Page 29 - ELG2301 Jan Issue 483

FEATURES

Many linguists and scholars have addressed
the ongoing biases present in the ELT
industry by stating how non-native teachers
(NESTs) can actually provide an excellent
model for students (Medgyes, 2001), or how
non-NESTs are continually disempowered
by such ideologies that ultimately influence
their collective consciousness and identity
formation, while favouring the colonial
construct of nativeness in the ELT profession
(Brutt-Griffer and Sammy, 1999). Some argue
that a multilingual teacher is qualitatively
different and incomparably more qualified
than a monolingual teacher (Cook, 1999).
However, the battle against the negative
perceptions that non-native teachers attract is
still ongoing.
The uncomfortable conversation about the
implicit racism in education for preferring
certain nationalities over others, particular
accents over others, needs to be addressed
more openly and broadly. The consequence
PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK excellent teachers has had an enormous impact
of decades of discrediting the reputation of
on the teaching industry and, among other
things, has deprived qualified professionals
of opportunities in the workplace, while
flaunting native speaker ads and salaries they
will never have.
names. Foreign English teachers are asked to say that this type of ‘read’ should be hand- Even though I am as glad as the next person
to conceal their identities and change their delivered to our doorsteps, for free, if we want to to see minor shifts and inclusivity in student
names to American and British sounding ones, change the industry of education and people’s textbooks, I still do not see how a talk on how
as these seem to be the language models that mindset towards the importance of the role English is now a global language or a reading
embody ‘superior’ Anglo-Saxon culture which, of an English teacher, as opposed to someone text on English as a lingua franca can mend
seemingly, is appreciated by all. As someone coming from an Inner Circle country as defined what has been perpetuated for so long and is
who has tried her best to even come close by Braj Kachru (1985), ie, the USA, the UK, still preventing us from actual growth on a
to the native speaker aura, and as someone Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Kachru’s human level.
who has doubted her own skills and therefore concentric circles represent the distribution
invested endless amounts of time, money and of English across the globe. The Inner Circle REFERENCE
effort, I have come to the conclusion that we represents those countries where English is n Cook, V (1999), ‘Going beyond the Native
will never be perceived as better or equal, the primary language, while the Outer Circle Speaker in Language Teaching’, TESOL
unless the following things take place: and Expanding Circle depict those countries Quarterly, 33(2), 185–209.
a) we educate from bottom-up (our students, with British colonial ties and those where Brutt-Griffler, J and Samimy, K (1999),
their demanding parents, our friends and English is taught as a foreign language in ‘Revisiting the Colonial in the Postcolonial:
community, everyone), and of course their education, respectively. Critical Praxis for Nonnative-English-
governments; We must understand that the Inner Circle Speaking Teachers in a TESOL Program’,
b) call out malpractices in every country in countries are not the sole providers of the TESOL Quarterly, 33: 413-431.
the EU that still does not comply with the correctness of the English language and we Medgyes, P (2001), ‘When the teacher is a
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Art 21; must stop them from advertising themselves non-native speaker’, Teaching pronunciation,
c) coin a new term for someone with excellent as the sole providers of English services. To 429-442.
language skills. ‘Qualified teacher’ is quote Widdowson, “How English develops in Slavkov, N; Melo-Pfeiffer, S and Kerschhofer-
simply not enough, because the changes the world is no business whatever of native Puhalo, N (2021), ‘The Changing Face of
of terminology in the CEFR have not speakers in the United States, United Kingdom the “Native Speaker”: Perspectives from
cancelled out the problem in its entirety. or anywhere else. It is not a possession which Multilingualism and Globalization’, Berlin,
they lease out to others, while still retaining Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.
Recently I was directed towards buying a new the freehold. Other people actually own it”.
study in applied linguistics – The Changing Meri Maroutian is a
Face of the Native Speaker – but while being DELTA qualified teacher
extremely curious as to the new findings and
ideas, I could not help but reflect on the based in Parma, Italy. As an
Armenian who has lived and
number of people who would be willing to
engage with it since its price is currently set at a studied mostly in Malaysia,
little above €120 in its digital version. In saying America and Italy, Meri
that, without having read a single word, I do has become increasingly aware of the social
not doubt the massive effort that was brought injustices reserved for those who are forever
to the table by its contributors. In fact, I applaud perceived as foreigners or non-native speakers
them. However, this valuable information of any given language. At the age of 14, she
and knowledge needs to be translated into spoke four languages and was illiterate in her
massive action if we really want its contents to own mother-tongue, and is now a bilingual
be effective. It would not be an exaggeration speaker of Italian and English.
editorial@elgazette.com 29