32.2021, Review: Applied Linguistics: Fang, Widodo (2020)

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Subject: 32.2021, Review: Applied Linguistics: Fang, Widodo (2020)

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Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:50:27
From: Teresa Ong [ongtesa at gmail.com]
Subject: Critical Perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia

 
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/31/31-2142.html

Review Editors' note:  This is a review article, a special feature of LINGUIST List reviews.

EDITOR: Fan  Fang
EDITOR: Handoyo Puji Widodo
TITLE: Critical Perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia
SUBTITLE: Language Policy, Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
SERIES TITLE: New Perspectives on Language and Education
PUBLISHER: Multilingual Matters
YEAR: 2020

REVIEWER: Teresa Wai See Ong, Griffith University

SUMMARY

“Critical Perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia: Language Policy,
Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment” is an edited volume by Fan Fang and
Handoyo Puji Widodo which focuses on issues related to Global Englishes. The
volume begins with a preface by Jennifer Jenkins, a pioneer in the field of
English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). This is followed by twelve interesting
chapters by individual authors who discuss and highlight the role and
challenges of Global Englishes in relation to language policy, curriculum,
pedagogy, and assessment. The volume ends with an index. 

In Chapter 1, Critical Perspectives on Global Englishes in English Language
Education, Fan Fang and Handoyo Puji Widodo begin the discussion by stating
that traditional views of English language teaching are dominated by Standard
British English and American English. However, the current spread and use of
English in different contexts is far more complicated than expected because to
some degree, local accents may influence the way people speak English. To
date, the question whether local dialect/language and its accent should be
tolerated when using English is still debatable. Thus, this volume, edited by
both authors, provides chapters that highlight the move beyond the traditional
perspective of viewing English as a global language. Instead, they adopt the
term ‘Global English’ (GE) to refer to “the metamorphosis and fluid nature of
the English language not within but transcending borders worldwide” (Jenkins,
2015 in Fang & Widodo 2019, pp. 2-3). GE is a more inclusive term because it
encompasses the many varieties of English from the World Englishes (WE)
paradigm and the fluidity and diversity of English use among speakers from the
English as a lingua franca (ELF) paradigm (Galloway & Rose, 2018; Jenkins
2015).

In Chapter 2, A Critical Examination of Common Beliefs about Language
Teaching: From Research Insights to Professional Engagement, Ryuko Kubota
outlines ten beliefs about teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL). The
first belief is related to the legitimate varieties of English that have been
challenged by traditional views of English in inner circle countries. The
second belief is native speakerism, which means that there is still employment
preference for native English-speaking teachers. As reflected in the broader
language ideology, many teachers, learners, and parents still hold beliefs
about whiteness, cultural essentialism, and dominance of white native speakers
in TEFL. In relation to pedagogy, the beliefs constitute the perception of
using English as an international language in all domains and the economic
benefits one gains from acquiring English. The myths that English must be
learnt at an early age and the monolingual approach to teaching English have
been challenged in second language acquisition research. The final belief
examines the ideal learner and taken-for-granted learning approaches. All in
all, these myths should not be sustained because learners and teachers
nowadays come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. 

In Chapter 3, English is the Default Language? A Study of International
Students’ Language Needs in the Chinese Higher Education Context, Ting Zhang
and Yongyan Zheng examine the language needs of 13 international students from
GHU, a top university in China that boasts the largest group of international
students. The examination was conducted through semi-structured interviews.
The findings reveal that most instructors delivered the course content
competently in English but employed code-switching to Chinese as a strategy to
ensure better understanding of the content. However, there were instances
where the code-switching was done in the language spoken by the majority of
students in the class. The other findings show that international students
regarded English as a global language but Chinese was needed as an additional
skill for job-seeking. Hence, the authors conclude that courses that use
English as the medium of instruction may become a platform for intercultural
communication but at the same time, “language should be treated with greater
sensitivity” to cater to international students, in particular those from
Anglophone countries (Zhang & Zheng, 2019, p. 40). 

In Chapter 4, Language Selection and Assessment in Brunei Darussalam, Ishamina
Athirah Gardiner and David Deterding investigate language selection and
assessment in Brunei Darussalam. Data consisted of 10 audio-recordings that
were collected at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Each recording involved a
conversation in English conducted between a Bruneian and a non-Bruneian. The
findings show that native-like patterns of pronunciation and lexical choice
could give rise to misunderstandings in many contexts and caused students not
able to achieve the required grade in the English language ‘O’ level
examination. The authors conclude that being able to mimic native-speaker
ability does not seem useful and instead, students should be encouraged to
communicate effectively by adjusting their pronunciation when necessary. Such
pedagogy has been proposed but is still unacceptable by many education
authorities worldwide. 

