Native Speakerism

The professional development of English teachers is a significant area in language teaching and learning, as well as in teacher education. On the one hand, at least in theory, professional development initiatives respond to the teachers’ changing needs. On the other hand, it reflects the beliefs that different educational authorities and stakeholders have about English uses and education. In this self-study, I consider the professional development of English teachers in Colombia and its tight connection to the language education policies of the country. Following a chronological approach, I present the findings as landmarks that have contributed to my reflections and research around professional development and language education policies.  Discussing the findings, I show how the discourses and decisions about teachers’ continuing learning represent certain views of language, second language acquisition, English language teaching and learning, and teachers as professionals. This self-study addresses some of the concepts that illuminate the discourses that have shaped English teachers’ professional development. Focusing primarily on the development of the National Program of Bilingualism, I underscore the power of these concepts over the major decisions made at the local and school levels. In the analysis of the past and present of teachers’ professional development in Colombia, I conclude on the necessity of maintaining critical scholarly work to contribute to the construction of local knowledge for future reflection.

The question of whether students prefer 'native speaker' teachers has been extensively explored (Chun, 2014; Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2005; Moussu & Llurda, 2008). Equally, there is a growing body of literature which has aimed to identify what teacher skills and qualities contribute to being an effective English teacher (Bell, 2005; J. C. Richards, 2010). Nevertheless, the question of preference for 'native speakers' has rarely been explored in the context of the skills and qualities of effective English teachers. Consequently, this MMR attempted to triangulate the perceptions of students, teachers and recruiters in Polish language schools as to which skills and qualities they view as important for an effective English teacher and compare these to the importance attached to 'nativeness'. The results show that students and recruiters attached significantly more importance to proficiency and 'nativeness' than did the teachers, who in turn found gaining rapport in class significantly more important. Nevertheless, 'nativeness' and the teacher's L1 were considered to be the least important qualities by all three cohorts. This suggests that despite the prevalence of native speakerism, ELT professionals recognise that it is not the teacher's L1, but their pedagogical skills that contribute to teaching effectiveness.

In rural Bangladesh, most people speak English with a regional accent which is generally not intelligible to Non-Native Bengali Speakers (NBS). Although NBS understand each other, this type of pronunciation creates problems for many Bangladeshis, like handicapping students studying abroad, professionals migrating to Anglophone countries, tourists and businessmen, government officials and diplomats, communicating with their foreign counterparts, at home and abroad. This investigation was undertaken with a view to bringing this serious problem to the attention of relevant stakeholders of English education in Bangladesh such as teachers, researchers, course planners and policy makers. One of the key aims was to find out if secondary school teachers would accept English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and intelligible pronunciation and be prepared to learn and teach their students simplified versions of English pronunciation and spoken English, which would be not just easy to learn and teach, but also a cost-effective and engaging approach. The study leads to the conclusion that the ultimate goal should be to teach English-for-life instead of the current approach taken by teachers which is English-for-exam pedagogy.

Pronunciation in course books: English as a Lingua Franca perspective In recent decades there has been a growing research and pedagogical interest in the use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), for example identifying the Lingua Franca Core (LFC), or pronunciation features important for intelligibility in ELF contexts. While some analyses of course books (CBs) have shown ELF research findings are not yet reflected in these materials, only two studies have focused specifically on how pronunciation is presented in CBs, and none from an ELF perspective. Consequently, this study analysed to what extent pronunciation syllabi of six globally published CBs follow LFC, and what beliefs informed the CB authors' choice of pronunciation features. The results show that LFC features represent only between 5 and 33 per cent of the pronunciation syllabi. While most CB authors were aware of LFC and eager to focus on intelligible pronunciation, they either did not think it was important to follow or could not do so due to publisher's demands.

In recent decades, the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching industry has grown exponentially around the globe, yet, with regard to a majority of its native speaking (NS) instructors, the EFL profession remains inexcusably unprofessional.  Aside from the increased international demand for EFL instruction, and the subsequent proliferation of untrained NS “teachers”, the ascendancy of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methods in EFL pedagogy has resulted in the present employment environment in which NS EFL instructors can market themselves to teach worldwide without any proficiency in the local languages or knowledge of the local cultures of the students whom they teach.  However, this article contends that knowledge of one’s students’ language and culture is a necessary pre-requisite for effective EFL teaching since teachers who do not possess this linguistic and cultural awareness will lack the contrastive preparedness that will enable them to meet their students’ pedagogical and affective needs.  By adopting a postmodernist approach, this article will also argue that the strict adherence to this method in EFL learning situations without an understanding of one’s students’ language and culture is not only theoretically but also pedagogically and ethically inappropriate.

