How important are native speakers of English?

How important are native speakers of English?

Rachel Davies, Sydney, Australia

There is considerable evidence now that learning English is a
significant business in Indonesia. Across Jakarta numerous
language schools offer their services and their number only seems
to increase with time.

In Indonesian primary and high schools too the extent of
English learning and use is increasingly being seen (rightly or
wrongly) as a determinant of quality and educational
progressiveness. It is easy to surmise, then, that learning
English is important and this is appropriate, as the learning of
the current international language is logically important.

But closer inspection of these numerous schools offering
English will reveal another typical feature which is often used
to attract potential students and thus market the school. This is
the often-heralded promotion of the provision of native speakers
of the language. And it does seem that this is an attraction for
many.

Again, there is some logic to this conclusion -- it is, after
all, reasonable to suppose that learning from people whose first
language is the language you are aiming for will help. However,
where schools do offer native speakers it is worth exercising
some caution to determine quite what the student will be getting
from such an offer.

It is not sufficient to assume that a native speaker is
necessarily going to be a good or helpful instructor or be able
to help the learner learn and overcome their mistakes.

One director of studies at a language school spoke recently
about his aim to have all of his teachers be native speakers
because, as he put it, "they are the best examples for the
students, so they can learn right." But this statement is
questionable on at least two levels.

First, an all native speaker teaching staff may not be able to
accommodate beginners very well and secondly, it is possible to
observe that native speakers may in fact not always be the best
of examples and may even, indeed, be amongst the worst examples
of the language.

It has to be realized that some students will come to study
with little or no prior knowledge of the language. In these
instances it is reasonable and far less time consuming to have
the teacher help them by using the first language (i.e. Bahasa
Indonesian) to begin their appreciation and knowledge of the
second language.

Even if some native speakers of English do possess some
knowledge of Bahasa Indonesian they will not have the same
learning experiences and exposure as the students. In these kinds
of instances a local teacher of English is quite likely to prove
more successful and efficient. Therefore it could be concluded
that in these circumstances a local teacher would be better than
a native speaker.

This, regrettably, could also be the case when we consider the
teacher as an example or model for the students. One of the
primary reasons for favoring native speakers over local teachers
would be that they give a real example of how the language is
used. In particular they provide a listening and speaking example
that permits the students to gain exposure to how the language is
pronounced, in reality as it were. It is an observable and sad
fact, though, that sometimes native speakers do not provide the
best of examples for pronunciation purposes.

Take this example of a person working in a language school in
Jakarta. Born and raised in London, this person would be
described as a native speaker and therefore be expected to
provide a good model of the language. However, a problem exists
because this person speaks English of a very distinct dialect.

A dialect from London which, with London being the capital of
England and that being the birthplace of English, one might
assume to be appropriate. But the problem arises because this
dialect is unfamiliar. It is a local dialect that has its own
grammar, pronunciation and even own vocabulary that can make it
difficult for people to understand, if not unintelligible.

Any example or model that does not provide reasonably
understandable input has to be considered as bad, even though it
may be current and real usage where the speaker comes from. This
is not to say that this speaker's dialect is unworthy or wrong,
but where learners are concerned clarity and accuracy are
important aspects of the language that should be being attained
through exposure to a native speaker.

The native speaker should be extending and improving the
students not, potentially, perplexing and confusing them. Just as
students of English recognize the need for grammar to guide
language usage, they should also recognize that there may be
certain rules or ways to follow in pronunciation that are
important.

A failure to appreciate pronunciation could have serious
consequences, as pronunciation can have a very distinct influence
over the message conveyed. Bad pronunciation can render
communications ineffective.

Native speakers can have a vital role in providing a model of
the language for students but dialects should be avoided as they
may confuse and will not conform to any accepted norm of
international English. Where dialects are used colloquialisms and
idiomatic expressions can cloud meaning and even accents can
prove challenging.

One student of English signed up to study with one Jakarta-
based franchise school on the promise of native speakers. He
found that an Australian teacher met his hopes and expectations
but also found that his study time included an Indian teacher.
This presented a problem because even though the Indian possessed
a full knowledge of the language, his accent obstructed and made
learning more difficult.

Though there may be some justification for exposure to a
variety of accents and even dialects, it has to be remembered
that certain standards should really be targeted for learners.
This means that native speakers should, for the most part,
conform to a standard and intelligible model of the language. If
this kind of criteria is not met then the value of native
speakers could be drawn into doubt and it could even be proposed
that local teachers would be more efficient and so better.

The writer (rachdavies@hotmail.com) is Education Consultant.