Native-speakerism is the belief that native-speaker teachers embody Western cultural ideals in both English language and teaching methodology. The term was coined by A. Holliday.[1] However, the ideology of native-speakerism has been present much longer than that.[2] Native-speakerism relies upon the dichotomous discourse of us and them,[3] of native speakers and non-native speakers where the former is seen as ideal and the latter is seen as inferior. One example which illustrates this preference of native-speaker language over non-native-speaker is that of interlanguage fossilization, a concept within linguistics and language learning that is often used to dictate what is right and wrong with the second language use.[4]
History and background
editIn second language acquisition, native-speakerism developed quickly following the end of the Second World War and the beginning of the scientific period of language learning.[5] This period saw the implementation of standards in grammar and vocabulary, which is the foundation of the favouritism given towards native-speakers in the second language learning and teaching environment.[6] During this period post World War II, the Chomskian notion of the monolingual, idealised, native speaker was developed.[6] As a result, the idealisation of native-speakers as the bearers of correct language has led to the ideal language teacher as also being a native-speaker.[7]
Criticisms
editThe native-speaker ideal for language teachers is a fallacy,[8] as native-speaker teachers are not linguistically and instructionally superior compared to non-native speaking teachers. The native-speakerism ideology is described as "a distorted world view" by Holliday,[9] and by labelling teachers as native or non-native it falsely positions them as inferior or superior in their profession. This results in employment discrimination and divisiveness in the second-language acquisition industry,[9] which favours young White native speakers from English speaking countries.[10] The privileging of native speakers and Western pedagogical methods has long been critiqued by scholars. These practices cause anxiety amongst non-native speaking teachers,[2] and decrease feelings of self-efficacy. Meanwhile, a large body of work in fields such as English as a lingua franca has shown that language use outside the classroom has moved away from dependence on native speaker norms.[2] Native-speaker teachers face over-generalisations of their abilities and pedagogical knowledge, and their experience can be undermined in preference for their native language.[9]
Current responses
editNative-speakerism is still influencing ELT hiring practices on an international scale.[11] In the EU there have been recent attempts to bring recruiters to justice.[12] In February 2024 an unprecedented case, of a discriminated French English teacher, was acknowledged and undertaken by the French Defender of Rights.[13]
References
edit- ^ Holliday, A. (2005). The struggle to teach English as an international language. Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b c Schreiber, B. R. (2019). "More Like You": Disrupting Native Speakerism Through a Multimodal Online Intercultural Exchange. TESOL Quarterly, 53(4), 1115–1138. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.534
- ^ Houghton, S., & Rivers, D. (2013). Native-Speakerism in Japan: Intergroup Dynamics in Foreign Language Education.
- ^ Kiczkowiak, M. (2018). Native Speakerism in English Language Teaching: Voices From Poland [Phd, University of York]. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/20985/
- ^ Pennycook, A. (2017). The cultural politics of English as an international language. Routledge
- ^ a b Cook, V. (2012). Nativeness and language pedagogy. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics.
- ^ Derivry-Plard, M. (2018). A multilingual paradigm in language education: What it means for language teachers. Towards post-native-speakerism: Dynamics and shifts, 131-148.
- ^ Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b c Holliday, A. (2015). Native-speakerism: Taking the concept forward and achieving cultural belief. In (En) countering native-speakerism: Global perspectives (pp. 11-25). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
- ^ Ruecker, T. and Ives, L. (2015). White Native English Speakers Needed: The Rhetorical Construction of Privilege in Online Teacher Recruitment Spaces. TESOL Q, 49: 733-756. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.195
- ^ Maganaka, A. (2023). Native Speakerism and Employment Discrimination in English Language Teaching. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education/Revue canadienne des jeunes chercheures et chercheurs en éducation, 14(1), 119-130.
- ^ Smith, Gerald Nikolai (2022-02-28). "Teacher sues over native-speakerism". E L Gazette. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ DÉCISION 2024-022 DU 19 FÉVRIER 2024 RELATIVE AU REFUS D'EMBAUCHE D'UN PROFESSEUR D'ANGLAIS FONDÉE SUR SES ORIGINES Defenseur des Droits https://juridique.defenseurdesdroits.fr/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=49882&opac_view=-1