When using an authentic audio or video it is important to use only ‘native speakers’.
Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons.
If I recall the numbers correctly, I think somewhere around 1/4 of the world's population speak English and most of them (us) are NOT native speakers of the language. Was it Crystal who said that most of the interactions in the English language today take place among non-native speakers (90%? my memory is failing me and I cannot find that source). English as a lingua franca belongs to the world, not only to native English speaking countries. This is the reason why people worldwide influence the language and modify it / adapt it (mostly the vocabulary) - language is a living organism after all - and are often more relaxed about its rules and accuracy, focusing mostly on getting the message across. I'm not saying that this tendency should become our norm, but I am saying that we should not deny the existence of these developments. Of course, native speakers should provide the model / point of reference, but real-life contexts will not consist of native speakers only.
And a link for you: youtube.com - David Crystal - Is control of English shifting away from British and American native speakers?
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you wrote. Our students will hopefully travel the world and they will need to be able to understand different accents and different ways of speaking the language. If we expose them only to one accent then we would only be doing part of our job. We need to open their minds and their ears:-)
ReplyDelete"Of course native speakers should provide the model / point of reference" <-- I agree with everything you wrote except this. I don't think this is necessary anymore. Why should there be a model that's unattainable? I think it's perfectly acceptable and probably preferable to have models or points of reference that are highly proficient English users who share the students' first language.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with everything you wrote, Margarita!
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