KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCE AND COMMUNICATION.doc

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http://radicalpedagogy.icaap.org/content/issue3_3/2-walcott.html 06.02.2009

Radical Pedagogy 200!"

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KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCE AND COMMUNICATION

(illiam ). (alcott

*entre +or ,anguage #nstruction to %ew *anadiansstract

#n this paper the *homsyan 1iew linguistic competence as well as communicati1e

competence a road 1ersion o+ language competence are eamined care+ully. n theasis o+ the assessment it is proposed that proponents o+ communicati1e language

teaching *.,.4. " should not employ this road 1ersion as an important asis to helping

learners ac5uire and produce +oreign and second languages. (hat is proposed instead is

that they adopt and use rierian pedagogy as the +oundational core to educating learnersse1eral o+ whom are taught in uran centres o+ economically prosperous societies within

(estern 7urope and %orth merica.#ntroduction

$e1eral years ago when # was a senior high school student in 8ritish uiana the sole8ritish colonial possession on the ,atin merican mainland # read numerous wors

aout sla1ery. 4his is a phenomenon which the rilliant historian isher !9'9 pp. !02

- !03! " descried as maring a special note o+ 7uropean in+amy a terrile commentary

on *hristian ci1ilisation. (hat was so terrile; isher says the longest period o+ sla1eraiding nown to history was initiated y the actions o+ $pain Portugal rance )olland

and 8ritain a+ter the *hristian +aith had - +or more than a thousand years - een theestalished religion o+ (estern 7urope.

4hese actions clearly moti1ated y 7uropean demand +or sugar toacco and cotton

were +ed y the laour o+ +rican sla1es


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8ritain aolished the sla1e trade in !06 and sla1ery itsel+ in !&' ut lie its 7uropean

competitors continued its illegal ownership and dominance in +rican sian and

*ariean colonies. @uch o+ the dominance was de+ined y the imposition o+ 7uropeanlanguages on these +oreign lands most o+ which are no longer colonies. 4he languages

were usually taught y 7uropeans who oasted openly aout the cultural superiority o+

their societies. 4oday the +ormer illegal occupiers pre+er to and use routes o+ economicrather than physical power to maintain domination within the e-colonies.

power+ul correlate o+ such use is eistence o+ a pro+itale enterprise commonly nownas +oreign and second language teaching which taes place in the e-colonies as well as

large cities o+ pre1ious colonising powers. 8ritainAs ,i1erpool and 8ristol whose

prosperity isher says was ased largely on the sla1e trade come to mind immediately.

$o do capitals in other countries which traded in and used sla1es. oreign and secondlanguage teaching is also pro+itale in large uran areas o+ *anada a +ormer dominion

possession o+ reat 8ritain and the B.$.. the worldAs most massi1e economic giant

whose corporate pre1alence and cultural hegemony in ,atin merica are indisputale.

@y principal goal in this paper is to eamine one o+ the current and most popular

approaches to language teaching the communicati1e approach whose proponents pursuethe +ollowing important ma>or o>ecti1e: assisting learners to produce language as a

central +eature o+ their social interaction +or the purpose o+ per+orming tass which are

important or essential to their e1eryday eistence. principal +oundation to +ul+illing thiso>ecti1e is de1elopment o+ communicati1e competence which is presented as more

representati1e o+ the learnerAs language capailities than %oam *homsyAs linguistic

competence.

# argue that i+ proponents o+ *.,.4. are to +ul+il their o>ecti1e legitimately or 1alidly

they should not do so y employing communicati1e competence as their asis. # propose

instead that they use the rierian approach conscientiCacao +or the purpose o+ helpinglearners ac5uire +oreign and second languages. #n order +or me to per+orm my tass

appropriately # must eamine two 1iews o+ competence %oam *homsyAs linguistic

competence as well as applied linguistic 1iews o+ communicati1e competence. nce myeamination is complete # shall mae my case +or conscientiCacao.

,inguistic nd *ommunicati1e *ompetence

# shall show that ecause o+ the signi+icant incompatiility etween *homsyAs andcommunicati1e 1iews o+ language the communicati1ists should not employ

communicati1e competence as a legitimate asis to helping students produce target

language e++ecti1ely. ,et me immediately state some o+ the prominent and enduringapplied linguistic 1iews o+ communicati1e competence.

