Comments on: Free language choice?

By: HYUNCHAN KIM

HYUNCHAN KIM — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 01:11:00 +0000

n my country (Korea), until a few years ago, when I was looking for a job, most of the companies did not accept the applicants who do not have the score of TOEIC Test (The English proficiency test was predominant in Korean society). I could not even imagine applying the company without score of TOEIC Test. From a TED talk, the lecturer said English is an “Opportunity” in a single word and it is a reality that cannot be denied practically in non-English speaking countries. English is an “opportunity,” but I also agree that there was no other choice at the time.

By: YUYANG SHE

YUYANG SHE — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 00:34:00 +0000

The situation about English learning in my country is similar to yours. As I could recall, English has been a compulsory subject at school and lots of parents send their children for extra training English class so that they could learn English well. It was and still is a huge misunderstanding that speaking fluent English raises the good opportunities of being hired. Moreover, Chinese people focus much more on the accent and pronunciation of the English language than the content it should be. They think good pronunciation equals good English, and good English ensures good job. To put it another way, people still believe the choice of learning English offers much more choices in future.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 07:37:00 +0000

When I was in high school, the purpose of learning English was merely to pass the entrance exam. As I moved to the university, I was required to read a lot of authentic materials as a part of assignments and at the same time I got addicted to skincare and makeup which were absolutely in a lack of information in my home country. Constant exposure to English in different settings made me aware of the importance of learning English in current context. I was able to access to authentic sources, get up-to-date with contemporary events in the world and witness different viewpoint of people from different countries without language barrier. Thus even though I do not have many options to choose, I am happy with it.

By: 000

000 — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 00:48:00 +0000

The first line of this article is so relatable! “Pretty much everyone I know wants to learn English or improve their English”, has been in the back of my mind for a while now. All the people I know who are non-native speakers, but highly proficient in English, were all forced to learn English, whether it was by their parents or the education system. Their motivation to learn was mostly to pass exams or to have access to better employment opportunities. I heard one story in a country I shall not name, where the older generation would get fired if they could not reach certain levels of proficiency in English and thus, get replaced by a younger person who probably received a bilingual education from a young age.

Globalisation means that the world is gaining more opportunities than ever before, but it also means that the older generation, or those who are not lucky enough to have access to certain resources like education, miss out on this.

Just like the Cambodians mentioned in the article, everyone wants to learn English to have chance to participate in the global economy.

By: Sun

Sun — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:02:46 +0000

This relates to my research questions. I think we know that we cannot be native speakers but we can be non-native speakers who have English proficiency. As the ASEAN Community issue coming, Thai English teachers have to improve themselves because they have no choice to deny that English is the language which the Community percepts as a lingua franca. So, English is like a passport for getting in a good job and opportunity for people in ASEAN. I also want to know how this issue really effect to our country, how does the government demand for improving our skills. This may be similar to other countries which are in ASEAN Community as well.

By: Khan

Khan — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:42:41 +0000

‘ little cogs serving the advancement of corporate imperialism’. Very reflective stance on our own practices.I have my own experieneces of good people of west and the transnational aid agencies out everywhere to address wider socio-economic inequality through even distribution of linguistic resources!.
During my fieldwork in a school at Pakistan-Afghan boarder, a respondent said, ‘ I can not understand my civil court proceedings. I can not understand my doctor’s advice. I can not read the medicine leaflet of my medicine which I am supposed to use because they are all in English’. He asked me whether these practices are logical.
I agree that demands are createda and things are often pretty structured.
Thanks for such an enlightening post.
Best wishes
Khan

By: Dariush Izadi

Dariush Izadi — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:53:06 +0000

Dear Ingrid
Thanks for the excellent post.
It seems like learning English is the best ‘choice’ even a lot better than becoming literate in one’s own language! How amazing!

By: Zaki

Zaki — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 05:58:06 +0000

Nice post 🙂

best regard from me…

Is there any else reason beside “choice” ?