Democratizing English as an international language

Bibliographic Data

ID2268643
AuthorsMarc Gerard Deneire, Marc Deneire (0000-0003-3893-3028, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, corresponding author)
Year1993
Volume12
Issue2
Pages169-178
Publication date1993-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Englishes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0883-2919 • E-ISSN: 1467-971X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-971x.1993.tb00019.x
OpenAlexW2015817330
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited10

The aim of this paper is threefold. The first section shows how the political uses of language engendered by both Western-style liberalism on the one hand and various forms of nationalism on the other lead to the negation of democratic ideals. Because of the current international situation, political aspects of language are receiving more and more attention. Second and Third World countries regularly accuse the United States and other First World countries of linguistic imperialism. In the former, national languages have become a weapon against the external imposition of a 'new world order'. The second section focuses on intellectuals and education and their role in the reproduction of these systems. Language specialists and teachers typically function as instruments of dominant ideologies; their nearly exclusive focus on linguistic and developmental issues tends to obscure the broader sociopolitical context underlying their theories. The third section suggests ways in which EIL could function as a democratic language through the development of a transglossic function for English and through the democratization of education. Only as learners participate in the educational process, and, following Gramsci, are elevated to the status of intellectuals capable of making their own decisions, will we arrive at a democratic model of EIL

Comprehension approach · Context (archaeology · Democracy · Democratization · Ideology · Language education · Language policy · Linguistics · Nationalism · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Sociology of language · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · History · Law · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching

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