lobianco world language education
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World Language Education, Bilingualism and Worldmindedness
National Chinese Language Conference Joseph Lo Bianco
Chicago April-May 2009
New Themes in EU LPs
• Social Cohesion
• Global English
• Recession
• Mobility (communicative mthd, CLIL, portability of certifications)
• Rise of Asia
• >>>ILT and CLIL and emphasis on culture
Dealing with Difference
– INEVITABLE (fertility-development-migration-elite mobility-tourism-market place of competence, education as trade, trans-nationalism);
– INCREASING (homelands and diasporas, hybridity, new citizenship, virtual & actual, horizontal, kids-to-kids);
– SPREADING (multiple direction flows…);
– PERSPECTIVAL (aesthetic, political, intellectual & moral).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Can FL education produce cultural competence for World Kids in
New Times? Does what we teach about TL culture extend beyond admiration of the TL culture? How do ES countries
perform? What distinctive role can Chinese play?
English and Bilingualism in Today’s World
“2 billion people – 1/3 of human race –learning English by 2010-2015.”
“…. a tidal wave of English” and “… as many as 3
billion people or 1/2 world’s population could be learning/speaking the language“ around 2050
David Graddol, 2006, English Next. London: The British Council
First Foreign Language 1850-2005
English, French, German, Russian and Spanish15 primary & 12 secondary curricula 1850-1874 to151 primary & 154 secondary curricula 1990-2005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Cha and Ham, (2008), Impact of English on School Curriculum, 313-328 Spolsky &
Hult, Handbook of Educational Linguistics. Blackwell.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“World Events” and “Rising World Society” Takdir Alisjahbana
First Foreign Language
% GERMAN % FRENCH % ENGLISH1850-1874 50.0 33.3 8.31875-1899 44.4 38.9 5.61990-1919 24.3 45.9 27.01920-1944 14.8 35.2 33.31945-1969 00.0 28.1 59.4 +
RUSSIAN1970-1989 00.0 17.0 67.4 +
RUSSIAN
1990-2005
ENGLISH67.5% primary in 151 countries
81.2% secondary in 154 countries.
FRENCH 13.2% primary in 151 countries
13.6% secondary in 154 countries~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~German 0.7% & 0.6% respectively; Russian 3.3% & 3.2% respectively;
Spanish absent.
ASIA since 2000
ENGLISH is the first foreign language in 100% secondary curricula & vast majority of primary curricula; explosion of
‘enculturation’ modes for English learning: e.g. Korean “English Villages”; Shanghai Curriculum and Materials
Reform (Education Commission, 1999)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2005, major moves in Universities across Asia to make English LOI
(Davison & Bruce, 2009)
The China English Identity Project
• i) Roundtable: Peking U. comparative approaches to culture & identity in language learning, October 05;
• ii) Special Issue Journal: Chinese Sociolinguistics, December 05;• iii) Roundtable: 5th International Conference of Chinese
Sociolinguistics, Beijing, December 06;• iv) Symposium: English: Language and Identity in China at 5th
International Congress of China English Language Education Association & 1st Congress of Chinese Applied Linguistics Association, May 07;
• v) Volume: China & English: Globalisation & Dilemmas of Identity (Lo Bianco, Orton & Gao, 2009)
Ti Yong
Chinese learning for moral principles (essence); Western learning for practical application (utility)
[ 中学为体,西学为用 Zhong xue wei ti, Xi xue wei yong]
Zhang Zhidong, 1898
“the haunting issue of the cultural identity dilemma”
essentialist ti ~~~~ utilitarian yong ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“For the Chinese…ti-yong dilemma…recurrent themes of a clash between ti, and ambivalent attitudes toward English…deeply rooted
in history…. Current and future generations of Chinese language policy makers, educators, and learners are destined to struggle for
creative solutions to this persistent identity dilemma.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gao,Y-H (2009), Sociocultural Contexts and English in China, Retaining and Reforming the Cultural Habitus
In Lo Bianco, Orton and Gao, China and English, Globalisation and Dilemmas of Identity, Multilingual Matters, forthcoming.
