27-11-2012, 11:54 AM
English as a Foreign Language
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Introduction
This book explores some very recent trends in the use of English
worldwide and its changing relationships with other languages. It
builds on the analysis given in a report I wrote for the British Council
in 1997 called The Future of English? The main fi ndings of The Future
of English? were:
that the future development of English as a global language
might be less straightforward than had been assumed
that the global spread of English raised not just linguistic,
educational and economic issues but also cultural, political and
ethical ones
that the key drivers of change were demographic, economic,
technological and long-term trends in society
that the relationship between English and globalisation was a
complex one: economic globalisation encouraged the spread of
English but the spread of English also encouraged globalisation
that the growth of China would have a signifi cant impact on the
world in which English was used and learned
that countries like India in which English is spoken extensively as
a second language will play a major role in the development of
global English.
THE END OF MODERNITY
Many of the extraordinary and rapid
changes we have seen recently in the
world can be understood as the old order,
as represented by modernity, being swept
away by a new one – as equally powerful
as modernity was. The structures, attitudes
and needs of modernity have been undermined
by globalisation, new technologies
(especially those related to communication),
and the changing demographic shape
of the world.
This book shows how these developments
have come to a head in the last few
years – in many cases since the start of the
21st century. It, of course, is in the nature of
things that precursors can always be found.
Major trends now were minor trends at some
earlier stage, though their importance may
not have been recognised. Some argue, for
example, that globalisation started in the
15th century with the development of capitalist
economies, nation states and national
languages. By the 19th century, scholars
were well aware of the potential impact
of new technologies, such as the electric
telegraph, on social, political and economic
life. Some analysts prefer to talk about ‘late
modernity’ rather than ‘postmodernity’
– emphasising the continuity with the past
rather than the novelty of the present. But
there comes a moment where one has to
pause and conclude that a new framework
is required to understand the events now
unfolding before us, to comprehend why
they are happening, and to speculate on
what might happen next. We need a ‘paradigm
shift’ – like the scientifi c revolutions
described by Kuhn.
LINGUISTIC POSTMODERNITY
Europe, in which modernity was invented,
is now providing a source of new ideas
about how to adapt to a globalised world:
the pooling of sovereignty combined with
the principle of ‘subsiduarity’ (i.e. local
determination); free movement of goods
and citizens within well-guarded collective
boundaries; standardised approaches to
the teaching and learning of languages; and
new forms of multilingualism. The growth of
multilingualism in Europe represents the
unravelling of a key component of modern
identity. Monolingualism is also declining in
the USA, where Hispanifi cation is bringing
new linguistic realities and expectations.