are that learners should become American
matic norms is developing to serve this role. I further suggest that it is this
                                                                                  English speakers. This is unrealistic and damaging to the cause of ELT.
regional variety that will be taught in schools, rather than an external «na-
                                                                                  Students are fearful of speaking, because they falsely consider themselves
tive speaker» variety.
                                                                                  to be poor speakers unless they sound like Americans. However, if students
        The vast majority of people who are learning English are doing so to
                                                                                  were given a regional variety of English to learn, educated speakers of the
be able to use this lingua franca. They are not learning English with the
                                                                                  regional variety could provide the models. Suitably qualified and trained
express purpose of communicating with native speakers of English. English
                                                                                  speakers of the regional variety could be the teachers. External models
is being used by non-native speakers with other non-native speakers. The
                                                                                  could, of course, be introduced into the classroom, but as examples of ex-
English that they use need not therefore reflect any «Anglo» cultural val-
                                                                                  ternal models, not as the model that the learners are expected to acquire.
ues. This emerging role of English was identified by Gordon Wu of Hong
                                                                                          More research into the development of varieties of English is ur-
Kong's Hopewell Holdings, who told the Far Eastern Economic Review:
                                                                                  gently needed. In particular we need to know what cultural and discourse
«English is no longer some colonial language. It is the means [by which]
                                                                                  conventions are being reflected in these new varieties. For example, are
we in Asia communicate with the world and one another».
                                                                                  compliments being given and received, or requests made, following local
        So regional users of English who are learning English in order to
                                                                                  cultural values, or following «Anglo» values? Are topics in conversation
speak to Thais, Koreans, Vietnamese or Japanese do not need teaching ma-
                                                                                  being broached directly or indirectly? The worldwide domination of an
terials that promote or discuss «Anglo» cultures. What they need are mate-
                                                                                  «Anglo» variety of English is not inevitable.
rials that provide some knowledge of the culture of the people they are
                                                                                          A regional variety of English can reflect local or regional cultures.
dealing with. They also need to be aware of their own cultural norms. The
                                                                                  Governments need not fear that the learning of English will necessarily
cultural values and daily lives of the people in the region who are using
                                                                                  imbue the learners with inappropriate cultural values or ways of thinking.
English as a regional lingua franca become more important than the cul-
                                                                                  The best option for regional governments is to promote local varieties of
tural values associated with native speakers.
                                                                                  English. Instead of spending large sums of money on importing native-
        This has important implications for English language teaching in the
                                                                                  speaking teachers and externally developed materials, funding should be
region's schools. It is a regional variety of English, not an external model

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