Week 12- Eng. in the era of globalization

There were many quotes that I found impressionable in this chapter of the book but for starters in the very first paragraph, the author states “the spread of English proceeds in a manner that supports the integrity and devotion of other languages”.  This quote really stood out to me because after reading some of the past articles about how everyone learning English could be harmful or degrading to some languages, it was nice to hear a good word about our language.  But continuing with the reading it discusses the Pennycook’s different perspectives of homogeny and heterogeny.  This portion was really interesting to me because I had never heard these terms before and I thought taking a look at his ideas was really eye opening.  After analyzing his opinions I think it shows that there is a definite imbalance between these two ideas and it makes me question how we would ever be able to attain any type of harmony.  Pennycook stated that he thinks that the ultimate effect of these two ideas is a fluid mixture of cultural heritage which I suppose is somewhat the step in the right direction.

Another idea I pulled from this week’s reading that was thought provoking was that English has been related to power even since the colonial times.  After thinking more deeply on this it makes complete sense but when I think of English as power I would relate it to current times because people around the world are learning the language since our country has become such a power figure.  When in reality, in colonial times our country was being taken over by the British power who spoke English so our primary thoughts were to correlate English with power because the settlers from Spain were over powered by their force.  The author later states, “knowing English is like possessing the fabled Aladdin’s lamp”, a very powerful statement which really sums up the viewpoint on the English language.

The chapter also mentions that there are economic, educational and mass media pressures or incentives to learning English which could all be very overwhelming to learners of the language.  I think that as teachers it is important to have all of these aspects in mind when instructing learners from other countries because along with the stresses of understanding a very complicated language, they also have all the pressures from these concepts that push them to want to have an understanding even more.  I know that when I was in Spain I felt almost overwhelmed with all of the slang and expressions that I was never taught but needed in order to effectively communicate with other peers my age that it made it stressful to learn a language that I thought I already had a good base on.

Through studies in my linguistics course we learned about how many languages that are found throughout the world and I really never understood just how many are out there until studying this subject more.  We also discussed how real it is about all of the languages that are disappearing which I think the widespread obsession of learning English definitely has impacted.  It saddens me to think of how many people are losing their native tongue but on the flip side it is also important that we are able to communicate worldwide so there is definitely a positive and negative side to this issue.

Week 10: Race, Language and identity; critical multiculturalism in TESOL

The “Becoming Black” article really caught my attention on a number of levels, within the first page the quote “where and how they saw themselves was reflected in the mirror of their society” made me want to keep reading because it can be applied to multiple races as well.  As I continued to read it was interesting to learn more about the African American vernacular, since I did not have very much previous knowledge prior to this article when the author explained the differences between BSE and BE or Black English.  He explained that BE or Black talk has its own grammar and syntax.  BSE on the other hand refers to ways of speaking that do not depend on a full mastery of the language.  I also got a good laugh about the section that they described the apparel that goes with the rap lifestyle that had such an impact on their language.  The styles have really changed since the article was written!

I had to agree with the question the author posed about the investment that Puerto Ricans would have in learning BSE.  I never got the impression that these individuals would have the need or want to learn this language but then again what gives me the right to question anyone’s desire to learn a language? They also mention in the article that rap was a very influential aspect of their language learning which could really be both negative and positive.  Rap worldwide has a variety of messages and purposes but I have hear a fair share of rap songs with extremely vulgar ideas and words and if people are using this as a reference point of how to talk to another person could display an image they may or may not mean to.  It could be positive as well though because music is an extraordinary form of education and if putting expressions to a tune helps students learn another language then I think it could be very beneficial.

 The quote used in the Ibrahim article “being is different from becoming” correlates to the ideas expressed in the Arab TESOL Students’ Experiences of Racialization and Othering in the United Kingdom because it expresses how the mindset should be before even meeting another person.  I understand the quote to mean the following: I think that a person defines themselves as their own individual with their own set of personal characteristics, thus being.  If someone “others” another individual they take their ideas towards a type of person so much that the individual becomes someone they may not even be anywhere near similar to. Understanding that every human being has their own set of characteristics ensures that they do not become someone they are not accidently in the onlooker’s eye.

Week 8: Cultural Representations

After reflecting on this week’s assigned readings, there are a number of ideas and perspectives that jumped out at me.  To start off with, I found it interesting that the article mentioned that the Dick and Jane images began around the time of World War 2 because I feel like these stereotypical images began much prior to this time period.  This thought made me reflect on where I had received these ideas since I was obviously not born during that time and I realized that any of my “knowledge” on these images really stemmed from images I picked up through movies and television.  When I think about hit television shows that have a main character that is defined through their being an English language learner, the only show that I could think of is “That 70’s Show”.  The character “Fez” is not only portrayed as dumb and perverted, but also he is the least liked character among the friends in the group.  In reality, this image being displayed doesn’t really surprise me yet it does make me feel guilty about the subliminal messages I have been receiving strictly from watching television since during a really critical time in my development.

A quote that was really influential in my reading was in Tayler-Mendes’ piece when he mentioned the necessity to raise awareness “about power inequality hidden behind taken for granted knowledge and transforming society so that the powerless become agents of changing their own world”.  I think this sentence was formed so beautifully because it really slaps you in the face and tells you that there is something that everyone can be doing to change the way stereotypes litter this earth.  Not only is it the “powerless” or minority groups that need to be reacting, its everyone that needs to start caring more about the images we portray.

Of course I have been blindly reading textbooks all of my life, but I have never taken a minute to reflect on the picture and how they are being received.  It almost sickens me to think that I have been so naïve as to not even realize that these images are being framed to display the stereotypical images that companies want us to believe at an early age. The article mentioned that body language, physical positioning and even clothing on certain racial groups broadcast the exact image that we receive in various ways throughout the media. I found it interesting that throughout their research they noticed that English as a foreign language learners had a very difficult time questioning these images when in reality it is their cultural groups who are being diminished by this unfortunate habit companies have with their advertisements. These topics are all very controversial so I think this week’s discussion will be very insightful since it is inevitable that everyone will have very different opinions and I look forward to hearing them in class.