#t is to ideas o+ $a1ignon !9& p. !30 " and *anale and $wain !90 pp. 2D - 3! " that# turn in order to per+orm my initial tas. $a1ignon 1iews communicati1e competence

as :

...the aility to +unction in a truly communicati1e setting - that is a dynamic echange in

which linguistic competence must adapt itsel+ to the total in+ormation input oth


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linguistic and paralinguistic o+ one or more interlocutors. *ommunicati1e competence

includes grammatical competence sentence le1el grammar " socio-linguistic

competence an understanding o+ the social contet in which language is used "discourse competence an understanding o+ how utterances are strung together to +orm a

meaning+ul whole " and strategic competence a language userAs employment o+

strategies to mae the est use o+ what s/he nows aout how a language wors in orderto interpret epress and negotiate meaning in a gi1en contet ".

*anale and $wain say communicati1e competence is composed minimally o+grammatical competence sociolinguistic competence and communication strategies or

strategic competence. 4he +irst includes nowledge o+ the leical items and rules o+

morphology synta sentence grammar semantics and phonology. 4he second consists

o+ two sets o+ rules socio - cultural rules o+ use and rules o+ discourse nowledge o+ otho+ which is crucial to interpreting utterances +or social meaning particularly when


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compatile with the 1iew that language use a 1ersion o+ goal oriented eha1iour is

always strategic.

#t is the merican anthropologist Eell )ymes in the early se1enties who +irst put +orth

the idea o+ communicati1e competence. $chacter !990 pp. 39 - '0 " notes that the


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)ymes is taling aout competence which is integral to attitudes and 1alues concerning

language and other codes o+ communication. )ere is re+erence to


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has grown and spread since the late nineteen se1enties. ecti1e o+ language

teachingI at the same time communication has increasingly een seen as the instrumentthe method or way o+ teaching.=

Juite apart +rom $ternAs position *anale and $wain !90 pp. 3& - 36 " imply 1erystrongly that communicati1e competence could e used as a signi+icant asis to helping

students produce target language as a central +eature o+ their social interaction. 4hey state

that one o+ the many aspects o+ communicati1e competence which must e in1estigatedmore rigorously e+ore a communicati1e approach can e implemented +ully in the areas

o+ second language teaching and testing is: de1elopment o+ administrati1ely +easile

classroom acti1ities that can e used to encourage meaning+ul action in target language

use.

$ome o+ these acti1ities ha1e een de1eloped y 4arone and Fule !99 pp. 6 - !2 ".

4hey analyse and discuss means as well as instruments classroom teachers can utilise to

determine studentsA ailities within areas o+ grammatical sociolinguistic and strategiccompetence.

#t is these 1ery areas which are analysed as some o+ the signi+icant components in a

8ilingual Pro+iciency Pro>ect a highly amitious e++ort to pro1ide what $chacter !990

p. 39 " 1iews as empirical >usti+ication +or a model o+ linguistic pro+iciency. 4his +i1eyear research pro>ect was conducted in the nineteen eighties at the @odern ,anguage

*entre ntario #nstitute +or $tudies in 7ducation *anada. 4he main purpose o+ this

pro>ect was to eamine a group o+ educationally rele1ant issues concerned with the

second language de1elopment o+ school age children. 4hree o+ the issues were the e++ecto+ classroom treatment on second language learning the relation o+ social-en1ironmental

+actors to ilingual pro+iciency and the relation etween age and language pro+iciency

llen *ummins )arley and $wain !990: p. ! ".

(hile $chacter does epress reser1ations aout ade5uacy and clarity o+ the concept

communicati1e competence as well as its eempli+ication in the pro>ect she does notrecommend its re>ection. $he - in +act - endorses *homsyAs grammatical or linguistic

competence although she notes three issues o+ special rele1ance to the pro>ect. 4hey are:

what are the ma>or constituti1e components o+ communicati1e competence whether - and

to what etent - the components can e delineated clearly.

#n responding to her concerns not only do pro>ect researchers llen *ummins )arley

and $wain !990: p.&3" accept *homsyAs linguistic competence ut they also claim toe demonstrating a roadening o+ competence. n echange etween the two parties

aout competence is 5uite re1ealing.

