World Englishes implications for ELT in Philippine Public

World Englishes implications for ELT in Philippine Public Schools Isabel Pefianco Martin Ateneo de Manila University [email protected] edu Linguistic Society of the Philippines www. lsphil. org

Introduction • English language proficiency and the ‘teacher factor’ • ELT in Philippine public schools • Perceptions about the English language • World Englishes (WE) teaching framework ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Philippine ELT 92% of Filipino students are enrolled in public elementary schools (as of AY 200809) private school enrolment public school enrolment ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Philippine ELT 79% of Filipino students are enrolled in public high schools (as of AY 2008 -09) private school enrolment public school enrolment ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Philippine ELT Proportion of private school to public school teachers (as of AY 2008 -09) § 1: 7 in the elementary level § 1: 3 in the high school level ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Philippine ELT NAT Elementary School Results School Year SY 2003 -04 SY 2004 -05 SY 2005 -06 SY 2006 -07 SY 2007 -08 English 49. 92 59. 15 54. 05 60. 78 61. 62 ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Philippine ELT NAT High School Results School Year SY 2003 -04 SY 2004 -05 SY 2005 -06 SY 2006 -07 SY 2007 -08 English 50. 08 51. 30 47. 73 51. 78 53. 46 ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Philippine ELT • • • deteriorating mastery of English the ‘teacher factor’ teacher competence? beliefs about the English language? the study: 185 public school teachers throughout the country ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

English you teach? 0. 6 0. 5 0. 4 0. 3 0. 2 0. 1 0 American English British English Philippine English just English ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English (PE)? • • • All my pupils are Filipinos Because my pupils are Filipinos All pupils are Filipinos Because we are Filipinos As a Filipino, it is essential To introduce stories based on the Philippine setting PE as rooted in Filipino culture and identity ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • Whatever is in the Philippine Curriculum and based on the Basic Education Curriculum, I just follow the competencies to be taught • Based on the textbook provided by the Dep. Ed • Objectives are specified in the RBEC • I teach Philippine English provided it is found in the scope and sequence of the subjects I handle • The books are from Philippine authors ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • Because we're using books mostly by Filipino authors • We use textbooks by Filipino authors • The textbooks and other references used are Philippine made • Philippine English is suited to our educational setting PE as prescribed by official policy and practice ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • Philippine English is free from slang and words are pronounced more clearly • My students can only understand Philippine English • They sound clear to Filipino students • English (that is) most commonly used in the Philippines • It can be easily understood ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • The usual way Filipino students understand my delivery of English • It is commonly used as medium of instruction. Students are used to it, and it could be easily understood by the pupils. It is not slang. • Philippine English is easy to understand I will start from where I am • It’s the first English learned • It is easily understood by the pupils ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • I am used to Philippine English rather than any other English • Philippine English because that is easy to teach to my pupils PE as familiar and accessible ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • Because it is what the pupils can relate to and understand (Taglish) • English with matching Filipino or Taglish and sometimes English, Filipino and vernacular • Teaching them with the vernacular language PE as Taglish (Tagalog-English) ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • I teach them Philippine English, but I try to introduce to them American English, the grammar and accent. • I’m correcting student pronunciation and informing them about errors in Filipinism. • As a Filipino teacher, of course my English is Philippine English, but as an English teacher, I am trying to use and introduce American and British English to my students so that they will be aware of English often used in our country. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • I don't only teach Philippine English but also American as well as British English. PE as inferior to inner circle (native speaker) varieties ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Target language? 0. 5 0. 4 0. 35 0. 3 0. 25 0. 2 0. 15 0. 1 0. 05 0 American English British English Philippine just English ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English (AE)? • They [Filipino students] have to learn first the basics. • Knowing American English can avoid arguments and debates about the correct spelling and pronunciation. • The pronunciation of some words is conventional. • An approximately correct English— understandable and acceptable internationally ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English (AE)? • Since it is the most accepted English. • It’s the ideal, the standard in terms of language usage. • So that pupils will become more eloquent, smart in talking, and can communicate the language not only in speaking but in writing as well. AE as the only acceptable standard of correctness ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English? • You could use American movies as patterns for [teaching] speaking skills. • It’s widely used in communicative learning. • American English is applicable nationwide. • It is a global language. • American English is the universal language. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English? • American English is the standard international language. • American English is universally accepted. AE as widely used in various domains ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English? • Because the expressions used are familiar to us having being under the American regime/way of education. • Because the Americans were the first to teach English to the Filipinos. AE as part of Philippine history ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English? • [It is] easier for us to speak and apply [for a job abroad]. • It’s clearer, more widely used and a lot of Filipinos go to the USA to work. • This is preferred by companies with networks abroad. • For wherever [my students] may go, they will be able to survive. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why American English? • So we can cope up [in communicating] with other countries. • To make the children more globally competitive. AE as providing access to economic opportunities ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English (PE)? • • My pupils are all Filipinos We are Filipinos Because my pupils are Filipinos Because I'm dealing with Filipino pupils PE as rooted in Filipino culture and identity ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • Because textbooks use the Philippine English language • Textbooks use the Philippine English language as a medium of instruction • Textbooks and manuals use the Philippine English language PE as prescribed by official policy and practice ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • It is because, Filipino pupils could easily understand the way we use the English language here in the Philippines. • Students should learn English commonly used in the Philippines • Philippine English is their second language. • Philippine English, because the words used are American and some are British, but sometimes our pronunciation and diction are Filipino. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Why Philippine English? • Pupils easily relate to it • To speak in a conversational way, not so slang PE as familiar and accessible. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Beliefs do not match realities Beliefs • PE is the English spoken in the Philippines • PE is more familiar, less formal, more conversational and more accessible • PE is prescribed by the Dep. Ed Realities • PE is a variety with its own features • PE is used widely, but by the educated class • PE is not identified in any official document ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

