In response to Elizabeth's call for a summary of the English Language Learners statistics in her comments of my Reasons I mostly don't like textboooks2... coupled with my guilt about the back-log of unfinished posts awaiting me and... my seemingly outlandish cry that TEFL teachers are behind-the-scenes of globalization, it's probably about time I wrap up the presentation I attended back in July with David Graddol.
Who is David Graddol?
David Graddol is a British linguist most commonly known for his works English Next, 2006 and the Future of English 1997. He is the Managing Director of the English Company (UK) Ltd, and provides consulting and publishing services on issues related to global English.
Graddol has worked on language projects in the Middle East, India, China and Latin America, is joint editor of the journal English Today, a member of the editorial boards of Language Planning and Language Problems and the Journal of Visual Communication and has worked for 25 years in the Faculty of Education and Language Studies at the UK Open University.
Who is speaking English?
Estimates of second language speakers vary greatly: from 470 million to over a billion depending on how literacy or mastery is defined and measured. Linguistics professor, David Crystal, calculates that non-native speakers now outnumber native speakers by a ratio of 3 to 1.
However he also says that it's not so much about how many speak any particular language but who speaks it: the economic power of that language.
74% of all English spoken is between non-English speakers and non-English speakers.
Native speakers to speakers of other countries 12% and only 4% of the English spoken today occurs between English native speakers and other English native speakers.
We can blame China
20% of the world's children are in India, 14% are in China.
The entire language world order is changing as is the age structure of the populations speaking them. While the age demographic of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India & China) and other developing countries have been increasing, the developed countries are slowing down and aging instead.
Given global food statistics, on the other hand, immigration into the developed nations will probably increase - and they'll all need to speak the global language.
Some factors influencing English as a language:
English will soon not be seen as a "foreign" language, thus the knowledge of it may ebb as an economic advantage - it'll simply be a required skill.
The economic world order is changing.
Which raises critical and ethical questions regarding the those who can and the those who can't of tomorrow.
What is ELT doing to meet this?
Within the practice of learning and teaching English, we see these trends:
The spread of English also raises vital cultural concerns: are national identities under threat?
So... going back to Elizabeth and others and my reasons for not liking most textbooks(2): cultural incompatibility... this video may perhaps go a little way into explaining why I think it's an important issue to pay attention to (it's a wonderful talk - very worth watching):
What do you think?
Should we really have a single story?
Best,
Karenne
Who is David Graddol?
David Graddol is a British linguist most commonly known for his works English Next, 2006 and the Future of English 1997. He is the Managing Director of the English Company (UK) Ltd, and provides consulting and publishing services on issues related to global English.Graddol has worked on language projects in the Middle East, India, China and Latin America, is joint editor of the journal English Today, a member of the editorial boards of Language Planning and Language Problems and the Journal of Visual Communication and has worked for 25 years in the Faculty of Education and Language Studies at the UK Open University.
Who is speaking English?
Estimates of second language speakers vary greatly: from 470 million to over a billion depending on how literacy or mastery is defined and measured. Linguistics professor, David Crystal, calculates that non-native speakers now outnumber native speakers by a ratio of 3 to 1.
However he also says that it's not so much about how many speak any particular language but who speaks it: the economic power of that language.
74% of all English spoken is between non-English speakers and non-English speakers.
Native speakers to speakers of other countries 12% and only 4% of the English spoken today occurs between English native speakers and other English native speakers.
Well, actually we can blame China looking at the examples of the Netherlands and Singapore, however, once China took the decision to make sure that English language learning should be a basic skill to be learned from year 3 on, the rest of the non-English-speaking world quickly followed suit.
Why?
Knowledge of English is seen as a passport to employment, a gateway to wealth.
Previously, when students started learning English at age 12-14, they would probably get around 4-5 years of English study: nowhere near enough to enter academic study in this language.
By ensuring, instead, that students start learning from early childhood they will have that many more years to reach university level requirements, master English and thus become more employable citizens.
Why?
Knowledge of English is seen as a passport to employment, a gateway to wealth.
Previously, when students started learning English at age 12-14, they would probably get around 4-5 years of English study: nowhere near enough to enter academic study in this language.By ensuring, instead, that students start learning from early childhood they will have that many more years to reach university level requirements, master English and thus become more employable citizens.
20% of the world's children are in India, 14% are in China.
The entire language world order is changing as is the age structure of the populations speaking them. While the age demographic of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India & China) and other developing countries have been increasing, the developed countries are slowing down and aging instead.
Given global food statistics, on the other hand, immigration into the developed nations will probably increase - and they'll all need to speak the global language.
Some factors influencing English as a language:
- input of new words from other languages
- the web2.0 vocabulary
- pressure to move up the value train
- the educational "arms" race
- knowledge based economies
- the globe reduced to a village: a networked, connected society
English will soon not be seen as a "foreign" language, thus the knowledge of it may ebb as an economic advantage - it'll simply be a required skill.
The economic world order is changing.
Companies, no matter where their HQs are based are using English as their official corporate language. It's no longer about "foreigners" communicating with English speaking nations. It's about a world speaking to its fellow global citizens.
The EU may be today's largest world economy (the US second) but with Europe's rapidly aging population this is probably not sustainable.
Who will take its place?
Global trends in employment include:
The EU may be today's largest world economy (the US second) but with Europe's rapidly aging population this is probably not sustainable.Who will take its place?
Global trends in employment include:
- agricultural and service jobs falling away
- more competition for the same jobs
- more outsourcing in the areas of Research and Development
- intercultural competence more and more necessary
- multilingualism important
The need to demonstrate creativity, innovation and critical thinking are also increasingly becoming obligatory.
A major paradigm shift is occurring in general education to meet these requirements. Specifically, focusing on:
A major paradigm shift is occurring in general education to meet these requirements. Specifically, focusing on:
- learner autonomy
- learning by doing
- using technology in classrooms to achieve the above
Which raises critical and ethical questions regarding the those who can and the those who can't of tomorrow.
What is ELT doing to meet this?
Within the practice of learning and teaching English, we see these trends:
- in 2010, we'll reach the global peak of 'learners,' the bulk in classes will become 'users'
- 30% of US students will be in ESL classes by 2010 (US census)
- increased younger learners in the developing nations
- increased mature learners (Europe)
- three quarters of all travel occuring between non-English speaking countries.
- age of student travel for English learning changing: demand for work placement
- requirement for real speaking practice
- requirement of exposure to global accents
- requirement of computer knowledge
The spread of English also raises vital cultural concerns: are national identities under threat?
So... going back to Elizabeth and others and my reasons for not liking most textbooks(2): cultural incompatibility... this video may perhaps go a little way into explaining why I think it's an important issue to pay attention to (it's a wonderful talk - very worth watching):
What do you think?
Should we really have a single story?
Best,
Karenne
Posts