$chacter says that eyond the le1el o+ isolated sentences con+usion disagreement and

+ragmentation are re+lected in


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competence.= 4hey howe1er epress their research aims: isolate aspects o+

communicati1e competence they consider to e educationally rele1ant test the

hypothesis that these aspects would emerge


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creati1ity Kean Kac5ues RousseauAs as well as (ilhelm 1on )umoldtAs on +reedom

+rom repressi1e authority. )e sees to concretise his interest y +inding out what

contriution the study o+ language can mae to understanding human nature. *homsy!9D2 p. 6 ". )e deals with this issue y utilising his 1iews o+ linguistic theory and

language learning to eplain what he terms the property o+ normal language use.

# want to address mysel+ initially to the liertarian asis. ccording to *homsy !9

pp. 3 - !&& " the liertarian ideas o+ RousseauAs were ased strictly on *artesian

conceptions o+ ody and mind. %ot only did Rousseau accept that humans who possessminds are crucially distinct +rom machines and animals he argued also that the

properties o+ mind surpass mechanical determinacy. Rousseau concluded - so claims

*homsy G that any in+ringement on human +reedom is illegitimate and must e

con+ronted and o1ercome.

*homsy adds that the *artesian conceptions were de1eloped in the liertarian social

theory o+ 1on )umoldt that persons ha1e essential human rights to carry out


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system o+ human nowledge which has lent itsel+ most readily to the per+ormance o+ such

a tas is the system o+ human language.

*homsy !9D' pp. !36 - !3D " presents the conditions +or tas per+ormance 1ery

+orce+ully when he says the analyst interested in studying languages is +aced with a 1ery

de+inite empirical prolem. )e has to loo at a mature adult speaer who has ac5uired anamaCing range o+ intricate and highly articulated ailities which enale her to use

language in


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that rules which determine sentence +orms and their interpretations are oth intricate and

astract: the structures they manipulate ected.

4his is o+ course clear re>ection y *homsy o+ phrase structure grammar and principles

o+ operant conditioning in eha1iourist psychology popularised in audio-lingualapproaches to target language learning. nd it was partially ut signi+icantly in reaction

to audio-lingualism that communicati1e language teaching *.,.4. " arose. 4he

*homsyan opposition to eha1iourism should not howe1er e seen as compatile with

negati1e reaction in communicati1e language teaching circles to audio-lingualism.*.,.4. audio-lingualism as well as eha1iourism are all eperientially ased.

*homsyAs 1iews o+ generati1e grammar linguistic competence and language teaching

are decidedly not. #n +act his general remars aout contemporary language teaching are

not complimentary.

(hile dealing with reasons +or distinctions etween the di++iculty in teaching targetlanguage to adults and the ease o+ childhood language learning *homsy !9 pp. !D9

- !2 " made these remars.

Bse your common sense and use your eperience and donAt listen too much to thescientists unless you +ind that what they say is really o+ practical 1alue and o+ assistance

in understanding the prolems you +ace as sometimes it truly is. *homsy !9 p.

!2 ".

)e is howe1er more eplicit when he says persons in1ol1ed in a practical acti1ity such

as language teaching should not tae what are happening in the sciences seriously

ecause the capacity to carry out practical acti1ities without much conscious awarenesso+ what is eing done is usually +ar more ad1anced than scienti+ic nowledge.

#deas in the modern sciences o+ linguistics and psychology which are o+ little practicaluse to understanding the distinctions


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interpretation o+ RussellAs 1on )umoldtAs RousseauAs and EescartesA ideas how such a

1iew can e reconciled to the communicati1e position which is not anti-eperiential.

,est my conclusion e regarded as inappropriate # must point out +or purposes o+

eempli+ication that *homsy !966a p. '6 " says a theory o+ generati1e grammar

ser1es only as one component o+ a theory which can e made to accommodate theect to 1arious interpretations and it

should not e assumed that the 1arious contriutors to *artesian linguistics necessarilyregarded themsel1es as constituting a single tradition.

# am also +ully aware that the +ollowing argument can e made against me: though the

communicati1e 1ersion o+ competence includes linguistic competence that road 1ersiono+ competence is not *homsyan. #+ this is the case communicati1ists need to show 1ery

clearly what type o+ grammar eempli+ies their sense o+ competence. 4hey should say as

well how their 1iew o+ grammar di++ers to the *homsyan 1iew o+ generati1e grammar

and as a result can eempli+y linguistic competence which they mae part o+ their road1ersion o+ competence. #+ communicati1ists are to meet the re5uests # propose they

should o++er 1ery care+ul analyses o+ the ases to *homsyAs 1iew o+ linguisticcompetence.

