the connections between authenticity and native-speakerism: students’ reactions to international...

The connections between authenticity and native-speakerism: Students’ reactions to international

English varieties

CELC Symposium, Singapore26th May 201611:40-12:10Seminar Room 1

Richard Pinner

Overview

What I did• Authenticity and Native-speakerism

Results• Of the study

Implications• Reactions to international speakers

No time for Definitions

• Please see Pinner, 2016; Lowe & Pinner, 2016• We have all experienced Native-speakerism,

either as prejudice or privilege.

Lowe, R., & Pinner, R. (2016). Finding the Connections Between Native-speakerism and Authenticity. Applied Linguistics Review, 7(1), 27-52. doi: 10.1515/applirev-2016-0002

This Study

Frankenstein

• Data comes from a classroom activity• Activity was not designed for research/data

collection• Data comes from several collection points

with different groups (teachers and students) in Japan

What did I do?• Taught Global English and World

Englishes• Empower the students (and teachers)

with ownership of the English Language

• Stress the importance of celebrating the varieties of English

What did I do?

• After learning about Global English watched videos of people from around the world speaking English

• Participants rate the speakers in these videos out of 10 for ‘authenticity’– Authenticity is purposefully left undefined

• Participants write a comment to explain their choice

Name Nationality Average St. Dev.

Ban Ki-moon Korean 4.40 3.00

14th Dalai Lama China (Tibet) 4.74 1.81

Edwin Thumboo Singaporean 5.54 2.83

Shinzo Abe Japanese 5.75 1.33

Dynamo British (Northern) 6.30 1.65

Naomi Watts British/Australian 7.88 2.45

Arnold Schwarzenegger Austrian 8.51 1.49

Barack Obama North American 8.65 2.83

Queen Elizabeth II British (RP) 9.07 1.48

N= 41

Korean

Japanese

China (Tibet)

Singaporean

British (Northern)

British/Australian

North American

Austrian

British (RP)

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00

Nationality

Overall average 4.40 (lowest)(4) “He’s Korean” [Chinese student](8) “His English is formal and like native speakers!”(2) “He is not good at speaking English natively.”(4) “He speaks English fluently. But he doesn't make eye contact with people. Because his speech isn't persuasive.”(5) “I don't think he is poor at speaking English. However, he is a Korean.”(5) “The way he pronounced "L" and "R" / "B" and "V" seemed almost the same, so it sounded unnatural.”

Overall average 4.74

• (4) “ He makes eye contact with people and he try to convey his thought to people. But his way of talking is a fool.”

• (5) “His English is easy for me.”• (10) “He is top of Japanese”• (4) “He made too many pauses

between phrases, so it sounded quite awkward.”

Overall average 5.54

• (3) “Chinglish” [Chinese student]• (3) “He is a suspicious-looking

person.”• (1) “I don't like him. I think he

isn't a gentleman.”• (7) “I feel his English is not good.

His English is similar to mine.”

Overall average 5.75

• (5) “I can understand his English fully. His English is easy to hear for Japanese, but I think it's not authentic.”

• (3) “I think his English isn't the same as native English”

• (8) “His English is similar to Native Speaker's, but different a bit.”

• (9) “I can understand his speech easier than [Ban Ki Moon]”

Overall average 8.65

• (10) “I love Arnold Schwarzenegger and He is native English speaker.”

• (9) “He is native and it is easy to hear.”

• (10) “He is a native speaker.”• (9) “He is very nice guy”• (8) “The speed and rhythm of his

English was closer to native speakers but I sometimes felt his "ur" sound and "or" sound unnatural.”

Overall average 9.07 (highest)• (8) “I want like Queen Elizabeth II. I want to go to England

someday.”• (10) “Hers is royal.• (10) “Se [sic] is more 'authentic' because she must speak

collect [sic] English.”• (10) “She is queen”• (10) “She is the queen”• (10) “She's a Queen”• (10) “Because It is official British movie”• (9) “Her native language is English, and her end of a word

is not clear”• (5) “Because she spoke dispassionately, so I felt it is

difficult to understand what she wanted to say.”

E L 2 E L 1

6.20

9.00

Average EL1 or EL2

Non-linuistic63%

Linguistic38%

Authenticity Judgement

Non-linuistic Linguistic

TEACHER GROUPS

British American Indian Singpore Korean Geordie

9.39.7

6.46.0

7.0

5.2

6.67.1 7.2

6.6

5.6

3.5

Japanese English Teacher's Ratings2015 Avg 2014 Avg

Self-discrimination

Reves, T., & Medgyes, P. (1994). The non-native English speaking EFL/ESL teacher's self-image: An international survey. System, 22(3), 353-367.

Conditioning through Market Forces

Holliday, A. (2005). The struggle to teach English as an international language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Authenticity

Pinner, R. S. (2014). The authenticity continuum: Towards a definition incorporating international voices. English Today, 30(4), 22-27.

Pinner, R. S. (2016). Reconceptualising

Authenticity for English as a Global Language. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

05/02/2023 26

Summary

• You can download the slides and additional resources atwww.uniliterate.com

• Please email me!rpinner@sophia.ac.jp

05/02/2023 27

Thanks for your attention!

Pinner, R. S. (2014). The authenticity continuum: Towards a definition incorporating international voices. English Today, 30(4), 22-27.

Pinner, R. S. (2016). Reconceptualising Authenticity for English as a Global Language. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Lowe, R., & Pinner, R. (2016). Finding the Connections Between Native-speakerism and Authenticity. Applied Linguistics Review, 7(1), 27-52. doi: 10.1515/applirev-2016-0002