“Instead of being limited by the old view of authentic English being entombed in a particular canon of literature, we now need to study English and how it works in film, music and other cultural forms, and across cultures,” he said.
Professor of Language
in Education in the Faculty of
Education, Alastair Pennycook
The growth of English in the elementary school curriculum in China and many other Asian countries has major cultural, educational and political implications, according to Professor Alastair Pennycook.
Alastair Pennycook, who is Professor of Language in Education in the Faculty of Education, says the spread of English in the region is closely linked to globalisation, the spread of computer technology and other cultural and economic processes.
“These have led to changes in local economies and patterns of living, language usage and the death of many languages. English language exams are sorting people out around the world to get into business, to get promotion or to immigrate – it’s like a global gatekeeper,” Professor Pennycook said.
“Now that English is taught in elementary schools around Asia, there are huge implications for education, culture and language,” he said.
After taking an Arts degree in French and German, Professor Pennycook taught English as a second language for many years in Germany, Japan, China, Canada and Hong Kong. This experience sparked his interest in the impact of English on other languages and cultures.
Since little had been written about the many issues arising from the spread of English, while studying for a PhD in Canada he developed a critically-applied linguistic view of the globalisation of English. His thesis was the basis of his book published in 1994, The cultural politics of English as an international language.
“I wanted to develop an understanding of English in the political context of colonialist and post-colonialist relations to explain how English operates, and to map different ways of understanding its spread,” Professor Pennycook said.
“There’s a conservative celebratory view that says the spread of English is inherently
good, while a more liberal view suggests that it’s good to have an international language while maintaining other languages.
“A more critical view holds that it’s a form of linguistic imperialism, which homogenises the world and destroys other languages and culture. Yet another position argues that the world is becoming more diversified and that English is dividing into separate World Englishes.
“World English is actually many varieties of English that have been indigenised in different parts of the world. Singapore English, Indian English and Hong Kong English are different types of English with their own rules, norms and literature.
“Instead of being limited by the old view of authentic English being entombed in a particular canon of literature, we now need to study English and how it works in film, music and other cultural forms, and across cultures,” he said.
Professor Pennycook’s interest is focused on developments in Asia including Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. When English takes root in various countries, he says there are mixed outcomes, and Singapore is a particularly interesting case in point. Founded as a British trading post in 1819, Singapore later became a colony, and in 1965 an independent nation.
The majority of the Singaporean population are ethnic Chinese, while 15 per cent are Malaysians and six per cent are Indians. Since 1965 the official languages have been Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil and English.
“One of the complications arising out of the Government’s language policy is that there has been a shift from east-coast Chinese languages such as
Hokkien to Mandarin and English,” Professor Pennycook said.
“Few of the younger generations in Singapore still speak languages such as Hokkien and consequently many young English-speaking Singaporeans cannot communicate with their Hokkien-speaking grandparents.
“In the meantime Singaporean English, which is known as Singlish, has been so indigenised that there are fears it cannot be understood by other English-speaking people. Consequently the Government is discouraging its use and encouraging its people to use standard international English,” he said.
In his latest research Professor Pennycook looks at rap music in Southeast Asia and Australia, and particularly at how new forms of identity are articulated in English and other languages across different ethnic, linguistic and cultural boundaries.
By: By Suzanne McInerney
24 April 2003
http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/postgraduate/news-events/news-detail.cfm?ItemId=6477