Abstract
The linguistic and cultural legacies of British colonization include, among other things, the emergence of several varieties of English shaped by the social, ecological, cultural, historical, political and linguistic realities of the different places where the language was introduced. In postcolonial settings, the growth of new nations was inextricably bound with identity construction in the use of English, both as a symbol of independence from the colonial power and a marker of identity from other varieties of English. Looking at English language teaching and testing, however, that quest for identity is easily silenced; there is still a strong dominance of the standard language ideology, with British and American varieties providing norms for teachers all over the world. This paper investigates major controversies surrounding TESOL practice and highlights the dilemma faced by the non-native English teacher in the process of choosing a variety of English for the language classroom. Taking Cameroon as case study, the paper shows that it is not plausible to teach only one variety of English in that country, be it British, American or Cameroon English. While English multi-dialectalism in Cameroon requires exposing learners to many varieties of English, teachers can reach that goal by taking advantage of the linguistic creativity found in literary texts.
Highlights
The ownership of the English language has aroused a great controversy in TESOL practice for the last twenty years
This paper investigates major controversies surrounding TESOL practice and highlights the dilemma faced by the non-native English teacher in the process of choosing a variety of English for the language classroom
Caught in the swirl of these conflicting tendencies, the Cameroon English language teacher faces a difficult dilemma: what variety of English should be taught to Cameroonian students? Is it Cameroon English—which exhibits some differences in vocabulary, syntax, discourse and pronunciation from British English— or SBE? This paper revisits some of the major controversies in the domain of English language teaching, describes the dilemma that grips the English teacher in Cameroon and suggests a teaching approach that takes into account both needs of maintaining intelligibility with native speakers and asserting a Cameroon English identity which reflects the ecological, linguistic and sociocultural realities of the Cameroonian context
Summary
The ownership of the English language has aroused a great controversy in TESOL practice for the last twenty years. Non-native scholars and supporters of the World Englishes framework (Kachru, 1986; Modiano, 2001; Canagarajah, 2005) believe that a language that has become so widespread and which has undergone profound transformations in each region or country where it is used, ceases to be the sole property of its native speakers, and this multiple identity should be reflected in pedagogy. Caught in the swirl of these conflicting tendencies, the Cameroon English language teacher faces a difficult dilemma: what variety of English should be taught to Cameroonian students? This paper revisits some of the major controversies in the domain of English language teaching, describes the dilemma that grips the English teacher in Cameroon and suggests a teaching approach that takes into account both needs of maintaining intelligibility with native speakers and asserting a Cameroon English identity which reflects the ecological, linguistic and sociocultural realities of the Cameroonian context Caught in the swirl of these conflicting tendencies, the Cameroon English language teacher faces a difficult dilemma: what variety of English should be taught to Cameroonian students? Is it Cameroon English—which exhibits some differences in vocabulary, syntax, discourse and pronunciation from British English— or SBE? This paper revisits some of the major controversies in the domain of English language teaching, describes the dilemma that grips the English teacher in Cameroon and suggests a teaching approach that takes into account both needs of maintaining intelligibility with native speakers and asserting a Cameroon English identity which reflects the ecological, linguistic and sociocultural realities of the Cameroonian context
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