The unprecedented rise of English to become a global lingua franca has sparked a growing academic interest with numerous research publications on Global Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and English as an International Language (EIL). Although this research has led to numerous informative findings concerning pronunciation, pragmatics and intercultural communicative skills, many course books still present English as if it was primarily used to communicate with 'native speakers'. In addition, native speakerism, or the belief that 'native speakers' are not only better models, but also better teachers of the language is still widespread in ELT. As a result, this article aims to bridge the gap between the research and materials writing practice by suggesting seven research-based principles which can help materials writers not only write materials that are truly global and authentic, but also contribute to tackling native speakerism by addressing some of the discourses that support it. In recent years there has been a considerable rise in research on Global Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and English as an International Language (EIL). While no doubt differing in some of their paradigmatic assumptions, what these three terms have in common is the recognition that English is now the global lingua franca mostly used by 'non-native speakers' of the language, a fact which has some far-reaching implications for ELT practice including materials writing. Indeed, researchers have for example established that it is not proximity to a standard 'native speaker' model, but rather the ability to pronounce certain key pronunciation features known as the Lingua Franca Core (LFC) and the ability to adapt the pronunciation to the interlocutor that enhance intelligibility in ELF contexts (Deterding 2013). In addition, important work has been done identifying the key communicative strategies that facilitate understanding in ELF settings, showing that conformity with a standard 'native speaker' model is neither always appropriate nor necessary (Cogo & House 2018). These are but two examples from a quickly growing field of research, whose progress and the most recent results were documented recently in The Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca (Jenkins, Baker & Dewey, 2018). The results from ELF research suggests that the way English has traditionally been taught and presented in course books might need to be profoundly reevaluated in order to reflect how English is currently being used and in order to better prepare students to become successful English users. Nevertheless, these findings have often not been presented in practical terms. In addition, currently published course books are still to a large extent rather anglocentric inadvertently contributing to the entrenchment of what Holliday (2005) has referred to as the ideology of native speakerism, or the belief that the ideals of the English language and teaching spring from the 'native-speaking' West. As other ideologies, native speakerism is spread, normalised and supported by powerful discourses which are evident in how the English language has been taught and presented in course books. One example of such a discourse is the belief that standard 'native speaker' language use should be both the teaching and learning target to which 'non-native speaker' teachers and learners should strive (Kiczkowiak and Lowe, 2019). This discourse is in turn

Issues surrounding native-speakerism in ELT have been investigated from a diverse range of research perspectives over the last decade. This study uses a duoethnographic approach in order to explore the concept of a 'hidden curriculum' that instils and perpetuates Western 'native speaker' norms and values in the formal and informal training of English language teachers. We found that, despite differences in our own individual training experiences, a form of 'hidden curriculum' was apparent that had a powerful effect on our initial beliefs and practices as teachers and continues to influence our day-to-day teaching.

Little is known about recruiters' attitudes to hiring 'native' and 'non-native speakers', or the factors which might influence their potential preference for the former group. Of the four studies conducted thus far, three were carried out in the US or the UK, and are over a decade old (Clark & Paran, 2007; Mahboob et al., 2004; Moussu, 2006). The fourth, conducted in Poland, had a small sample size of five recruiters (Kiczkowiak, 2019). Consequently, the present study aimed to investigate this issue further providing more up-to-date data and extending the scope to EFL contexts. Mixed methods were used: an on-line questionnaire completed by one hundred fifty recruiters, followed by semi-structured interviews with twenty-one recruiters. The results showed that while teaching experience, qualifications, and performance in the interview were important for over 90 per cent of respondents, almost half still considered the 'native speaker' criterion as important. This may be due to concerns about the proficiency of 'non-native speakers' and the reaction from clients. Nevertheless, high satisfaction with 'non-native speaker' teachers was also observed, and the data provided important advice for recruiters on how to successfully implement an equal opportunities policy.

Beitrag zur GSAI Annual Conference 24./25.11.2017 1 ‚Native Speaker' gesucht?! Reflexion eines ‚Deutsch-Muttersprachlers' in einem ‚nicht-deutschen Muttersprachler_innenkontext' Mitarbeitende an den germanistischen Departments scheuen in der Regel keine Reflexion: über die gerade durchgeführte Unterrichtseinheit, über das verwendete Material, über die Lernenden und natürlich auch über sich selbst. Man könnte behaupten, es gebe im/nach/vor dem Unterricht kaum reflexionsfreie Phasen. Dieser Beitrag widmet sich einem Aspekt, der aber häufig dennoch unreflektiert bleibt: Stellenausschreibungen. Im Fokus steht dabei, wie Anforderungen an Bewerber_innen hinsichtlich der Sprachkenntnisse beschrieben werden. Anhand einzelner Beispiele jüngster Ausschreibungen germanistischer Institute im englischsprachigen Ausland, u.a. des University College Cork, des Trinity College Dublin und der Maynooth University, wird festgestellt, dass der Begriff ‚native speaker' zentral ist, um die gewünschten Sprachkenntnisse der KandidatInnen zu beschreiben. ‚Muttersprachler_in' zu sein bzw. ‚Muttersprachler_innenkompetenz' aufzuweisen wird offenbar als unabdingbares Qualitätskriterium für die Arbeit an den jeweiligen Instituten angesehen. Es stellt sich allerdings die Frage, was unter diesem Begriff konkret verstanden wird sowie wie, wann und ob diese Kompetenz überhaupt erreicht werden kann. Denn unweigerlich trennt diese