4o the etent that they ha1e not they cannot legitimately employ communicati1ecompetence as a asis to +ul+illing their aim. *onsider another argument against use o+

the asis - a cogent argument associated with *homsyAs 1iew o+ communication. #n so

+ar as communicati1ists emphasise the purpose+ul nature o+ language as central and

necessary to their aim o+ +ostering target language use they would ha1e to e concernedwith the matter o+ con1eying in+ormation to and inducing elie+s aout language in

students.

4his is not a concern though which they can epress legitimately y means o+

including linguistic competence in their road 1ersion o+ competence. *homsyAs 1iew

o+ communication which is lined inetricaly to and deri1ed logically +rom hispronouncements aout nowledge creati1ity and +reedom +rom repressi1e authority

contrasts sharply with 1iews aout the purpose+ul nature o+ language. #n what he sees as

the importance o+ a1oiding a certain 1ulgarisation with respect to the use o+ language he

claims that i+ the term HcommunicationA means transmitting in+ormation or inducingelie+ there is no reason to thin that language - essentially - ser1es instrumental ends or

that the essential purpose o+ language is communication. *homsy !9DD pp. D - ".

)e adds that someone who o++ers a 1iew o+ the purpose+ul nature o+ language ought to

eplain what she means in epressing that 1iew and why she elie1es such a +unction and

no other +unction to e o+ uni5ue signi+icance.#t is +re5uently alleged that the +unction o+ language is communication that its


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per+ormances such as maing statements asing 5uestions or issuing commands and

ha1e their epression in 1er +orms lie state assert command or order. )e points out

that i+ semantic competence is 1iewed +rom the standpoint o+ oneAs aility to usesentences in per+orming speech acts the acts will e seen as rule go1erned and

intentional.

4he speaer who utters a sentence and means it literally utters it in accordance withcertain semantic rules and with the intention o+ in1oing those rules to render his

utterance the per+ormance o+ a certain speech act. $earle !9D': p. 29 "

4o now semantic competence is to identi+y connections among semantic intentions

rules and conditions speci+ied y rules.

$earleAs 1iew o+ semantic competence is grounded in his 5uarrel with *homsyAs notiono+ linguistic competence. )e argues that *homsyAs theory o+ language is that sentences

are astract o>ects produced independently o+ their role in communication. )is position

is that any attempt to account +or the meaning o+ sentences independently o+ their role in

communication is inade5uate. $earle !92 pp. !D! - !D2 " says *homsy regards manas essentially a syntactical animal. )e ne1er ass what the syntactical +orms are used +or

and conceptualises syntactical theory in purely


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4he interacti1e route to conscientiCacao is a dialogical one which is tra1ersed

horiContally y re+lecti1e co-su>ects who are simultaneously teachers and learners. #nthe words o+ oulet !99 p. 1i " the uni+ying theme in rierian practice is critical

consciousness the engine o+ cultural emancipation.

(hy was the rierian concern a concern with eradicating illiteracy; # shall address

mysel+ to this 5uery a+ter which attention will e gi1en to operations o+ the engine. Paulo

riere was an unapologetic anti-imperialist who oser1ed 5uite correctly that a asiccondition o+ colonial domination is linguistic imposition y colonisers on the colonised.

#t is thus not accidental that colonisers designate their own languages as languages and

languages o+ the colonised as dialects. 4his is categorisation ain to in+eriorisation and

impo1erishment on the one hand and richness and superiority on the other. riere!9D: p. !26 ".

)e there+ore insists that language is a ma>or preoccupation o+ societies which see their

own recreation y lierating themsel1es +rom colonialism. #n the struggle +or recreation


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4he in1ol1ement o+ learners - he adds - in de+ining educational content is o+ indisputale

importance. 4hey ha1e rights as acti1e participants to de+ine what they need to now.

riere !9D: p. !06 ". ne o+ the most cogent conceptualisations o+ this stance emerges+rom the pronouncement that education must e initiated with e++orts to sol1e the teacher-

student contradiction a reconciliation o+ di++erence so that memers o+ oth groups are

simultaneously teachers and students. riere !9D0: p. &9 ". #n the collecti1e personsecome teachers-students with students-teachers. riere !9D0: p. 6D ".