American English as superior • the only acceptable standard of correctness • provides access to jobs Model Dependency Myth (Kachru, 1995) • exocentric models of inner circle varieties are standard models that must be promoted ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

English changing Bautista’s (2000) grammatical features of PE: 1. Liquidity problems of rural banks on a massive scale is [are] being experienced for the first time. 2. * [A] Majority of the public school teachers do not want to serve as poll officials in the May elections. 3. This results to [in] a better quality of life. 4. But it was only in 1510 that a more authentic epidemic has been [was] described. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

English changing Bolton and Butler’s (2008) “localized vocabularies of English usage” in Philippine dailies: …Politicians are found guilty of economic plunder (‘large-scale embezzlement of public funds’) or challenged by the press in ambush interviews (‘surprise interviews’); corrupt cops are accused of coddling criminals (‘treating leniently’), or mulcting (‘extorting money from’) motorists. . . ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

English changing Bolton and Butler’s (2008) “localized vocabularies of English usage” in Philippine dailies: …Hapless citizens borrow money from fivesix money lenders (‘borrowing at high rates of interest, ’ i. e. borrowing five thousand returning six…). Meanwhile, motorists stuck in traffic get high blood (‘enraged’) in frustration, and the affairs of various topnotchers (‘high achievers’) fill the gossip columns. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

English changing From the Anvil-Macquarie Dictionary of PE for HS (2000): • academician noun Philippine English a teacher in a college, university, or institution of higher education. NOTE This word is from the French acadèmicien. • bedspacer noun Philippine English someone who stays in a dormitory or shared room of a board house but does not take meals there. • dirty kitchen noun Philippine English a kitchen for everyday use or use by maids, as opposed to a kitchen used for show or by the owner of the house. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Implications for ELT • Lack of awareness about the existence of a PE variety • Canagarajah (2006): “. . . multilingual users of the language will be about 30 million more than the ‘native’ speakers by 2050. ” • “This changing demography of English has profound implications for language norms. At its most shocking, this gives the audacity for multilingual speakers of English to challenge the traditional language norms and standards of the ‘native speaker’ communities. ” ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Implications for ELT • How does one approach student errors? • What becomes of assessment? Lowenberg (1993) 1. His proposal met with a lot of resistances. (ETS, 1980: 27) 2. The new equipments shipped from Hong Kong will be the only items on sale this week. (ETS, 1980: 28) ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Implications for ELT Davidson (2006) Imagine that you want to take a few days off from work to attend a family event, such as an important wedding. You explain to your boss that you need to attend the event, and then you say: 1. Please, may I have a few days? 2. I beg you, I may take a few days? 3. Hey, ya, my man—I can have a few days? 4. My friend, can I have a few days? ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Implications for ELT Which word is closest in meaning to the word underlined in the sentence? He should be back to work shortly. a. now b. soon c. quickly d. tomorrow ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Implications for ELT Identify the error in the following sentence. Mrs. Lantin would inspect her collection A B of jewelry everyday. C D ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Implications for ELT • strategies for ensuring test quality and fairness must be employed • a World Englishes approach in the teaching and learning of the language ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Canagarajah (2006) Not WE WE Developing mastery of a Striving for competence single “target language” in a repertoire of codes and discourses Joining a speech community Shuttling between communities in contextually relevant ways ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Canagarajah (2006) Not WE WE Focusing on correctness Approaching “error” as the learner’s active negotiation and exploration of choices and possibilities Teaching grammatical rules in a normative and abstract way Teaching communicative strategies (creative ways to negotiate norms in diverse contexts) ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

Conclusion • Certain beliefs about the English language may hamper the successful teaching and learning of the language. • The surfacing of teachers’ beliefs about English presents an opportunity to develop a more realistic framework for ELT in the Philippines—a World Englishes framework that offers an alternative, real-life response to the challenges of teaching a changing language. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

References 1. Anvil-Macquarie Dictionary of Philippine English for High Schools. (2000) Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc. 2. Bautista, Maria Lourdes. (2000) The grammatical features of educated Philippine English. In Parangal Cang Brother Andrew: Festschrift for Andrew Gonzalez on his sixtieth birthday. Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines, pp. 146 -158. 3. Bolton, Kingsley and Butler, Susan. (2004) Dictionaries and the stratification of vocabulary: towards a new lexicography for Philippine English. World Englishes, 23 (1), pp. 91 -112. 4. Canagarajah, A. Suresh (2006) The Place of World Englishes in Composition: Pluralization Continued. The CCC Online 57 (4), 588 -619. 5. Davidson, Fred. (2006) World Englishes and test construction. In The handbook of World Englishes. Edited by Braj B. Kachru, Yamuna Kachru, and Cecil L. Nelson. UK: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 710 -717. 6. Kachru, Braj B. (1997) World Englishes and English-using communities. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 17. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 66 -87. 7. Kachru, Braj B. (2006) World Englishes and culture wars. In The handbook of World Englishes. Edited by Braj B. Kachru, Yamuna Kachru, and Cecil L. Nelson. UK: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 446 -471. 8. Lowenberg, Peter. (1993) Issues of validity in tests of English as a world language: whose standards? World Englishes, 12 (1), pp. 95 -106. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

World Englishes implications for ELT in Philippine Public Schools Isabel Pefianco Martin Ateneo de Manila University [email protected] edu Linguistic Society of the Philippines www. lsphil. org ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES