Page 261 - Beyond Methods

Ensuring social relevance 249
issued guidelines allowing the use of Standard English only. It de- fined Standard English as “grammatically correct and pronounced in the correct way,” and local English as “grammatically correct but spoken in a recognizably Singaporean accent” (see Wendy Bokhorst- Heng, 1998, p. 305). Bokhorst-Heng goes on to remark that the as- sumption “was that what is ‘correct’ pronunciation is British Re- ceived Pronunciation.” She also finds the SBC definitions “rather curious” because “Singlish is not spoken by only those with a ‘poor command of English.’ ” It is spoken by highly educated Singaporeans as well.
Singlish “is part of the search for a Singaporean identity,” said David Wong, Chair of the Speak Good English Movement (Asso- ciated Press, August 26, 2001). The Speak Good English Movement is a Singapore government initiative to encourage the use of proper English. The Associated Press also reported that Singapore’s Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong warned that Singapore could lose out if vital foreign investors and multinational company executives face a variety of English that they don’t understand. The persistent use of Singlish, even by highly educated Singaporeans, in spite of official discouragement, indicates the dynamic nature and the communica- tive potential of varieties of English that are not considered presti- gious.
To sum up this section, standardization is essentially a political act over which teachers may not have any direct control. They may have to deal with students who come to class with a home language and home culture that are different from the ones they will encounter in the classroom. The least teachers can do is to recognize the rich linguistic and cultural heritage the learners bring with them and use them as resources to build bridges between what is known and what is new.
Reflective task 11.3
Pause here briefly to consider, either individually or with a peer partner, dif- ferent ways in which L2 teachers can link learners’ home language/culture with target language/culture. What opportunities and limitations do you an- ticipate here?