oulet !99 p. ii " o++ers an appropriate assessment o+ the conceptualisation y notingthat riere 1iews the success+ul educator - not as a persuader an insidious propagandist

ut as a communicator who applies his aility to dialogue with educatees in modes o+

reciprocity. (hat does dialogue signi+y; #t signi+ies collecti1e action aimed at remo1ing

illiteracy along a plane o+ e5uality. Eialogue is not a relation etween ecti1es on the 1an5uished and con1erts

them to his possessions. )e imposes his own patterns and structures on the con5ueredwho internalise the +orms and ecome amiguous persons. @anipulation entails ways in

which the dominators secure con+ormity o+ the oppressed to their o>ecti1es o+

in+eriorisation. *ultural in1asion in1ol1es a narrow interpretation o+ reality a stagnantsense o+ the world and the imposing o+ 1alues +rom the in1ader who has a +ear o+

aandoning those 1alues. ne o+ its principal signi+iers is that decisi1e positions +rom

which actions a++ecting the li1es o+ the in1aded are taen should e those occupied y thein1aders. #n1aders are actors who chooseI the in1aded are +ollowers who ha1e the illusion

o+ acting 1ia the eperience o+ the in1aders. *ultural in1asion is particularly insidious.

riere regards it as 1iolence penetration o+ cultural contets o+ the in1aded whose

prospects +or de1elopment are demeaned and creati1ity impeded.


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(hy should riereAs wor e +oundational to remedying the communicati1e approach to

target language teaching; 4here are historical pedagogical and sociological reasons +orthe modi+ication. #n the +irst place systematic e++orts to teach 7uropean languages such

as rench 7nglish $panish Eutch erman and #talian in colonial possessions ha1e

een directly associated with con5uest di1ide and rule manipulation as well as culturalin1asion. 7uropean teachers o+ these languages in con5uered territories were the

pur1eyors o+ cultural superiority.

+ter se1eral o+ the territories - mostly in +rica and sia - attained political

independence and the 7uropean teachers returned to their own societies one o+ the 1ery

signi+icant changes which occurred in these locations was the emergence o+ the

communicati1e approach to second and +oreign language teaching. %ot only did thisde1elopment tae 1ery strong roots in reat 8ritain ut its growth also emerged +rom

direct in+luences o+ K.R. irth a 8ritish linguist who in the words o+ notale +ollowers

)alliday @c#ntosh and $tre1ens !96' p. !&!" 1iewed linguistics as the study o+


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processes aimed at accomplishing outcomes such as syllaus negotiation and learner

independence. 4udor acnowledges that target language teaching is a multi-+aceted social

and cultural acti1ity which oliges practitioners to e cognisant not merely o+ o+learnersA psychological pro+iles ut also their socio-cultural settings. ne o+ the rele1ant

+actors which must e considered is learnersA cultural attitudes to language study and the

roles o+ teachers and learners. *ollaorati1e acti1ities will not e success+ul i+ teachersare regarded authority +igures. Eespite the acnowledgement 4udor is eplicit in

declaring that it is the teacherAs ultimate responsiility +or ensuring that e++ecti1e learning

occurs.

4he rierian asence is particularly noteworthy in post-independence periods. 4hese

ha1e een characterised y signi+icant +lows o+ immigrants whose +irst languages are

non-7uropean to 7uropean locations. @any o+ the immigrants are indeed the masseswho ha1e een eploited as a conse5uence o+ colonial oppression.

urther in a contemporary setting where the stranglehold o+ gloalisation and monopoly

capitalism which nurtures it odes ill +or many inhaitants o+ e-colonial possessionsthere is no 1ersion o+ communicati1e language teaching whose proponents address

themsel1es to the destructi1e impact o+ a matter such as cultural in1asion. Perhaps one o+the most harm+ul conse5uences can e seen in the acti1ities o+ Rupert @urdoch the

ustralian who ecame an merican citiCen +or the purpose o+ epanding his media

empire. #n early !993 @urdoch owner o+ $y tele1ision in 7urope o %etwor in theB.$.. and se1eral newspapers worldwide - including the 4imes $un and %ews o+ the

(orld in reat 8ritain - issued what he considered to e a +ar reaching announcement

aout international satellite telecasting. #t is @urdochAs intention to create a gloal 1illage

where all citiCens o+ the world could e entertained or watch news programming withoutinhiition.

acilitators o+ this modern 1ersion o+ instantaneous in+ormation trans+er are metallicdishes. @urdochAs technological arrangement is a multi-million dollar usiness o+

pri1ately owned satellite telecasting. Programming 1ia the medium would e consistent

with the ownerAs political philosophies: @urdoch a staunch supporter o+ @argaret4hatcherAs +ree maret capitalism has long since made it clear to editors o+ his 8ritish

newspapers that they should not e politically independent. 4heir editorial inclinations

ought to re+lect 1iews o+ the *onser1ati1e Party in 8ritain. 4he ustralian/merican is

not a pulic ser1ant to the world. )e is a media aron moti1ated y prospects o+ supernormal pro+its.

