Practical 1 - linguistic imperialism

12. Phillipson says that that faith seems to reflect a belief that if English has served as the dominant language in certain parts of the globe, it merits global marketing, despite all the evidence globally that linguistic and cultural diversity is a source of richness, of uniqueness, of distinctiveness, and that feelings about language rights run high from Wales to New South Wales. If the world moves towards a pattern of global diglossia, with English as the language of the haves (including elites in South countries), while the have-nots and never-to-haves are Realities and Myths of Linguistic Imperialism confined to other languages, this would represent one of the most sinister consequences of globalisation, McDonaldisation and linguistic imperialism.

13. The consequences for foreign language education are that ELT experts have no in-depth knowledge of of the culture and language that the learners bring with them to the classroom and the learning operation. ELT is regarded as superfluous in dominant second language learning paradigms both in the home market in the North and in its export variant. This ethnocentricity and anglocentricity, the belief that our culture and language is universally relevant, is what is patronising in language aid

14. After reading Phillipson’s book, Clinton Robinson proposes the following aspects to be taken into account:

 • Formulating and articulating multilingual strategies for education, communication, and every sector of social life,

 • More closely defining that the real need for English is in specific contexts,

• Making wider linguistic choices viable and available.

15. Canagarajah believes that English teachers should not follow the pedagogies and textbooks imposed by the center because they do not show the reality of the students’ contexts; on the contrary they should use pedagogies influenced by students’ own indigenous social and educational traditions.