English Language Power and Variation

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Variety of English between NS and NNS students
Challenges faced by NNSs
Attitude about English
Language Association with Power
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Language is an important tool in our everyday interaction with other people. There are thousands of languages used all over the world and English has emerged as the most widely used language. While in the past a person did not have to master languages outside his native one, the 21^st century has been characterized by interaction of people from various regions of the world. This has led to the emergence of many English Second Learners (ESL) students who study in universities outside of their native countries.

These students face a number of unique challenges in the class setting since they are non-native speakers (NNSs). The English used by native speakers (NS) and international students in the class setting differs considerably. This paper will address this issue and discuss how language can be both an empowering and disempowering factor for the non-native speaker. The attitude of NNSs towards English will also be discussed.

Variety of English between NS and NNS students

There are significant differences exhibited in English usage by the NS and NNS students. To begin with, NS have a tendency to use short sentences when speaking.

This shortened form of the sentences is mostly a derivation from the Standard English. This form of English leads to some words being omitted and is preferred since it is fast and interesting. Non-Native speakers on the other hand are mostly inclined to speak in whole sentences which may become boring and lead to lose of concentration by the listener especially if they are NS (Reid, 1987).

Accent which refers to the manner in which words are pronounced is another aspect which differs between the English used by NS and NNS. For non native speakers, their accent is heavily influenced by their native language or their cultural background (Braine, 2010). In the class setting, having a non native accent may prove to be a disadvantage to the student. This is because speaking to a NS using the non-native variation of English which is mostly ungrammatical in nature proves to be a major distraction. This greatly impedes on the communication efforts of the student in class

Non native speakers have to take into consideration the culture of the Native speakers. Bayyurt (2006) asserts that language and culture are interrelated and therefore, the learner should consider “target language culture” even as they use the language. The non-native speaker needs to first learn the standard “text-book” English before they can try learning native-speaker variations.

This presents a complication since the native variation is often complex for the non-native student. For this reason, Edwards and Ran (2006) suggest that international students should not be treated in the same manner as native speakers.

Challenges faced by NNSs

Culture plays a huge role in the life of a person and many NNS come from cultures that vary from those of the English speaking nations. Reid (1987) reveals that since learners exhibit unique learning styles that are determined by their culture, the international students may use up most of their time making attempts to properly adjust to their new learning situations.

These places the NNSs at a disadvantage since their NS counterparts are already well adjusted to the learning environment and can use most of their time and effort engaging in learning.

The NNS student exhibits a higher level of difficulty in learning the class material and this may result in high frustration for the student. Reid (1987) states that this may lead to failure which may not necessary be caused by the material being hard. Edwards and Ran (2006) recommend that different assessment metrics should be developed for the NS and NNS students since using a universal standard gives the NS an edge over their non native counterparts.

At the university level, emphasis is placed on group work and lecturers expect some work to be done collectively by the students. Research findings by Reid (1987) indicated that most ESL students showed a negative preference for group learning. The NNSs therefore suffer in a group setting since they are not able properly interact with the NS students and make contributions to the group process.

Edwards and Ran (2006) reveal that many non native speaker students are forced to rely on NS who include tutors, friends and those providing commercial services to help increase their proficiency in the language.

NNSs have to invest more effort in their class work than the NS since they may lack familiarity with the language. Timmis (2002, p.247) asserts that non-native speakers “need to go the extra mile to speak correctly” and not simply be content with learning how to use English correctly. This advice is especially significant in the class setting where interaction with other students plays a major role in a student’s overall performance.

Attitude about English

All NNS students appreciate the fact that English is the mostly commonly used foreign language and proficiency in it is desirable. From this realization, most students are motivated to succeed in the language since they see it as having a bearing in their future success. There is a significant correlation between a person’s attitude to the language and their achievements in the language. This positive attitude results in most NNSs putting in a lot of effort to gain proficiency in the language (Cottrell, 2003).