# thin that i+ the world is to e a true gloal 1illage then satellite telecasting shouldoriginate not >ust +rom rich de1eloped countries. Programming aout de1eloping

societies +rom these locations should also e telecast in the de1eloped world. 4his type o+

echange is howe1er un+easile ecause o+ prohiiti1e costs o+ the de1eloping world.

4he urden o+ cultural in1asion can also e re1ealed y looing at the statuses o+ what

ha1e come to e nown as 1ernaculars in e-colonial possessions. Lernaculars many o+

which do not ha1e o++icial language designation are used y the oppressed. ccording to


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Phillipson !992 p. '0 " use o+ the term 1ernacular is not accidental. )e notes that the

term is a loaded term. #t re+ers to what is homered homemade homegrown rather than

what emanates +rom +ormal echange. #n popular and technical usage it connoteslocalised su-standard non-standard language which is 1ery di++erent to literary

cultured or +oreign languages. or Phillipson 1ernaculars are there+ore stigmatised in

relation to languages ele1ated as the norms.

*at+ord is thus correct when he states that the de1elopment o+ any discipline is

in+luenced y the cultural and political setting in which it occurs. $uch is doutless trueo+ linguistics. #t is to the setting that # turn +or the purpose o+ eplaining the asence o+

commitment to remo1ing oppression.

4his is a locus de+ined y what Phillipson !992 pp. 'D - 6! " regards as linguisticimperialism strongly condemned y nsre !9D9 pp. !2 - !3 " who de+ines it as a state

in which the eperience o+ users o+ a language are oppressed y another language to the

etent that they internalise the 1iew: only the dominant language should e employed +or

dealing with ad1anced 1ersions o+ li+e such as education philosophy literature and theadministration o+ >ustice. ,inguistic imperialism alters in sutle +ashion the

epectations and attitudes o+ persons who are impeded +rom appreciating and actualisingthe +ull potential o+ indigenous languages.

ther analysts notaly *al1et !9D " ha1e conceptualised linguistic imperialism aslinguistic racism. 4his is a position o+ which # am +ully supporti1e +or # accept the 1iews

epressed y (est !999 pp. D0 - D! " and @arale !99D pp. !& - !6 " on racism.

or @arale racism re+ers to an une5ual relationship etween social groups strengthened

y patterns o+ power ownership and pri1ilege which reside within social economic andpolitical organisations o+ society. #n addressing himsel+ to the in+eriorisation o+ memers

o+ one group (est is insistent that the +ro-merican engagement with the modern

world has een shaped primarily y the doctrine o+ white superiority which is integral toinstitutional practices and is actualised in e1eryday +olways.

or Phillipson linguistic imperialism is power+ully present in its 7nglish +orm....the dominance o+ 7nglish imperialism is asserted and maintained y the estalishment

and continuous reconstitution o+ structural and cultural ine5ualities etween 7nglish and

other languages Phillipson !992 p. 'D".

4he term structural accounts +or material possessions such as organisations and

monetary pro1isions. 4he cultural represents ideological +eatures such as attitudes and

teaching principles. 7nglish imperialism is also indicati1e o+ linguicism which entails thepresence o+ ideologies structures and methodologies applied +or the purpose o+

1alidating the perpetuation o+ une5ual di1ision o+ power and resources among groups

de+ined on the asis o+ language.

#n addition disparity guarantees the pro1ision o+ greater resources to 7nglish than other

languages and is ad1antageous to groups that are pro+icient in this language. PhillipsonAs

1iews o+ linguistic imperialism are susumed y ideas o+ altung !90 pp. !2D - !2 "


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aout cultural imperialism a relationship in which some societies dominate others.

