Justifying Euro-English

Next, I’m going to provide some arguments against Euro-English, and counterpoints to refute them. Because Modiano points out the main arguments against Euro-English and offers strong rebuttals, I have summarized them:

Argument 1: “There are no native speakers of Euro-English, therefore it cannot be identified as a variety” (2003).

Rebuttal: This is no longer a valid argument because English is used as a lingua franca among lots of NNS. They often use English more with other NNS than with NS. Using ELF with other NNS is more liberating because they can be themselves using English instead of trying to imitate a NS.

Argument 2: Euro-English exists as many forms and therefore trying to define it will fail.

Rebuttal: Varieties of English from native speakers, such as accents and dialects in England and Ireland are accepted as part of ones culture and identity, so it is not fair to not apply this also for users of Euro-English. RP is the standard English accent taught in England, although barely anyone really speaks like that.

Argument 3: The variety will be impossible to teach without a prescriptive standard (Modiano 2003).

Rebuttal: Modiano claims that the goal of Euro-English instruction is “to learn how English can be used by mainland Europeans in cross-cultural interaction” (Modiano 2003). He goes on to explain that the instructor, who is focused on how English is used in mainland Europe, doesn’t insist on imitating the idealized native speaker, but instead motivates students to develop communication skills (2003). Those students who do aspire to emulate a native speaker are free to do so, but this would be by choice that they make, not that they are forced into, which is different than in the past.

Students’ needs

So when teaching, we should consider the needs of the students. What are the students’ motivations for studying English? Who are the students going to be communicating with in English?

How will their English abilities be measured? Answers to such questions should lead us to better analyze and understand the needs of our students and therefore help shape how we teach English keeping in mind their end purpose and goals.

So what should we do? In the last couple of decades, many teachers have espoused communicative language teaching (CLT) because it helps students use language to communicate. However, there is a dilemma because many students have to pass demanding entrance exams which test grammar, reading, and writing as opposed to communicative competence. That dilemma of the vast difference between policy and reality in the classroom is another complex issue.

Questions regarding standards are applicable to discussion of ELF. The kind of English that people are using in Switzerland is quite different from the English in India, for example. Marko Modiano, an American who has lived in Europe for nearly 25 years and currently a professor in Sweden, claims that whenever English is used locally as a language to communicate among people of different L1s, “…distinct varieties of English have emerged, and there are strong arguments for promoting such Englishes as educational models (Modiano, 2001).”

And indeed, the investigations of Braj Kachru, well-known for his research in this area, support this claim (Kachru, 1986). Marko goes on to argue that due to the role of Euro-English in the E.U., surely legitimization, codification, and standardization processes will occur (2001). He explains a few of the terms that are part of Euro-English, such as Schengen, the euro, the Euro zone or Euro area, Member States. These terms are just but a few examples that are understood by speakers of English in Europe, as these concepts are important in their context; however, English speakers from other parts of the world may not understand them.

Pedagogical Materials:

The vast majority of English spoken in the world is between non-native speakers. However, in English Language Teaching (ELT) materials, most interaction is usually between native speakers or between a native speaker and a non-native speaker. It is extremely rare to find dialogues between non-native speakers in ELT materials. Proponents of ELF would like to change that. On one hand, it is hard for me to imagine having such materials. On the other hand, in my classes I provide activities where students work in pairs, groups, and do presentations. In this way, they often have practice using English with other non-native speakers. In considering goals and materials for the course, it is useful to take students’ current and future needs in mind, if possible. Allowing them to make some choices about their learning and a teacher’s effort to accommodate for students’ needs and interests can increase motivation and in turn performance.

Regarding transfer from their L1, teachers should discuss with language learners about mutual comprehensibility (Modiano 2003). In Euro-English classrooms, it is important to focus on communicative interaction with different NS, NNS to NNS in mainland Europe, as well as English in international places (Modiano 2003). McKay recommends using content from the source culture, which has many advantages, such as encouraging language learners to understand their own culture better, which they can in turn share with people from other cultures using English as a lingua franca in the future (McKay 2003). Grading should be based on communicative effectiveness and not on imitation of native speakers (Modiano 2003).

We should encourage students to have more influence on their learning and endorse opportunities for them to use the language to communicate with other NNS. Initially the instructor should provide instructions and clear examples to start off and maybe some web sites and help them get started. In order to do this, it is helpful to find out what they are interested in and bring in materials. This scaffolding should help prepare them for the task you assign.

One of my colleagues in Switzerland was a Cambridge teacher trainer for CELTA and taught at the same university as I did, from Ireland. I really liked his basic teaching philosophy: ultimately we should try to provide students with tools and to help them become more independent learners. There is very limited time in class but there are seemingly unlimited resources available to them at their fingertips through the internet, for example.

Here is an example of a practical teaching idea. Dr. Higgins told me she heard that an English professor in Japan assigned students to choose a current event and read about it in the media in English on-line in a variety of different countries. An example would be to choose a story in the headlines, such as North Korea’s nuclear bomb test, and examine different points of view, for example an American newspaper, a newspaper from England, a newspaper from India, a newspaper from Japan, and a newspaper from South Korea (if information in English can be found in the latter two).

Cambridge English Examinations: Speaking Test

As another example, I would like to mention the speaking part of the Cambridge tests. In part 3 of the First Certificate of English (FCE), the two students are asked to talk together for three minutes given some specific questions and picture prompts.

Students are graded by two oral examiners, one is an interlocuter and the other one is not interacting, but is concentrating only on grading. What I think is good about this format of the test is that for the grading, there is a rubric based on the elements of grammar and vocabulary, discourse management, pronunciation, and interactive communication. I searched a good deal on the internet, but was unfortunately unable to find the exact scoring rubric. However, Cambridge does provide a description of the assessment criteria of the four aforementioned areas.