In Chapter 5, Global Englishes and the International Standardised English
Language Proficiency Tests, James Dean Brown examines the relationship between
Global English and international standardised English language proficiency
tests (ISELPTs), such as TOEFL iBT, TOEIC, and IELTS. Five key questions were
discussed (Brown, 2019): (1) What is English language proficiency (ELP)
really? (2) Why is the so-called native-speaker (NS) standard a thing of the
past? (3) What alternative models are there to the NS model for ELP? (4) Why
is changing the ISELPTs so difficult/slow? and (5) What strategies might prove
useful for effecting change in the ISELPTs? Brown suggests some strategies,
including the stop-the-misuse-of ISELPT-scores strategy, research-evidence
strategy, and change-what-the-students-are-learning strategy, which are
applicable to various stakeholders. It is hoped that with such strategies,
language testers would pay more attention and subsequently improve the
validity of the test scores. More importantly, they would lead to the overall
improvement of the ISELPTs on EFL/ESL teaching and learning processes. 

In Chapter 6, Looking through the Eyes of Global Englishes: Enhancing English
Language Teaching in Multicultural Classrooms, Maria Luz Elena N. Canilao
examines English language teaching in the Philippines by documenting the
experiences of 10 PhD students in adopting Global English in their language
classrooms. Canilao shares her experiences as a non-native English speaker
learner where she indicates that Standard English acts as her passport for
academic success. However, at the same time, she misses the embrace of her own
culture and heritage language. In her study, Canilao interviews her own PhD
students and finds that there is a gap between Englishes and the rejection of
local accents. Her students, also as teachers, are reluctant to incorporate GE
principles in their lessons because it is perceived as unacceptable and may
even harm their teaching positions. Hence, Canilao calls for steps to include
GE principles into language materials development and language pedagogies to
tackle current English language teaching challenges.  

In Chapter 7, Contextualising Teaching English as a Local/Global Language: A
Bottom-up Sociolinguistic Investigation, Jim Chan discusses the possibility of
a bottom-up approach to investigating contextualised language needs and
establishing learning targets that are suitable for L2 learners. Employing a
mixed-method approach, Chan explores three main issues: (1) the use of spoken
English in Hong Kong’s sociolinguistic environment, (2) major stakeholders’
attitudes towards English varieties and English learning, and (3) current
practices in English language education. His findings show a mismatch between
language use and language attitudes in the current English language teaching
practices. Hence, Chan suggests for endonormative models to be recognised in
the English curriculum, English learning activities to be developed based on
detailed analysis (such as incorporating local relevant English accents in
speaking lessons), and English curriculum and assessment to be oriented
according to communicative proficiency rather than native correctness. 

In Chapter 8, From Learners to Users: Reframing a Japanese University
Curriculum towards a ‘World Englishes Enterprise’ – Informed English as a
Medium of Instruction Model, James D’Angelo introduces the term ‘WE
enterprise’, which is used to illustrate the inter-connected pluricentric
paradigms of World Englishes, English as an international language, and
English as a lingua franca. Based on the case of the Chukyo University
Department of World Englishes, D’Angelo provides a detailed discussion of the
program offered and how students can benefit from the program to become
effective ELF users. The obstacles and challenges faced are also discussed. In
concluding the chapter, D’Angelo states that traditional English as a foreign
language approaches to language teaching are outdated. Therefore, he gives
recommendations to assist the facilitation of a more effective implementation
of English as a medium of instruction at the university; these clearly align
with the reality of GE. 

In Chapter 9, Talking the Talk but Not Walking the Walk? Preparing Teachers
for Global Englishes Pedagogy, Ali Faud Selvi begins by reviewing some
proposals related to the GE-oriented teaching model in an ELT environment.
This is followed by a discussion and criticism of major ‘faultlines’ in
teacher education programs in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Selvi states that
the majority of these programs do not have courses that incorporate GE
principles, and this leads to a gap between teacher education and GE pedagogy.
For this reason, he suggests the promotion of a more GE-oriented teacher
education. Based on a national survey, Selvi found that many teacher educators
were aware of such pedagogy and have integrated the principles in their
teacher training programs. He concludes that the teacher education practices
should align with the present-day sociolinguistic context because English has
multiple uses, users, forms, and varieties, and operates with other languages
and linguistic repertoires. 

In Chapter 10, Practices of Teaching Englishes: Pedagogical Reflections and
Implications, Zhichang Xu investigates matters related to the curriculum,
pedagogy, and assessment of a unit offered to an Australian university’s
Master’s Degree students majoring in applied linguistics from both the general
linguistics and English as an international language streams. Data consisted
of discussion forums, portfolios of lesson observations, and teaching
practices of both domestic and international students. Through the data
analysis, several pedagogy reflections and implications for WE-informed ELT
practices were highlighted. They included incorporating new and modern
theories of ELT practices, adopting a holistic approach towards real-life
challenges, revisiting and reconceptualising ELT curriculum to align with the
paradigm shift from English to Englishes, raising awareness of the global
perspective with an emphasis on teaching English as glocal (global and local)
language, and developing competence for intercultural communication in
multilingual environment. 