In rural Bangladesh, most people speak English with a regional accent which is generally not intelligible to Non-Native Bengali Speakers (NBS). Although NBS understand each other, this type of pronunciation creates problems for many Bangladeshis, like handicapping students studying abroad, professionals migrating to Anglophone countries, tourists and businessmen, government officials and diplomats, communicating with their foreign counterparts, at home and abroad. This investigation was undertaken with a view to bringing this serious problem to the attention of relevant stakeholders of English education in Bangladesh such as teachers, researchers, course planners and policy makers. One of the key aims was to find out if secondary school teachers would accept English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and intelligible pronunciation and be prepared to learn and teach their students simplified versions of English pronunciation and spoken English, which would be not just easy to learn and teach, ...

In rural Bangladesh, most people speak English with a regional accent which is generally not intelligible to Non-Native Bengali Speakers (NBS). Although NBS understand each other, this type of pronunciation creates problems for many Bangladeshis, like handicapping students studying abroad, professionals migrating to Anglophone countries, tourists and businessmen, government officials and diplomats, communicating with their foreign counterparts, at home and abroad. This investigation was undertaken with a view to bringing this serious problem to the attention of relevant stakeholders of English education in Bangladesh such as teachers, researchers, course planners and policy makers. One of the key aims was to find out if secondary school teachers would accept English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and intelligible pronunciation and be prepared to learn and teach their students simplified versions of English pronunciation and spoken English, which would be not just easy to learn and teach, ...

The present article aims at proposing a critical approach to the teaching of the English language through a decolonial perspective. For this purpose, some myths regarding the teaching of English as an additional language, which are disseminated with the objective of strengthening the hegemony of central countries, will be presented. Lastly, contributions of Paulo Freire's thought to education will be highlighted in order to advocate for a counter-hegemonic additional language pedagogy, which values diversity, dialogue and social justice.

In this short opinion piece I look at initial teacher training courses from a NNEST perspective, and argue that they contribute to the entrenchment of native speakerism in ELT. I identify and briefly discuss four key areas related to the NNEST movement and native speakerism which are not discussed during the initial teacher training courses and conclude with suggestions for future change.

Odeniyi presents perspectives on student identity and academic ability. Ethnographic research at a London university found evidence of repeated Othering of a small group of students with diasporic connections. Consequently, it is argued successful exposure to academic culture, which includes reading, writing and knowledge-making, can only occur after engagement and participation is made possible for all students. Odeniyi remains uncomfortable with monolithic interventions at institutional level as they feed into native-speakerist discourses which can demonise the ‘non-western’, ‘non traditional’ student. Student-centred approaches to academic writing development can create opportunities within the university curriculum for ‘non-traditional’, ‘non-native’ students’ experiences to be valourised through writing and assessment practices which contribute to the suspension of cultural disbelief.

Speaking self-perceived communication competence (SPCC) is a construct with many potential implications for foreign language learning, but one that has been little studied. SPCC itself is a major predictive factor in willingness to communicate, a construct which has been widely conceptualised and researched. This study (N=103) used a repeated measures ANOVA to investigate SPCC and its correlation with actual L2 speaking proficiency over the course of a year; there was no significant correlation. Qualitative data was then treated with grounded theory to establish why SPCC was inaccurate and to provide pointers as to how SPCC accuracy might be improved. The findings are discussed with reference to the literature to try to establish a deeper understanding of SPCC, particularly in the Japanese context, its formulation and its implications for foreign language learning.

This paper discusses the impact of the Ministry of Education’s new national senior high school Course of Study for Foreign Languages on collaboration between Japanese teachers of English and native speakers of English. In consideration of the new curriculum’s request that classes be conducted in English, and its reorganization of all English subjects, the current paper draws upon frameworks in language-in-education policy and planning (Kaplan & Baldauf, 2003; Liddicoat, 2004) and highlights potential issues concerning its implementation at the local level.

Seeing others similar to ourselves succeeding in tasks has been found to have various motivational benefits. However, Japanese English education is dominated by native speaker standards of language use that are fundamentally unattainable by students. The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization of near peer role model (NPRM) videos showing English conversation school students examples of non-native speakers displaying effective communication skills. Six NPRM videos were shown to ten students over a one month period. Participants completed a survey in Japanese that was subsequently translated into English and analysed. Survey responses indicate that students admired the NPRMs' English ability, received practical study advice, and were able to question the notion of native speaker English as a viable learning goal. This study suggests the value of NPRMs in empowering students by providing motivational support along with evidence that English proficiency is not something monopolized by native speakers.