I have served as a Cambridge oral examiner for one day so far here in Honolulu, which was an interesting experience, but unfortunately I do not have room to explain about it here. There is a mention of Cambridge’s policy on Varieties of English in the Introduction to their introduction to FCE handbook, which states:

Candidates’ responses to tasks in the Cambridge ESOL examinations are acceptable in varieties of English, which would enable candidates to function in the widest range of international contexts. Candidates are expected to use a particular variety with some consistency in areas such as spelling, and not for example switch from using a British spelling of a word to an American spelling of the same word in the same written response to a given task.

An examination of this policy and the Cambridge test could easily be enough to discuss in a thesis, but I just wanted to point out their stated policy to accept varieties of English. In a way, I think this portion of the test is good because it tests students’ communicative ability in some ways as they speak together about pictures to answer questions and reach a decision. But this situation is stilted because these candidates have practiced for this test, there are two examiners there, and the results of this test are possibly very important for their futures. Students are probably trying to conform to the English that they think is acceptable to Cambridge in attempt to score the best they can. In this way, they are still suffering from linguistic imperialism, but the communicative aspect of the test seems like a good idea to me. Hopefully in the future Euro-English teaching material and assessment can be better than this, but something that is very complex and will undoubtedly take years to develop and implement.

Are students prepared for an exam such as Cambridge, TOEFL, or TOEIC? For example, from what I understood, one of my students from Korea said attaining a certain score on the TOEIC is important in her country to get a promotion. Are they preparing for a university entrance exam?

Are they applying to a job which requires competence in English? Once admitted, to the university or job, in what capacity will they need to use English? Is the attainment of a good score their goal? How will their performance on this test affect their future? i.e. will they be admitted to a university of hired for a job where English competence is required? What skills will they be using? With whom will they be communicating? A slew of questions, but they are important to consider.

Pros

Insert info references from H. Murray’s paper (and other papers, too)

Afterall, isn’t communication the key?

Important to consider the needs of student.

Cons

It is very challenging to change things, traditions. That is not to say that it is impossible or bad to change. Changes are often needed, but it will be a challenge and will take a long time. Some will probably resist changing.

Some supporters of EFL suggest that native speakers of English also readjust, such as not pronounced the weak form to using schwa, and trying to avoid using idiomatic language that English language learners would not be able to understand.

As an English language teacher, I usually try to adjust my speech so listeners can understand me. However I do not think all native speakers of English are willing to adjust. Some may be stubborn and think only the other person should adjust to them. Then again, a person like that may not travel as much and with such a narrow-minded point of view, they would not be able to communicate with as many people as a more cooperative communicator.

Since native speakers of English have traditionally been the authority of what is acceptable and unacceptable usage in English, they may be unwilling to accept the new breeds of Englishes.

Although newly trained teachers may be supportive of ELF, others in the world who are unaware of recent developments may not be willing or able to understand the ELLs in their version of English. Traditionalists may still try to correct them or think they are making errors.

It will take a long time and much struggle to make changes in curriculum, assessment, awareness, acceptability, and policy.

Conclusion:

In summary, this paper focused on the issue of traditional ‘standards’ in English teaching and learning in Switzerland and presented a case showing some arguments for and against the introduction of Euro-English as a new model. After presenting my teaching experience in Switzerland combined with research from leaders in the field, I conclude with my opinion that proponents of Euro-English should continue their research projects and ELF documentation to strengthen their case. Although it takes time to change old traditions, with a substantial argument such as this, I believe they will gradually be able to make people more aware of this issue. However, I think it will take a long time and much effort to change textbooks, testing, and people’s mindsets. I think some will accept the motion for Euro-English while some traditionalists may never change.

Instruction: Don’t borrow anything fromMercia Mcneil’s summary above. Your summary should look like this: The title of the article and the name of the author; your overview or an introductory paragraph (the introduction); the single sentences summarising the main ideas, with the key facts or figures that support the ideas. You'll need to organise all the information in the most logical way. You might also have repeated ideas or details that you'll need to delete.

Don't forget to include linking words so your reader can easily follow your thoughts. This will help your summary flow better, and help you avoid writing short sentences without any connection between them.

Tips for writing a summary:

1. First, read the text or article to get a general idea of the subject matter as well as the author's attitude.

2. Then read through a second time to identify the main points – either paragraph by paragraph, or heading by heading / sub-heading.

Identify the topic sentences. These are usually the first sentences of each paragraph. They give the main idea for the paragraph (with the following sentences supporting this main idea). Also look for the concluding sentence in the paragraph, as this often summarises the paragraph.

3. Now write the main idea of each paragraph (or section) in one sentence. Use your own words, rather than the author's words. This is important: if you copy what the author has written, you risk writing too much!

4. Start pulling out key facts or findings from the text which support the author's main idea (or ideas). You may need to either summarise these (if there are a lot of them) or decide which are the most important or relevant.

However, if you are summarising a number of sections of an article, start to look for common themes running through all the sections. Are the sections broadly in agreement, or do they have different points of view or findings? Choose only a few supporting details to illustrate similarity or contrast.

5. When you have written all your sentences, you should be able to get a good overview of the whole text. This overview can be your introduction to your summary. In your introduction, you'll also need to give the author's name and the title of the text you are summarising.

Important points to remember:

Don't copy the article. Instead, paraphrase. If you quote directly from the original text, use quotation marks. (Minimise how often you do this.) Don't give your opinion.

Edit what you write. Check your English grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes.