Post #14

            The last chapter in the book by McKay acts as an overall summary of the entire book. It discusses how L2 classrooms are affected by many of the topics that have been discussed in the earlier chapters (multilingualism, linguistic variation, standards, etc.). One of the first ideas that are discussed is that English is usually used for very specific purposes: “to access and contribute to the vast amount of information available in English, to assess the economic, political, and social benefits that come with English language proficiency” (181).  In my opinion, this stated purpose does not seem very specific to me, but instead seems to include a wide variety of things. Since English is seen as an international language, an international way of communication for business purposes, etc., there is no clear or specific use of the language but rather, many beneficial reasons and uses. What I have learned about the most and been the most surprised about during the course of this class, is the idea of just how huge the use of English is. Before reading these two books and all of the other separate articles, I never knew just how much the use of English has been steadily growing and how it continues to grow. The documentary that we watched last week in class said that in the future years to come, it is expected that there will be more non-native English speakers than there are native English speakers. This statement surprised me and made me think how difficult it is to imagine this idea actually occurring. I wonder how much it would affect all of us native English Speakers.

            The final chapter also, overall, discusses other topics that were introduced in previous chapters such as the idea of World Englishes, and how these types of English need to be seen as their own language. It is also important that English pedagogy “encourages the awareness of the variation that exists in English today” (183). One topic that was interesting to me was the questioning of the roles that culture should play in the teaching of English. This is something else that I never thought of before, which is funny since I have always thought about the importance of teaching students about the Spanish culture, but never about teaching our culture (Western culture). One problem that I see is that the “English culture” includes many different parts and variations, just like the language itself. The Spanish culture varies as well; depending on the country and dialect you are talking about, but there are many more variations of English that there are Spanish and are therefore more variations of the culture. I do still think that it is incredibly important for students who are learning English to learn about the culture as well. Knowing how to speak the language and all of the grammar rules will only get you so far. Since English is the language most commonly used for business purposes, it is important that non-native English speakers also learn the social part of the English culture, knowing what is appropriate and what isn’t since each culture differs. Suzuki wrote an entire book that argued how the English language and Western culture should be separate, but I obviously disagree. But, on the other hand, I think that it is important for people who are learning English as a second language to not put the English language itself, or the Western culture up on a pedestal. A common theme that I have noticed in many of the articles and chapters we have read over the semester is that people seem to think that learning English will give them many benefits, and it will, but only to a certain extent. It is important that non-native English speakers see the learning of English as a choice and not as something that they have to do, even if it may seem that way.