This chapter by McKay and Bokhorst-Heng deals with English and its role in a globalized society. English originally spread as a result of colonialism and is now the most common second language in the world. McKay and Bokhorst-Heng emphasize the power of English, mentioning that it is the “most valuable linguistic capital” (8). People can choose to learn English for a variety of reasons, including economic and educational advancement, as well as mass media reasons (music, advertising, movies, etc.).
As I read about this phenomenon, I was struck by the fact that English holds such a powerful and dominant status among other world languages. Many English language learners believe that no matter which other languages they speak, fluency in English is necessary to be successful. I experienced this attitude first-hand when I lived in South Korea and taught conversational English for adults. Some of my students worked for international companies, others were university students hoping to study abroad, and still others were recent graduates who desperately hoped to improve their English (and their TOEIC scores!) in order to gain an edge in an extremely competitive job market. Few, if any, studied English for fun. My students told me that English skills are necessary for them to advance in society. People with fluent English are admired, and more and more English words are being adopted into Korean, particularly in relationship to pop culture (for example, “sexy,” “star,” and “coffee”). English immersion preschools and kindergartens are gaining in popularity, and students feel a lot of pressure to develop English fluency at an early age.
As an English teacher, I am excited about the opportunity to provide students with linguistic capital that will help them succeed; however, teaching English (particularly EFL) seems more complicated when I consider the potential societal ramifications. In many places, including South Korea, effective English language instruction may be limited to the socially elite or those with money. As McKay and Bokhorst-Heng explain, “participation in this English-education market is not within the reach of those with fewer economic assets” (24). Could my teaching simply reinforce the class barriers and economic divides caused by English education? Or could my teaching challenge these issues by making students aware of how privilege and language can shape society? Hopefully, my teaching will tend toward the latter. I truly believe that my goal in teaching English is to help students develop as not only successful users of language, but also as socially and culturally aware human beings.
I think it’s also interesting and important to note that individuals may choose to accept or reject English for political or cultural reasons. For example, people in previously colonized countries may try to actively eliminate linguistic imperialism by promoting local languages rather than English. McKay and Bokhorst-Heng consider this phenomenon to be due to the “agency of individuals” (7). As an English teacher, I obviously recognize the value in learning English; however, I hope that I can also respect the choices and autonomy of those who choose not to promote English education. I believe that linguistic diversity is a beautiful thing, so I want to support people who try to preserve their native languages in order to reject the linguistic influences that threaten their ways of life. However, on the other hand, I also recognize that globalization does not give advantage to remote or unpopular languages. So English language development (or development in other popular world languages) may be necessary for these individuals to participate on the world stage. As with any other aspect of life, balance is crucial, and there must be some way for societies to balance the local language(s) with English as a lingua franca.
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