The Future of English does not belong to Native Speakers

Lanzhou Jiao Tong University Lanzhou ZhiChun Zhou

It is 2010 and it is a fact that life in the contemporary world brings almost everyone into contact with people of other languages and cultures.As Lustig and Koester put it,‘the twenty-first century is upon us,and competence in intercultural communication is and absolute necessity’(Lustig&Koester.J).Thus English,once as a language freely absorbed words from elsewhere and diffused its vocabulary and syntax far and wide,has so far been widely regarded as the world’s major lingua franca and as an international Ianguage.‘With its [English’s]unrivaled dominance in commerce and science,diplomacy and warfare,information and entertainment,it is closer to being a global language than anything the globe has yet known’(Mark Abley 79).Yet,as English is increasingly used by people with different level of proficiency and diverse cultural and linguistic background,questions are brought up like‘Whose language is English?To whom does it belong?Does the future of it belong to native speakers?Or can it belong to anyone who uses it?’Given this,the essay will discuss the classification and the present status of English,based on which I shall analysis the raised question‘to whom does the future of English belong?’when it serves respectively as a Iingua franca and an international language.The essay will also explore how English functions in diverse cultural settings and different contexts in order to give an answer,as fairs as possible,to the question.

Twenty-four years ago Kachru proposed the classification of English in terms of three circles.This‘three circles’model captured the global situation of English in the following way:

1.The Inner Circle refers to the traditional cultural and Iinguistic bases of English.

2.The outer Circle represents the institutionalized non-native varieties (ESL)in the regions that have passed through extended periods of colonization.

3.The Expanding Circle includes the regions where the performance varieties of the Ianguage are used essentially in EFL contexts.

(Kachru 366-7)

Countries in the Inner Circle comprises the old English using counties,where English is the first or dominant language,such as the USA and the UK.The outer Circle includes countries where English plays wide and important roles in education,governance,literary creativity,and popular culture,such as India,Bangladesh,Philippines,etc.Countries listed as being in the Expanding Circle are those in which English is widely studied for various purposes,like China,Korea,Japan and Egypt.

Some say‘ the three concentric circles’model helps us notice that the spread of English has resulted in the development of many ‘English’s’,such as African English,Asian English,and European English:‘ … English now has multicultural identities’(Kachru 357),while there are many others talk about the Iimitations of the model,arguing that the demarcation Iines between the circles are obscure.‘The distinction between‘second Ianguage’and‘foreign language’use has less contemporary relevance than it formerly had’ (Crystal 56).The two different observa－tions indicate that English can serve both as a lingua franca and an international language.

English as a Lingua Franca

When English is justified as having the multicultural identities in terms of‘ three circles’model,it then will be described as a Iingua franca,serving as identity marker.English,in this role,does not only belong to the ‘Inner Circle’,in which the people,in a narrow sense,are known as ‘native speakers’,but people from the ‘Outer Circle’‘ and the‘Expanding Circle’as well,who are widely known as‘non-native speakers’.They can adapt English as they please and as is expedient and appropriate to contexts in their culture.

‘The linguistic creativity of the users in these diverse cultural settings has resulted in the development of a variety of linguistic resources that serve as markers of social as well as linguistic identity’(Bolton 57).In these contexts,English is not merely a means of imitating English or American culture,but also a medium for expressing culturally and socially unique ideas，feelings,and identities to people in the world.The English Spoken by the non-native speakers is‘purely local——the wellspring of local culture and a sense of identity’(Kingsley Bolton&Bruthiaux.p,Kachru World Englishes:critical concepts in Iinguistics 187).With these qualities,we can easily distinguish an African English speaker from an Asian English speaker or a European English speaker.In 1985,Kachru and Smith gave a new name to the English spoken by people respectively from the‘three circles’:‘World Englishes’.They explained that it was‘World Englishes’that embodies‘a new idea,a new credo’,for which the plural ‘Englishes’was significant:

‘Englishes’symbolizes the functional and formal variation in the Ianguage,and its international acculturation,for example,in west Africa,In Southern Africa,in East Africa,in South Asia,in Southeast Asia,in the West Indies,in the Philippines,and in the traditional English-using countries:the USA,the UK,Australia,Canada,and New Zealand.The language now is belongs to those who use it as their first Ianguage,and to those who use it as an additional language,whether in its standard form or in its localized forms.(Kachru&Smith 210)

English as an International Language

‘The term EIL(English as an International Language)has been used in a wide variety of different scholars to discuss the status of the English Language in the globalizes,postmodern era’(Rani Rubby&Mario Saraceni 151).I shall make it Clear here that English as a Iingua franca is different from English as an international language.The former puts emphasis on‘the process of cross-cultural comprehensibility between learners as a communicative goal in itself’,maintaining‘cultural identities’,‘not being subject to the forces of standardization’but‘exhibits features of variation‘(Peter K.W.Tan,Vincent B.Y.Ooi and Andy K.L.Chiang 86),whereas the latter is‘one needed for communication in the world community in the fields of science,technology,or business and commerce’(Bolton&Kachru 48),which lays emphasis on notions of accuracy and standards.When English is used as an international language,the demarcation lines between the circles in Kachru’s model are obscure.The concepts of‘nativeness,and non-nativeness’have become questionable(Bruthiaux 13).English now is used as a communication tool for specific purposes such as developing science and technology or promoting commerce among countries;its special registers now serve the users of them.In such situation,the traditional concepts of‘culture’longer play a crucial role in communication.The notion of‘culture’becomes modified to suit the context of us.By understanding and tolerant of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds,common ground has been created;common interests have been met with the use of EIL.As Bolton and Kachru put it,‘This sharing of language is seen as contributing to a sense of unity and cohesiveness,qualities considered so essential to a sense of collective well-being.’(Bolton&Kachru 49）

Yes,It is undeniable that under the present international climate,‘the English language sets to play an ever important role in world communication,international business,and social and cultural affairs’(Burns&Coffin 26),and there is little doubt that‘there are people and institutions who see the spread of English as being both commercially and politically extremely important for their own interests’(Kirkpatrick 36).Therefore,we have seen that with the use of EIL,both native-speaking countries and non-native speaking countries are benefit.

The above analyses tell us that no matter how the English language is used,whether being used as a lingua franca or as an international language,the tendency of English development,viz the future of English is not in control of the‘Inner Circle’alone.

World spread of English has become a matter of profit(Widdowson 135).Pennycook remarks:‘The spread of English,if dealt with critically,may offer chances for cultural renewal and exchange around the world’(Pennycook 325).Gimenez makes the point that‘the value of knowing English lies not only in the ability to access material things,but also in the possibility it offers for creating acceptance of,and respect for,the world’s diversity’(Gimenez 297).Llurda maintains that native-speakers of English will need to learn the conventions of EIL in order to communicate successfully with the larger community of English language speakers(Llurda 320).

The three authors’words enlighten me that the future of English belongs to the speakers who engage in using English not only to express their own cultures and ideas,but also absorb and understand the different insights and perspectives and cultures of others;the future of English belongs to those who would like to know more about the world in order to communicate successfully with the larger community of English Ianguage speakers;the future of English belongs to English speakers all over the world who understand the significance and consequences of the current spread of English and make efforts to internationalize themselves.

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