Bilingualism in ES Countries
~ INDIGENOUS ~(typically isolated communities under stress and LS extinction pressure)
~ IMMIGRANTS ~(typically urban communities under assimilative LS pressure)
~ INDIVIDUALS~(professionals, enthusiasts, oddballs, elites, i.e. a personal attribute)
The Barcelona Declaration
“Proficiency in several Community Languages has become a precondition if citizens of the European Union are to benefit from the occupational and personal opportunities open to
them in the border-free single market. This language proficiency must be backed up by the ability to adapt to
working and living environments characterised by different cultures”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Euro-Mediterranean Partnerships, Basis for Development
European Commission 1995: 67.
Who is Bilingual?
States↑ bilingualism for small near large
↑ bilingualism in NES over ES
Societies ↑ bilingualism if lack unilingual modernity ideology, e.g. India
Individuals and Groups↑ bilingualism with occupation rewards;
↑core value; struggling against repression
Who Is Bilingual In Europe?
Socio-demographic category % bilingual
Students 77%Educated up to 20+ 72%Managers 69%Aged 15-24 65%Employees 57%Aged 25-39 55%Self-employed 50%Men 47%Average for EU 15 45%
Who Is Bilingual In Europe?
Socio-demographic category % bilingual
Average for EU 15 45%Educated to age 16-19 44%Aged 40-54 43%Women 43%Manual Workers 41%Unemployed 40%House persons 31%Aged 55+ 28%Retired 26%
Australia’s Languages
INDIGENOUS250 languages; 600 speech forms, dialect continuum, oral
literacy > language deathSETTLER
British English + Irish + Australian context = Australian EnglishIMMIGRANT
19th century, Immigration Restriction Act 1901, 1946 Immigration Recruitment > 160 languages > language shift
Research in EU 2L Teaching
Council of Europe and European Union~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Byram, Durham University, EnglandKaren Risager, Roskilde University, Denmark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Language & Culture: Global Flows & Local Complexity (2006) &
Language & Culture Pedagogy: National to Transnational Paradigm (2007)
Post 1990 Culture in EU 2L Teaching
Approaches~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Foreign-Cultural Single culture, single foreign country, defined territory. Isolates target
from learner. Teaches admiration of foreign.Inter-Cultural
Contrasts target & learners’ culture.Multi-Cultural
Imparts common knowledge for all with recognition of differences.Trans-Cultural
Stresses that cultures penetrate each other, are not discrete, single entities in bounded nation states. Migration, tourism, Internet.
How culture is taught in European 2L programsForeign-Cultural
Losing ground since 1980s…but still common
Inter-CulturalGaining ground…but often misunderstood
Multi-Cultural Current approach in multi-ethnic societies…but often ‘unsystematic’
Trans-CulturalFuture ground in many societies due to globalisation…aspirational
Limits of culture approaches in 2L teaching...
Traditional approaches to culture in 2L teaching often teach un-critical admiration only;
Inter-cultural approaches often only contrasttarget and learner cultures and look for similarities
and dissimilarities;
Multicultural approaches often emphasise maintenance of differences.
...instead worldmindednessProposes an approach to identity & culture which recognises:
i) cultures penetrate each other, ii) are not discrete, iii) not confined to bounded nation states; iv) acknowledges role of good will, v) accepts global functions of English without assuming it is permanent, natural
or ‘better’…
also aims beyond self and other, learner and target, to what is generally true, accepts hybrid realities of migration, tourism, economic
globalisation and digital identities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
¿Does Chinese have a unique role a mass 2L in inculcating worldmindedness,
language awareness & intercultural knowledge?
culture in language and communication practices
Culture Specificnotice differences – interpret as specific, historical, regional particularities-
contextualise and naturalise the different-self awareness~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Culture Generalgeneralise beyond self and other > meta-language -accept inevitability- learn how-
to-learn about culture in communication- identify ideology and naturalisation.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WorldmindednessLooks to see what can be extended from culture specific 2L to culture general to
world-minded disposition, English, Chinese and Spanish play a crucial role because language is deepest manifestation, and most shared, notion of
culture
Thank you!
谢谢!