CC BY
20УДК 81-112.2:316.772:004.738.5 DOI: 10.18503/2658-3186-2021-5-4-34-38
Н. Н. Зеркина (Магнитогорск, Россия)
АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ИЛИ ГЛОБАЛЬНЫЙ АНГЛИЙСКИЙ: ДИЛЕММА ДЛЯ ПРЕПОДАВАТЕЛЯ
В РАЗВИТИИ ЯЗЫКОВЫХ НАВЫКОВ
Аннотация. В статье рассматривается современное состояние английского языка в образовательном дискурсе. Исторические факты и история английского языка объясняют его разнообразие и сложность. Статья затрагивает вопросы переплетения и взаимодействие Интернета и английского языка. Автор выдвигает идею, что мы являемся свидетелями появления нового типа языка - глобального английского языка, поскольку распространение разновидностей английского языка (диалектов, вариантов) приведет к появлению новых языков, и в этом случае английский язык ожидает судьба латинского языка. Лингвистические и экстралингвистические преобразования английского языка, будучи глобальными, изменили основы его преподавания и изучения. При обучении необходимо учитывать переход разговорного языка к его письменной реализации через социальные сети и мес-сенджеры. В статье применяется качественная методология исследования: наблюдение и анализ описаний. Автор приходит к выводу, что важность и широта использования английского языка предопределена его историческими корнями, Подход к преподаванию языка как глобального помогает сохранить его международный статус, WWW изменяет язык на разных уровнях: лексическом; морфологическом; синтаксическом; фонетическом и т. д. Помимо лингвистической дилеммы учитель сталкивается с психологическими проблемами в развитии языковых навыков.
Ключевые слова: английский язык; глобальный английский язык; образовательный дискурс; социальные сети; история английского языка; коммуникация.
N. N. Zerkina (Magnitogorsk, Russia)
ENGLISH OR GLOBAL ENGLISH: TEACHING DILEMMAS IN LANGUAGE SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
Abstract. The article explains the current state of the English language in educational discourse. Historical facts and Ages of the English language explain the diversity of English. It shows interweaving and interaction of the Internet and the English language. The author puts forward the idea of witnessing the emergence of a new type of the Global English language, as the spread of varieties of the English language (dialects, variants) will lead to a division into incomprehensible new languages, and in this case, the fate of the Latin language awaits the English language. Linguistic and extra linguistic transformations of the English language as global ones, has changed the bases of how it is taught and learnt. The shift of the conversational language to its written realization through social nets and messengers must be taken into consideration while teaching. The qualitative research methodology: observation and description analysis are mainly used. The author concludes that the importance and coverage of the English language traces to its historical roots, Global-English-approach to language teaching helps to save its international status, the WWW changes the language on different levels: lexical; morphological; syntactical; phonetic etc. Besides the linguistic dilemma teacher must meet psychological challenges in language skills development.
Keywords: English; global English; educational discourse; social nets; history of English; communication.
Introduction
With increasing global demand for English proficiency, English has become a global industry. English proficiency in education, science, technology, engineering etc. as a part of the modernization agenda is a major part of authorities initiatives. English is a prestige language in many contexts. Its spread as a global language has resulted in the emergence of a number of related fields of research within applied linguistics and language teaching, including English as an International Language, English as a Foreign Language, English as a Lingua Franca, World Englishes, ESP etc. We follow the idea of researchers who "groups these fields under the one umbrella term of Global Englishes in its exploration of the impact of the global spread of English on English users and learners. Our use of the term Global Englishes is not a rebranding exercise, but, rather, a consolidation one. As independent research fields have been exploring the diverse use of English associated with its global spread, as well as its implications, a term is needed to unite the shared agendas, ideologies and calls for change to pedagogy" [11]
If we ask about the purposes of teaching English, the majority of teachers will identify communication as the primary one. The similar question about the purpose of learning English for students is also communication. Both teachers and students acknowledge the importance of English on a global level. Other reasons for teaching and learning English included developing literacy skills, and the usefulness of English for future survival and employment.[9, c.5]
The English language is an especially important one not only for a society that is multilingual and where students speak a colloquial variety of English outside the classroom, but it is especially important in education in which English
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is the medium of teaching and learning for most subjects in mainstream education.
In many countries, in Russia particularly, students do not speak English as their predominant language and even as a second one thus it also lengthen the journey towards academic English that opens doors in the academic world.
International research [6; 7] suggests that it takes a minimum of 5 years for learners for whom English is a nondominant language to develop competence in academic English.
The dilemma noted by teachers is:
- what type/variant/dialect/ of English should be chosen for mastering to achieve learners' personal educational
goals;
- how to provide learners with exposure to plenty of English vocabulary;
- how to ensure that learners notice the differences between scientific-specific language and everyday varieties of language;
- should we consider Global Englishes for Language Teaching as a ground-breaking attempt to unite discussions on the pedagogical implications of the global spread of English into a single text for researchers and practicing teachers.
Methodology
The qualitative research methodology is mainly used for the research. The subject of the research is natural and not predefined. It is viewed in the context of collective experience. The research focuses more on suggesting causes, effects, possible relationships etc. Observation and description are used to evaluate knowledge, case study, action research, disclosure analysis and are based on the quality of the phenomenon.
What is the English Language?
The English language is in transition, it is taking new forms. It has changed substantially for its Seven Ages (I.-Pre-English period - c.AD 450; II.-Early Old English - c.450- c.850; III. Later Old English (c.850-1100); IV. Middle English (c.1100-1450); V. Early Moden English (c.1450-1750); VI. Modern English (c.1750-1950); VII. Late Modern English (c.1950-), reflecting patterns of contact with other languages and events. It is remarkable for its diversity, its propensity to change and be changed. English is no longer spoken only by its native speakers and by those who learn English in order to communicate with native speakers. The question is "Who are native speakers?" the British, the Americans, the Indian, the Canadian, the Australian.
While interacting with the local dialects and dialects spoken by the inhabitants of the new British colonies, such variants of the modern English language such as American, Indian, Australian, Irish, Canadian, African, New Zealand appeared from British English.
Moreover, within the British Isles there is no homogeneity of the language: dialects and variants in pronunciation (BBC English, Royal English, Advanced English)
The main differences are in phonetics, in intonation, articulation and pronunciation. Phonetics is under the influence of varieties of English that has caused a number of linguists to question the use of Received Pronunciation pronunciation models in the teaching of English [8].
In recent years native speakers have become minority stakeholders of English. The use of the English language as a global lingua franca requires intelligibility and setting and maintenance of standards.
The Internet is the electronic "flagship" of Global English
And this is logical, both as a consequence of the status of the English language as the language of international communication, and as a consequence of the fact that the Internet was created in an English-speaking country. Thus, at the stage of its origin and development, the Internet «lived» exclusively in the English-speaking space, and, consequently, the English language forces users to reckon with it.
According to statistics, 75 % of the world's mail is written in English, about 80% of the information stored on electronic media is written in English. And although more than a thousand languages are currently used on the network, it is likely that the influence of English will increase, since it plays an important role in software.
As D. Crystal ironically noted, a significant obstacle to the global spread of the English language could have arisen in the previous generation if Chinese had been the native language of Bill Gates [5].
Perhaps we are currently witnessing the emergence of a new type of global English - the English language of the virtual space. Although the English language itself has changed over many centuries and under the influence of many factors (political, economic, social, cultural, etc.), but none of the factors can compete with digital technologies either in terms of speed or scale of making changes.
Nowadays many scientists and native speakers express fears that the English language will be transformed beyond recognition thanks to the Internet, and globalization will significantly accelerate this pace. Linguists find a number of differences between the English language of native English speakers, and the English language as a means of international communication - GlobalLanguage, which is massively studied, mainly using the same authentic textbooks in all parts of the world.
But Global English is a phenomenon that is not perceived unambiguously from the position of «language and culture are two sides of the same coin». Whose culture does Global English verbalize? The positive aspect of this process is that the universal command of the English language provides a natural desire of a person for mutual understanding on a "global scale".
Occupation of the "virtual space" by the English language once again proves its claims to play the role of lingua franca, the language of international communication, which is used in almost each sphere of human life and society. The current situation with English is unique in its own way. Never before any of the languages has received such wide distribution and coverage in such a short time.
T. MacArthur expresses his opinion that the spread of varieties of the English language (dialects, variants) will lead to a division into incomprehensible new languages, and in this case, the fate of the Latin language awaits the English language [10].
English is adapting to the technical capabilities of the virtual space and it is the main means of creating a new communicative environment, which reflects all the specifics of its use.
English is immerged into new conditions, into a new communication environment. It is also undergoing changes on a fairly large-scale and global ones:
- a shift in emphasis towards the written implementation of English, which leads to a simplification of the written form of English, although historically the spoken language has always been simpler than written;
- the infusion of other sign systems into language units as compensatory elements (numbers, pictograms, emoti-cons, etc.);
- changing the format of English under the influence of multimedia (the presence of links, hyperlinks, augmented reality, etc.);
- English turns into content with a high degree of creolization and interactivity,
- English acquires a certain set of grammatical and lexical characteristics and practically loses phonetics, which is compensated by paralinguistic means (pictograms, emoticons);
- the interaction of English with other languages generates new forms of communication between representatives of different cultures, mixing leads to the formation of new stylistic forms that can later be borrowed by other cultures.
The reasons that transform the language and communication can be conditionally divided into external and internal.
The first group - external - can include the following reasons:
- the unhindered creation of the text and the absence of editing and censorship in the Internet space.
- the expansion of communication capabilities in time and space, the possibility of written comments in real time leads to increased dialogicity and interactivity.
- the ability to store and quickly transfer huge amounts of digital information, to use multimedia (audio, video, online communication)
The second group - internal-can include the following reasons:
- the growing number of abbreviations, occasional abbreviations; game elements, intentional distortion of spelling (erratives, merging of individual words), non-verbal signs (emoticons and emoticons), combinations of punctuation marks as word substitutes.