In an effort to increase the English proficiency level of their citizens and thus become more competitive in the global economy, many Latin American countries have resorted to the importation of foreign English teachers (FETs) to support local English teachers (LETs) in schools. The phenomenon has been widely documented by the Colombian press, which exerts a strong influence on people's opinions. This article reports the results of a case study which explored the representations of these FETs in three major Colombian newspapers published between 2010 and 2015 and the linguistic mechanisms employed to represent them this way. The study drew on critical linguistic theories and used Fairclough's (1992) model for critical discourse analysis (CDA). The analysis reveals a systematic attempt on the part of the Colombian press to represent FETs as superior, which is achieved through the use of several mechanisms, such as stressing their foreignness and voluntariness; raising their status from inexperienced teachers to tutors, advisors and benefactors; making them the actors; and attributing them superpowers. It is concluded that by doing this, newspapers are contributing to the discrimination of local English teachers, perpetuating native-speakerism ideologies, and disregarding the enormous benefits of having LETs in the educational system, among other aspects.

Presented at the conference ‘Power, Ideology and Beyond: New Perspectives in Translation and Interpreting Studies’ at the University of Leeds; June 2017.

In this talk, I discuss how the (notion of the) ‘native speaker’ is employed – and also, how it is being challenged – specifically in texts intended to introduce (readers to the field of) Translation Studies, such as handbooks (e.g. Baker 2011; Malmkjær & Windle 2011), ‘companions’ (e.g. Bermann & Porter 2014; Kuhiwczak & Littau 2007), and others (e.g. Hatim 2013; Gile 2009; Munday 2016). In unveiling the often implicit, latent ideas that govern our thinking about these concepts in the particular context of Translation Studies, I hope to make room for different ways of thinking – alter⋮natives – about language, (non‑)native speakers, and, ultimately, ourselves.

Este artículo da cuenta de algunos estudios de investigación en el área del inglés como idioma internacional, su expansión y enseñanza desde un punto de vista crítico. Inicia señalando cómo ha sido abordado por varios investigadores el fenómeno de la expansión del inglés a nivel internacional y su relación con el fenómeno de la globalización. Luego muestra de forma detallada algunos estudios empíricos que se han hecho a nivel mundial con relación al tema. Ofrece una perspectiva histórica enmarcada por los trabajos de los académicos que se interesaron en estudiar el fenómeno
de la expansión y globalización del inglés desde un punto de vista crítico. En particular, informa sobre cuatro tipos de estudios empíricos: a. estudios relacionados con el imperialismo lingüístico generado por la expansión del inglés, su uso y enseñanza, b. estudios relacionados con las ideas del ‘native speakerism’, c. estudios relacionados con el pensamiento y perspectivas de los profesores de inglés como idioma internacional, y d. estudios relacionados con el
conocimiento y vinculación de los profesores de inglés con la pedagogía crítica para la enseñanza del inglés como idioma internacional.

Considering that English is the most dominant language for international communication and that non-native English speakers significantly outnumber native speakers, it is reasonable to expect that English language learners will most likely need to use English as a lingua franca. To address the needs of English language learners, this paper suggests reconsidering teaching practices and beliefs based on native speakerism and tapping into the findings of the English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) field. At a theoretical level, this paper provides an overview of the current research on ELF speakers' communicative practices against the framework of Communicative Competence Theory, using the model of communicative competence defined in the CEFR in 2001. To gain a more practical perspective, the present paper investigates how English language teachers in elementary and high schools in Serbia understand the concept of ELF and how they assess the linguistic features of ELF that differ from native-speaker norms. The present paper presents the results of a small-scale research which is part of a larger study in progress. The data is obtained via a questionnaire containing open-ended questions and an evaluation task. The results indicate that the participants lack a more in-depth understanding of the concept of ELF and insist on standard language norms and grammatical accuracy in their teaching practices.

Die Jahrestagung der German Studies Association of Ireland widmete sich im vergangenen Jahr dem Thema ‚Selbstreflexion‘. Dieser Beitrag bietet Reflexionen darüber, wie aktuelle Diskurse im irischen, universitären (Germanistik-)Bereich bestimmte Begriffe verwenden. Anhand des Begriffspaars ‚native‘ und ‚near-native‘ wird gezeigt, dass Begriffen ein diskriminierendes Moment innewohnen und daher ihr Gebrauch gesellschaftliche, berufliche und menschliche Folgen haben kann. Schließlich wird dafür plädiert, stärker über die Terminologie und den Umgang damit zu reflektieren.