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Article Title:
POWER AND CHALLENGES IN A GLOBALISED SOCIETY: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A VEHICLE
| Abstract: Today, in and out, people, young and adult, are involved in the study of English. Indeed, this interest in the learning of English has increased to such an extent that English is now considered by many, if not all, the international language. Accordingly, the teaching and learning of an international language must be based on an entirely different set of assumptions than the teaching of any second or foreign language. The purpose of this paper is to clarify these assumptions that should be considered in the design of English as an international language (EIL) teaching methods and materials. The paper further reveals that while there is now greater recognition of the importance of language both for economic and educational development, as well as human rights, the forces of globalization are leading towards uniformity in the language use, in culture and even in education. However, given the great diversity of users of EIL, it is imperative to examine what goals and approaches in English language teaching (ELT) are appropriate for these various kinds of EIL users. Actually, if English is to be considered as an international language, it shouldn’t be related to a specific one country or region; rather, it must belong to those who make use of it. Hence, recent findings demonstrate that though an international language can contribute to greater efficiency in the sharing of information, to economic development, and to cross-cultural communication, there are, still, significant dangers in this process. Thus, globalization still encompasses a variety of upheavals which the present paper does not highlight. |
| Keywords: ELT, EIL, cultural issue, attitudes toward EIL, globalization, appropriate |
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