- the boundlessness and immensity of the text due to hyperlinks and the ability for users to create their own text by means of links.
- semantic shifts in the meaning of words, mainly the expansion of meaning
Pedagogic Challenges
Certainly, the rise of English as a global language has changed the foundations of how the language is taught and learned. The pedagogical implications of the change in the usage of English by global speakers have led many scholars to call for a paradigm shift in English language teaching—the likes of which last occurred in the 1970s, when communicativeness was brought to the forefront of language education with the emergence of communicative language teaching.
And again teachers face dilemmas: modern students' communication is mainly carried out in virtual space through messengers and social nets where the language has written realization but communication is historically an oral activity.
Today, modern technology dominates our communication. We have a massive range of ways in which we can stay connected, thus teaching communication must be adopted to modern circumstances and virtual entertaining space should be transformed into virtual educational environment.
Defiantly social media affect students' communication skills:
- when it is used in excess or obsessively, it has some damaging effects on communication skills;
-it affects the ways individuals react to emotions, social events;
- with social media, the vast majority of communicating happens via text and occasional still images. This form of communication is poor compared to the rich signals and complex messaging that occurs in a face-to-face conversation.
It must be noted that a modern teacher of English should prepare their students to communicate in both environments: virtual and real.
Thus, Crystal mentioned that "It is the rise of computer-mediated communication and the Internet, more than anything else, which has reshaped the uses of computers for language learning at the end of the 20th century. With the advent of the Internet, the computer-both in society and in the classroom - has been transformed from a tool for information processing and display to a tool for information processing and communication. For the first time, learners of a language can now communicate inexpensively and quickly with other learners or speakers of the target language all over
ГУМАНИТАРНО - ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИЕ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ. 2021. Т. 5. № 4
the world" [4 c. 266].
Scholars have argued that such a shift is necessary to reframe language teaching in order to match the new socio-linguistic landscape of the 21st century. Underpinning this paradigm shift is a change in views of ownership of English, the emancipation of non-native speakers from native speaker norms, a repositioning of culture within the English language, a shift in models of language and a repositioning of the target interlocutor.
Moreover English has become a social value that is why special attention is given to its mastering. Usually a teacher must always balance between grammar, lexis and phonetics and, moreover, learning English is a complex process of forming a new speech system in the cerebral cortex, which begins to coexist and constantly interact with the already-developed system of the native language.
Personal psychological barriers that arise in some learners: uncertainty that they will be able to speak English, shyness and fear of becoming a laughing stock because of mistakes in speech and fearing that the mistakes will lead to unwanted grades - are also the factors that restrain the process of English language mastering.
Conclusion
The importance and coverage of the English language traces to its historical roots and nowadays undergo some transformation in form and content. Global-English-approach to language teaching helps to save international status of the English language and fulfill restrictive function nevertheless it deprives the language from native British speakers.
The Internet and computer-mediated communication contribute to not only the ways of teaching the language but also to the language itself. As like any other phenomenon that is borrowed by the virtual space from the real one, English acquires additional characteristics and features. For example, unlike the real space, the speech of the virtual space has only a written implementation, which means that it excludes additional connotative shades that can be expressed by facial expressions, emotions, the speaker's behavior, etc., but it has compensatory capabilities in the form of emoticons and pictograms. The WWW changes morphology, syntactic and semantics of the English language.
ЛИТЕРАТУРА
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7. Demie, F. English as an additional language pupils: How long does it take to acquire English fluency? [Электронный ресурс] Language and Education, 2013, № 27(1), P. 59-69. URL https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2012.682580 (дата обращения: 20.09.2021).
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9. Jones, S. A., Yeo, L. R-C., Yeo, K. K. J., Seilhamer, M. F., Loh, M. Y., & Ho, H. L. Dilemmas in English teaching and learning: Singaporean primary classrooms booklet 2 [PDF file] [Электронный ресурс] Singapore: National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. 2019. URL https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contribu-tions/Jones-S-A-Yeo-K-K-J-Seilhamer-M-F-Loh-M-Y-Ho-H-L-Yeo-L-R-C-2158377545
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Зеркина Н.Н. Английский или глобальный английский: дилемма для преподавателя в развитии языковых навыков // Гуманитарно-педагогические исследования. 2021. Т. 5. № 4. С. 34-38.
Zerkina N. N. English or Global English: Teaching Dilemmas in Language Skills Development, Gumanitarno-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya [Humanitarian and pedagogical Research], 2021, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 34-38.
Дата поступления статьи - 24.11.2021; 0,56 печ. л.
Сведения об авторе
Зеркина Наталья Николаевна - доцент, кандидат филологических наук, зав. кафедрой иностранных языков по техническим направлениям Института гуманитарного образования ФГБОУ ВО «Магнитогорский государственный технический университет им. Г.И. Носова», Магнитогорск, Россия; [email protected]
Natalya N. Zerkina, Associate Professor, Candidate of Philology, Head of Foreign Languages for Engineering Chair, Institute of Humanities, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University (NMSTU), Magnitogorsk, Russia; agatikO 1 @mail.ru
