Cultures of English as a Lingua Franca

This article brought up a lot of debateable topics; the one that I focused on is the relationship between language and culture.  Are they related? Can the two be separated?  In the first week of class, we talked about how there is no set definition of what culture is.  On page 570, Baker writes that "language both embodies and creates cultural reality."  Go to any country, even here in the United States, and you will see how integrated the two terms really are.  Language is a part of culture; culture is a part of language.  They cannot be separated and go hand in hand.  So what does this information have to do with English as a lingua franca?  Since there are so many different varieties of ENglish and so many different cultures that have English as an L1.  "learners of English are not learning to join a single language community, but are shuttling between communities, between local and global." (574).  In the interviews conducted in this study, several Thai students were set up with other students and researchers.  In Extract 4, Oy was talking about how she felt when she spoke English.  SHe said "in English, you can express yourself more...English is a kind of message containing something that will make other people more open" (580).  The other participant, Nami, talked about how she was influenced by English speaking norms and how she learned to adapt them so they suited her whenever she needed them.  From this study, we learned that the "participants do seem to view ELF as a vehicle for expressing and perhaps creating cultures and identifications" (586).  These aprticipants help us to understand how connected language and culture are.  "Language can never be culturally neutral."
There are so many different reasons for why people learn English. However, to "the learners of English as a lingua franca, the ability to negotiate, mediate, and adapt to emerging communicative practices is important." (p. 588).

Holliday 2.1-2.3

After reading these three selections, there was one story that stuck out the most to me and that was the one with Jeremy and Jabu.  Throughout reading this, I could see and understand both  sides of the situation.  Jeremy probably thought that he was helping his student, whereas Jabu felt insulted and belittled.  Unfortunately, this situation occurs on a daily basis with language teachers and students.  The reasons range from lack of communication to stereotyping to prejudice.  It was frustrating to read because I could sense the tension and irritation that Jabu felt every time Jeremy addressed her or spoke to others about her.  I myself have felt this way in my own foreign language classes in high school.  My comprehension is much more advanced than my oral proficiency.  When the teacher would lecture or explain things to us, I understood everything that she would say to a T.  But the second that I was called on to answer a question, I would freeze up and stutter and mess up my conjugations.  I knew that this was not the best of my capabilities and I would become angry with myself for allowing myself to look incompetent infront of my teacher.  But then whenever I would mess up in class, the teacher would start to treat me differently.  She would talk slower and louder and look directly at me when she spoke to me.  It was really annoying because I felt like she was sugarcoating everything and it didn’t need to be that way.   I knew what I was capable of, I just needed to prove that to my teacher.  I remember that when I would turn in papers or exams, she would be so surprised at my work and give me extra praise.  Normally, I would welcome this praise with open arms, but I knew that this was only because she did not expect that much from me.  Therefore, it would embarrass me and aggravate me.  In the end, I approached my teacher and explained that I did understand everything we were doing in class, that I struggled with my speaking skills, and that I felt like I was not being challenged enough in her class.  Once we discussed this, everything was much better, but we had to get to that point where we verbally communicated what was going on. 

                My personal experience and that of Jabu’s in the story are evidence of how important it is for teachers to recognize how fragile communication is between themselves and their students.  We need to acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of every student, but not belittle them or treat them differently because of those differences.  First off, NEVER speak to them the way you would to a 2 year old; it is rude and degrading.  Just because they have a different native language doesn’t mean that they need you to shout at them.  Treat them as equals, and if need be, ask them how proficient they are in speaking and listening.  Communication is the key to successful teaching, and both parties need to be on the same page or else one is going to be miserable.