Star Education Fair

Sunday June 17, 2007

Making English Asia's own

Stories by TAN SHIOW CHIN and TAN EE LOO

Photos by AZLINA ABDULLAH

A necessary skill, not an advantage – that is how some people perceive English today. The language is very much the lingua franca in Asia and essential to the region’s growth.

THE universality of the English language is such that those using the language should no longer be classified as native or non-native speakers.

Dr Matsuda’s talk on writing skills was a real hit with the participants, many of whom approached him later for more informatio

That seemed to be the prevalent feeling among participants of the 5th Asia TEFL International Conference 2007 held recently at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

As Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) director-general and keynote speaker Prof Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin said: “We have so many dialects and languages in Asia. To me, the lingua franca of our region is English.”

With more countries incorporating the English language into the national education system, it is only inevitable that the language is adapted to accommodate local culture and usage.

Mastery of the language no longer depends on whether one learnt it as a first language, or second, or even a third or fourth; thus, making distinctions like English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is irrelevant.

Indeed, University of Nottingham Modern English Language lecturer and plenary speaker at the conference Prof Ronald Carter suggested that all English language educators should instead adopt the term SUE – Successful User of English.

No longer an advantage

Chairman of the 6th Asia TEFL International Conference Prof Dr Suwarsih Madya finishing off with a flourish after beating the drum to symbolise the hosting of the conference in Bali next year.

In her keynote address entitled The Role of English in Empowering Asia's Growth, Prof Dr Mahani said that the future of Asia, which has 57% of the world's population, lies in its youth, who must master English to stay competitive.

“English can sharpen Asia's competitive edge. We are not the only countries aspiring to be economic powerhouses – there is Latin America and nations of the former Soviet Union.”

Asia must use English not only to acquire new skills and technology and to market products but also to create knowledge, she added.

The increasing globalisation of English was highlighted by British linguist and English Next author David Graddol in his session entitled How Global English Is Changing the World.

Graddol pointed out that more and more Asian nations have introduced the compulsory teaching of English earlier in the schooling system.

“Many EFL countries are thinking of becoming bilingual or even adopting English as a co-official language,” he said, adding that these countries looked towards nations like Singapore, Finland and the Netherlands as role models rather than native English-speaking countries.

“English has become somewhat like Microsoft Windows – a common operating platform that is widely used, occasionally frustrating and probably not as well-loved as when it first started out.”

PROF LIU: What is needed are culturally sensitive concepts of communication.

With the increasing pervasiveness of English language use around the world, the language will soon lose its competitive edge, becoming instead a basic necessity rather than an extra skill, added Graddol.

Communication is key

As a result of the many different groups learning English, the question of communicative competency among non-native speakers inevitably arises.

University of Arizona lecturer Prof Dr Liu Jun suggested that educators should reassess the way they conceptualise communicative competence in English language teaching.

“Linguistic competency is not enough to achieve communicative competency.

“What is needed are culturally sensitive concepts of communication,” he said, during his talk entitled Reconceptualising Communicative Competence in English Language Education.

He gave an example where a Chinese student asked an English professor how much he earned. While the question was framed in perfect English, it was considered as being too personal a question by the professor, resulting in an imperfect communication process.

This is a typical case of being “linguistically correct but socially incorrect”, said Prof Liu.

Another skill that could benefit from being presented in a more real-world setting is writing.

Although it is generally considered the most difficult to master among the four language skills, Arizona State University’s Assoc Prof Dr Paul Kei Matsuda felt that writing assignments offer many benefits to English language learners.

“Writing tasks may be time- consuming but feedback can be sourced from the writer's own self, his peers, tutors and the intended readers.

“It is in this context that students can learn their mistakes.”

Dr Matsuda argued that writing assignments are considered difficult because they are often presented as isolated texts, with the teacher as the primary audience.

Conference participants checking out the English language materials at the first Malaysian International Language Exhibition.

They should be presented in a realistic manner, he said during his session on Putting It All Together: A Situated Approach to EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Writing Instruction.

Many differences

Prof Carter's talk drew peals of laughter from the audience when he pointed out grammatical errors made by public figures like Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

He also gave the audience a list of the top 40 most frequently used words in spoken English during his plenary on Spoken Grammars, Written Grammars: From Corpus to Classroom.

“It still surprises me, that the word 'yeah' is much more frequently used than the word 'yes',” he said, adding that people often said “yeah”, not as a speaker but as a listener.

»There was something for educators from all levels, from kindergarten teachers to university researchers« ASSOC PROF DR MALACHI EDWIN VETHAMANI

Other frequently used words include “know” and “so”.

“The word 'so' signals a topic switch and when a person says 'right', it means bringing something to a conclusion,” he explained.

His presentation also examined the differences and distinctions between spoken and written grammar.

Other plenary speakers at the conference were Prof Datuk Dr Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid, Prof Joseph Lo Bianco and Prof Dr Gunther Kress.

Prof Ibrahim, the director for the Unesco Regional Centre for Educational Planning, spoke on The Paradoxes of Language Empowerment, while Prof Lo Bianco gave a presentation entitled Is English Special?

Prof Ibrahim examined the acquisition of language from the perspective of 10 individuals, while Prof Lo Bianco, who holds the Chair of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Melbourne, argued that the English language is special because of the imbedded presence of English identity and culture.

Meanwhile, Prof Kress, the head of Culture, Communications & Societies at the London Institute of Education, University of London, spoke on The Place of English in a Multimodal Perspective on Global Communication.

He explored the role and function of language in view of the increasing use of modes other than language in texts.

Timely conference

The regional conference, which attracted some 1,400 presenters and participants from 38 countries, was officially opened by Education director-general Datuk Dr Ahamad Sipon.

Themed Empowering Asia: New Paradigms in English Language Education, the conference was jointly organised by the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Melta) and Asia TEFL.

In his speech, Dr Ahamad commended Melta for bringing the conference to Malaysia.

“It is appropriate that a conference of this level is held in Malaysia, where there is a strong emphasis on the teaching of English,” he said.

Melta received many compliments regarding how smoothly the event went.

Said Melta president and conference chairman Assoc Prof Dr Malachi Edwin Vethamani: “A lot of people commented that the topics covered were very diverse.

“There was something for educators from all levels, from kindergarten teachers to university researchers.

“The plenary sessions gave them a vision of what's ahead for the English language, while the talks provided them with the practical aspects of teaching.”

The only grouse participants had was that some presenters did not turn up for their sessions, resulting in cancellations without prior notice.

In conjunction with the conference, Melta and Expomal International Sdn Bhd also co-organised the first Malaysian International Language Exhibition (MILE), which showcased English language material and resources.

The conference, held from June 8 to 10, was organised in collaboration with Yayasan Budi Penyayang, and with the support of the ministries of Education, Higher Education and Tourism.

The main sponsors were Sasbadi Sdn Bhd and the British Council. The Star was the official media sponsor for the conference.

The next Asia TEFL conference, themed Globalising Asia: The Role of ELT, will be held in Bali, Indonesia, from Aug 8 to 10 next year.

Education

Sunday June 17, 2007

Making English Asia's own

Stories by TAN SHIOW CHIN and TAN EE LOO

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