http://www.demos.co.uk/projects/englishinthedevelopingworld/ en-us Copyright 2008 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:50:50 -0100 Latest items from English in the Developing World on http://www.demos.co.uk/ - the thinktank for everyday democracy Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:50:50 -0100 http://www.demos.co.uk/items/10110 http://www.demos.co.uk/items/10110 This article in the Jamaica Gleaner makes some interesting points about the relationship between learning English, national identity and professional development.

In relation to national identity, the author makes the point that authors like Chinua Achebe in Africa and Jamaican authors have been able to use the English language to tell African and Jamaican stories to wider audiences, giving them a glimpse of African heritage and life. 

The author also uses what he calls a 'radiator test' to illustrate that being able to use English in the workign cotext doesn't necessarily combine with wider skills in English:

'...next time you go to the mechanic, conduct what I call 'the radiator test'. Carry pen and paper and, after your car is serviced, ask a young mechanic if he would write out a sentence for you.   Present the mechanic with a short sentence such as 'The radiator needs to be fixed.' Ask him to write this out as neatly as possible. Some may do it well. But here are some of the most likely errors. The sentence is begun with a common 't'. The full stop is omitted. The 's' is left off 'needs' and the 'ed' is left off 'fixed'. The 'be' may be left out entirely - and why not? - it is indeed somewhat redundant. There are major problems in spelling 'radiator' correctly'.]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:54:33 -0100 samuel[dot]jones@demos[dot]co[dot]uk ( Sam Jones ) http://www.demos.co.uk/items/9495 http://www.demos.co.uk/items/9495
This article by Prof. Issa Mcholo Omarimakes the case for English suggesting that 'some arguments reflect naivety and absolute levels of absurdity while some have at least either some logic or evidence. Some, on the other hand, reflect purely vested interest, or the holier than though tendencies of those committed to the cultural romanticism argument, which says; "We are not fully independent and culturally free if we do not use our national language".  But this is an antiquated argument of the 1960s and 1970s'.

Prof. Omarimakes arguments run against the currents of some debates that are currently going on in relation to the English langauge in development.  As our work here progresses, we'll investigate both sides of this argument.]]> Wed, 16 May 2007 09:42:26 -0100 samuel[dot]jones@demos[dot]co[dot]uk ( Sam Jones ) http://www.demos.co.uk/items/9457 http://www.demos.co.uk/items/9457 an article on CCTV (China Central Television) about children in Shanghai learning English as young as six months old. 

"When my kid sees a table, he will say "table" instead of its Chinese name. Sometimes he will combine the Chinese with English, " said one parent.

Harking back to As You Like It, that makes for interesting reading in relation to the development of different Englishes, although this of course depends entirely upon further education. 

A further quote from the article raises one of the main debates about the teaching of English, one that we will be looking at in this work.  'Early education experts', reads the article, 'say children just begin talking at six months of age, and are not yet speaking their mother tongue well. They say infant's words and sounds are just mimicking grown-ups, which may lead to confusion for bilingual study.  The two language systems will cause confusion in the child's brain. Because when they speak, they'll find it hard to choose one language over another in order to communicate, " says Prof. Zhang Minghong of Dept. of Preschool Education, East China Normal University.

This pushes towards the problem outlined by, among others, Eddie Williams, which is the difference between teaching English as a Second language or as a 'medium of instruction'.  The problem outlined by Prof. Zhang is one of switching or selection, but it relates to another issue which is that, as you learn a language which is not that spoken at home, or in the streets and playgrounds, then it is hard enough, without having to grapple with new concepts in general as well as new words and grammar.
]]> Fri, 11 May 2007 10:10:06 -0100 samuel[dot]jones@demos[dot]co[dot]uk ( Sam Jones )