If ever a powerful punch were needed to knock home the importance of the English language, then the recent statement by French President Nicolas Sarkozy certainly delivered it with a heavyweight force. His proposal that French children should start learning the language of Shakespeare from the age of three shocked many a French person, not least the Academie Française, which in 1994 was instrumental in passing a law suppressing Franglais.
English is increasingly becoming a global language, with an ever growing amount of people striving to become more familiar with the language, whether for academic aims, business, career progression, travel, social interaction or for personal growth and development. Malta has long recognised this trend, and there are now about 40 EFL (English as a foreign language) schools that attract around 80,000 students in a good year. Besides the school fees, one has to collate other course contents – travel, accommodation, catering and entertainment – which make up a significant economic impact.
The market is enormous and competitive. About 400 million people round the world speak English as a first language, and another 1.4 billion harness it as a second language. It is the language of entertainment, news, media, music and pop culture, science and technology. More than half the web pages on the internet are in English.
These are just a few of the juicy information pillars that prop up a very comprehensive exhibition entitled Evolving English – One Language, Many Voices, on at the British Library in London until April 3. It traces the birth of the English language more than 1,600 years ago with the arrival of Germanic tribes in southeast England; its spread round the world as a result of trade, conquest, migration and the media; and its present fluid state.
Differentiating between formal and informal language, the exhibition highlights elements which have contributed to this ever-continuing change. The media and the internet social network are among the prime movers. Hot on their heels is text messaging, where conventions have started to emerge, indicating a standardised yet flexible form of language. In his “Txt Commndmnts”, Norman Silver lays down that the first is “U shall luv ur mobil with all ur hart”, with the 10th declaring that “U shall nt consult a ninglish dictnry”. Whether one likes it or not, this is what is happening out there in the English language world.
The exhibition also pays homage to the evolvement of the language in various parts of Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas, where new varieties of English have been created over time, contributing to a colourful rainbow. People find new words, develop local meanings for existing words, introduce new pronunciation and grammar, which sometimes find their way back to the mainstream language.
What is being done locally to keep up with this ever-changing English language? What does one teach?
Professional platforms, standards and content are diligently monitored by Feltom, the national body for EFL schools. EFL teachers look up to MATEFL, the organisation that nurtures its members by a varied continuing professional development programme. The recently-set-up Malta branch of the English Speaking Union is also being proactive in promoting the language.
At the end of the day, every teacher has to have a personal commitment and responsibility to keep abreast of what is going on in the EFL field. While concentrating on the student individual needs, one should keep an open mind, eyes wide open and ears to the ground, to detect and analyse innovations for possible discussion or inclusion in the lesson plan in order to provide a better teaching package.