In Chapter 11, Reform and Opportunities: China English in Chinese Higher
Education, Yue Chen and Cong Zhang employ a historical approach to studying
the development of English education in China. The authors begin the chapter
by providing a historical review of the development of English in China’s
education system. In the review, they trace the status of English at different
periods and describe the birth of China English, admitting to the difficulties
of gaining recognition for China English. They also discuss the possibility of
integrating China English into China’s higher education system from three
perspectives of English curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. In concluding
the chapter, the authors give suggestions for future research that are related
to the theoretical foundation of China English. 

In Chapter 12, Global Englishes-oriented English Language Education, Handoyo
Puji Widodo and Fan Fang end the volume by addressing the importance of
research related to pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment in the context of
Global Englishes. Global Englishes can be treated as an ecological approach
that recognises the use of different languages in various sociocultural
domains where languages and cultures co-exist. Due to the lack of resources
and research related to the notion of GE, the authors call for more agendas in
examining such issues, so that the aim of promoting the incorporation of GE
principles into today’s ELT can be achieved. 

EVALUATION

Traditionally, the learning and teaching of English was mostly based on
Standard British and American English, which were considered as mother tongue
Englishes in the inner circle of Kachru’s three circles. The recognition and
acceptance of Englishes from the outer and expanding circles were always
debatable, in particular during assessment like listening and speaking tests.
However, in the last decade, the number of people learning, teaching, and
speaking English, especially in the Asian context, has increased due to the
economic benefits English offers. As these people come from diverse
backgrounds, intercultural communication is involved. In today’s context of
linguistic diversity , the fluidity and diversity of English as a global
language has become the trend. Those teachers and practitioners involved in
language education and pedagogy have begun to switch their view from the
traditional perspective to incorporating GE principles in their learning and
teaching. Nevertheless, there is a still a lack of resources and research in
this field that hinders them from accepting the principles of GE and the
multiplicity of English uses. Thus, it is high time to acknowledge these
principles. 

This volume has demonstrated such efforts by both editors, Fan Fang and
Handoyo Puji Widodo, who brought together authors from various Asian settings
to engage with the implications of GE research in the educational domain. The
numerous researches that focused on ELF users in European settings have
indicated a lack of research in the Asian context. Hence, both editors and all
authors in this volume on GE have done so by bringing a whole new perspective
to the field and demonstrating the urgent need to acknowledge Englishes from
the expanding and outer circles. Their chapters also indicate that local
accents and cultures should be accepted and incorporated in the teaching of
English to students from diverse backgrounds. Against the background of
globalisation and modernisation, it is hoped that people will better
understand the language ideologies related to English as a global language and
take a critical perspective when understanding pedagogical principles,
curriculum, and assessment related to GE.  

In sum, the chapters in this volume have highlighted the importance of
incorporating GE principles in the current’s ELT world. This will reduce the
challenges and obstacles faced by students, in particular those who have
strong local accent and early-stage learners. These students are usually faced
with huge stress when learning and speaking English because they are faced
with criticism and racism. Thus, to reduce such stress and allow them to enjoy
the learning process, it is critical that teachers and practitioners should
fully understand the principles of GE and translate them into their teaching
and assessment. The acceptance and recognition of GE in the curriculum and
language policies is still a long way to go but this volume provides a
positive perspective to students, teachers, and practitioners regarding such
issues. Hence, I fully recommend those working in this field to read this
volume because the insightful findings and suggestions related to the
principles of GE in English language education will contribute to their
teaching practice. 

REFERENCES

Brown, J. D. (2019). Global Englishes and the international standardised
English language proficiency tests. In F. Fang & H. P. Widodo (Eds.), Critical
perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia: Language policy, curriculum,
pedagogy and assessment (pp. 64-83). Multilingual Matters.

Fang, F., & Widodo, H. P. (2019). Critical perspectives on Global Englishes in
English language education. In F. Fang & H. P. Widodo (Eds.), Critical
perspectives on Global Englishes in Asia: Language policy, curriculum,
pedagogy and assessment (pp. 1-9). Multilingual Matters. 

Galloway, N., & Rose, H. (2018). Incorporating Global Englishes into the ELT
classrooms. ELT Journal, 72(1), 3-14. 

Jenkins, J. (2015). Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a
lingua franca. Englishes in Practice, 2(3), 49-85.

Zhang, T., & Zheng, Y. (2019). English is the default language? A study of
international students’ language needs in the Chinese higher education
context. In F. Fang & H. P. Widodo (Eds.), Critical perspectives on Global
Englishes in Asia: Language policy, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (pp.
27-44). Multilingual Matters.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Teresa Wai See Ong holds a PhD in sociolinguistics from Griffith University in
Australia. Her main interests lie within the fields of language maintenance
and language shift, language planning and policy, multilingualism, and
language, culture, and identity. She is currently co-authoring a book chapter
related to the acquisition of English in Malaysia and South Africa.





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