Some non-native speakers do not see the value of learning to speak English like the natives. For them, the important thing is to learn how to use the language in a formal setting. This is especially the case for students who come from countries such as Japan, China and Turkey, where English is used for instrumental purposes such as international communication and it has little to no official status (Devrim & Bayyurt, 2010).

This attitude is backed by Devrim and Bayyurt (2010) who assert that English no longer belongs solely to the traditionally English speaking countries like England, the US, Canada, and Australia; therefore, these countries cannot be used as the only reference for learners of English when they are using the language for communicative purposes.

NNSs sometimes face an attitudinal problem from the NS who consider their English as superior. VIllalobos (2010) states that the people who speak English as their native language have some distinctive advantage over those who speak it as a foreign tongue.

This is because of the attitudinal problem that leads to English as a second or third language being considered to English as someone’s first language. Matsuda (2001) goes on to illustrate that the very term “non-native English speaker” is considered negative by language professionals since it is a marked and marginal term compared to the dominant term “native”.

Some NNS students view the NS variation of English as the superior form of the language. These students strive to achieve authenticity in their communication. Authenticity is the usage of language in a “real life” manner which means taking into consideration the cultural influences that are at play (Furnham, 1997). Many teachers insist that for students to gain the most, they should be exposed to language that is authentic and culturally relevant.

Language Association with Power

Being a NNS implies that the person can speak in at least one other language apart from English. This is an empowering thing since being multilingual increases the career prospective of a person. Research by Timmis (2002) demonstrated that native-speaker competence was potentially empowering for the non-native speaker. This is because the non-native speaker had the choice to sound like a native speaker or not at will with various social implications.

English helps international students realize their carrier objectives and for the students, the long term outcome of language learning is native-like competence. Bayyurt (2006) states that such NNSs view English as means to an end. For this class of students, gaining proficiency in formal English increases the future career options for the person especially in their native countries.

Proficiency in English may have some negative effects on the Native speakers. Native speaker competence can result in mistrust being developed towards the speaker. Timmis (2002) reveals that for a non-native speaker who acquired full native-speaker competence, people may regard him/her with suspicion.

Conclusion

This paper set out to highlight the variety of English between native speakers and non native speaker students in universities. It has been observed that these two groups exhibit some differences in the English used and this may place the NNS at some disadvantage.

It has been noted that in the class stetting, it is advantageous for the international student to learn the native spoken grammar which is of great importance when interacting with native speakers. From this paper, it is clear that there are many challenges that the NNS student faces in the class setting. If these challenges are effectively overcome, the international student can reap the benefits and empowerment that comes with learning English.

References

Bayyurt, Y. (2006). Non-native English language teacher’s perspective on culture in EFL classrooms. Teacher Development, 10(2), 233-247.

Braine, G. (2010). NNS English teacher and accents. Watesol NNEST Caucus Annual Review, 1: 15-19.

Cottrell, S. (2003). The Study Skills Handbook. NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Devrim, Y.D. & Bayyurt, Y. (2010). Students Understandings and Preferences of the Role and Place of Culture in English Language Teaching: A Focus in an EFL context. TESOL Journal, Vol. 2, pp. 4-23

Edwards, V. & Ran, A. (2006). Meeting the needs of Chinese students in British Higher Education. The University Of Reading Bulmershe Court

Furnham A (1997). The experience of being an overseas student, In D. McNamara & R. Harris (eds), Overseas Students in Higher Education. London: Routledge, pp. 13-29

Matsuda, P.K. (2001). My credo as an NNES professional. NNEST Newsletter, 3(1), 4.

Reid, J. M. (1987). The Learning Style Preferences of ESL Students. TESOL quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 1, March 1987.

Timmis, I. (2002). Native-speaker norms and International English: a classroom view. ELT Journal, Vol. 56(3).

VIllalobos, N. (2010). Insights towards Native and Non-native ELT Educators. Bellaterra Journal of Teaching & Learning Language & Literature, Vol. 4(1), 56-79.

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