Linguistic Imperialism

PRACTICE II, DIDACTICS OF ELT. Giovanna Moggia

Realities and Myths of Linguistic Imperialism by Robert Phillipson

1) - According to Phillipson where does imperialism linger now that colonialism is over?

Now that colonialism is over, imperialism remains in a general cultural sphere and also in specific political, ideological, economic and social practices.

2) -What is his definition of linguistic imperialism? What does it involve?

Phillipson’s definition about linguistic imperialism states that this is a theoretical construct, devised to account for linguistic hierarchisation, to address issues of why some languages come to be used more and others less, what structures and ideologies facilitate such processes and the role of language professionals.

3) - What does he mean by “the hidden past of ELT” that his book brings into focus?

In his book he does not want to escape from history of English Language Teaching, so he attempts to bring into sharper focus the hidden past of ELT worldwide, its aetiology and also its archaeology.

4) - Who would the concepts language spread/language death relate to?

Thanks to globalisation, English is spreading around the world. Moreover, by the end of the twentieth century, English become a lingua franca, that is to say a language used widely for communication between people who do not share the same first language. Furthermore, the spreading of some languages like English around the world causes the death of other languages. As a consequence, the death of a language causes the death of a culture too.

5) - How does it work relate to human right laws?

Another source of his inspiration is human rights law which decrees that discrimination on the basis of such features as race, gender and language is morally unjustifiable and that states, have a duty to ensure the rights of smaller languages and native languages. But there are some languages, like English, which have more prestige than others and also, a variety of a same language has more reputation than the others too, like RP.

6) - How does linguicism work?

Linguicism studies attempt to put the sociology of language and education into a form which furthers scrutiny of how language contributes to unequal access to societal power and how linguistic hierarchies operate are legitimated.


7) - Where does linguistic imperialism take place?

Linguistic imperialism takes place within an overarching structure of irregular North/South relations, where language connects with other dimensions, like cultural, economic and political.

8) - Who determine language policies in post-colonial days?

In post- colonial days the persons who determined language policies were ‘experts’ from the North and elites in the South.

9) - How does linguicism affect pedagogic practices?

Linguicism can be public or secret, conscious or unconscious, and it reflects dominant attitudes, values and hegemonic beliefs about what purposes particular languages should serve, or about the value of certain pedagogic practices. Educational language policy choices may be conflated and distorted into being a choice between educations through the medium of language, as opposed to bilingual education.

10) - What is the purpose of this article by Phillipson?

His book primarily concentrated on English, and specifically on applied linguistics and educational aid. The purpose of Phillipson is to show that the ensuing educational aid reflects the linguicist belief that only European languages are suited to the task of developing economies and minds, in underdeveloped countries like Africa, and also it demonstrates that on basic education in eastern African countries barely refers to local language. So, he shows that developed countries have power over the weaker ones.

11) - What is his argument to prove that language plays an essential role in North- South relations?

His argument refers that if a language had not been considered as a vital North-South link, the governments of North and South countries would never have invested so excessively into it over the past years.

Currently, English is expanding in Europe in hegemonic ways, as a result of internal and external pressures, but in each western European country, whether this amount to linguistic imperialism is an empirical question that probably would be answered in the negative.


On the other hand, it is vital that collaborative research projects be formulated and designed jointly from the very start, because research collaboration between North and South is unequal in terms of resources. Sensitivities run high on these matters and Southern researches are resentful of what they see as arrogance by their Northern counterparts just because the latter tend to command the resources and thus call the shots.

12) - How does he counteract A.D’s faith that “English fits on all counts”

AD´s faith that ‘English fits on all counts’ reflects a belief that if English has served as the dominant language in certain parts of the globe, it merits global marketing, despite all the evidence globally that linguistic and cultural diversity is a source of richness, of uniqueness, of distinctiveness, and that feeling about language rights run high from around the world.

13) - What are the consequences for foreign language education?

The consequences for foreign language education are related with applying linguistic acts in consonance with the dominant aid paradigm. It conspires in the false representation of global power by a pretence of being non-political, by pedagogical and linguist agendas being relatively explicit but the political agenda a being banished beyond the professional pale. Besides, not only it is presented the political disconnection, but also, it is accompanied by a cultural disconnection, which the failure of ELT personnel, experts in language learning, to learn local languages is a perfect example.

14) - What solution does Clinton Robinson propose?

He proposes to formulate and articulate multilingual strategies for education, communication, and every sector of social life, more closely defining that the real need for English is in specific contexts, making wider linguistic choices viable and available, that is to say to develop local languages for educational use.

15) - What views does Canagarajah pose in this matter?

He suggests that pedagogies and textbooks from the center are not used in the prescribed manner in local classrooms, and that strategies of resistance against the discourses and ELT pedagogies are influenced by students´ own indigenous social and educational traditions.