Eomination is +orged principally y de1ices such as penetration +ragmentation

marginalisation and eploitation. 4he last in1ol1es asymmetric interaction etweengroups echanging commodities on terms o+ disparity. 4he echange is +acilitated y

eistence o+ a dominant *entre typically made up o+ (estern capitalist societies and

dominated Peripheries usually underde1eloped countries. *onnections etween power atthe *entre and the Peripheries are eempli+ied y shared interests in language.

# thin the most cogent e1idence +or claims o+ PhillipsonAs (estAs @araleAs altungAsnsreAs and *al1etAs can e located y looing at the status o+ 1ernaculars. (hile

etensi1e research and promotion which re5uire huge +inancial resources are associated

with (estern languages this is not the case in regard to 1ernaculars. )ere is an

appropriate eample. 4he wor conducted y the #nternational roup +or theLernacularisation and $tandardisation o+ ,iteracy which resulted in pulication o+ a

document i !99D " (alcott !99D " and %g !993 "

+or reproducing white superiority in *anada. (hat is the connection etween ,.#.%.*.


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and multiculturalism; @y response shall e +ollowed y my critical remars aout

multiculturalism.

*anadian $tanding *ommittee o+ !9D claims that the goal o+ multiculturalism is the

integration - not assimilation - o+ racial and ethnic groups. 4his is a position o++ered

eplicitly y the originator o+ this policy none other than Pierre 7lliot 4rudeau late*anadian Prime @inister. #n ctoer !9D! he stated pulicly that there cannot e one

cultural policy +or *anadians o+ rench and 8ritish heritage and another +or memers o+

other groups.

)e added that despite the eistence o+ two o++icial languages 7nglish and rench

or +eature o+ culturaland linguistic imperialism. #t is not irrele1ant +or me to note that within the national

*anadian media - oth print and audio-1isual - *anadian culture is typically presented as

white anglophone and +ranchophone culture. Eiscourse aout other cultures is a poordistant relati1e to the 7urocentric +ocus. 4his peripheral presence is not di1orced +rom a

continual attle etween strident +ranchophone separatists within the pro1ince o+ Jueec

and their white anglophone counterparts within the rest o+ the country o1er one *anada

made o+ ten pro1inces or one *anada made up o+ nine pro1inces whose closest andnewest neighour is the so1ereign state Jueec.

4he attle o1er di++erence reached one o+ its highest points in !99& when a separatistgo1ernment in Jueec which had secured a pro1incial re+erendum on a so1ereign state

narrowly lost. 4he Jueec Premier at the time an elo5uent an uncompromising

separatist Kac5ues PariCeau declared disparagingly a+ter the loss that it was the


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wish to learn an o++icial language under auspices o+ the ,.#.%.*. programme in Jueec

are oliged to learn rench. #t is to ,.#.%.*. programmes across *anada that # direct my

attention so that # might e ale to continue maing a rierian case.

,.#.%.*. was instituted y a *anadian ederal gency 4he *anada 7mployment and

#mmigration *ommission in !962 +or the purpose o+ +acilitating the settlement andimmigration o+ newcomers to *anada. ,earners are assigned to 1arious le1els o+

language instruction on the asis o+ their per+ormance on assessment procedures the

*anadian ,anguage 8enchmars ssessment tool geared to account +or theircommunicati1e competence. 4his competence is promoted in learner centered classrooms

where students are assisted to participate more +ully in *anadian society to integrate

success+ully into a new country.

ne 1ital asis to the assistance is a set o+ curriculum guidelines made up o+ themes

topics and learning outcomes re+lecti1e o+ multiculturalism and de1ised in accordance

with principles o+ communicati1e language teaching. (hat is crucial to ,.#.%.*.

programmes is integration. 4his is o+ course integration within the ilingual +rameworo+ multiculturalism a +ramewor that is not de1oid o+ linguistic imperialism. urther

learners se1eral o+ whom were oppressed and 1ictimised y such practices as con5uestand cultural in1asion and are the o>ects o+ manipulation in gloalisation ha1e no say in

de1ising either the guidelines or assessment tools.

*onclusion

# elie1e # ha1e made a 1ery strong case +or a rierian in+usion to communicati1e

language teaching. # shall ring closure to my wor y o++ering an analysis o+ what

rierian +oundations to communicati1e language teaching should loo lie. (hat iscentral to the eamination is setting up an alternati1e multicultural +ramewor to that

which eists in *anada. #t is within this structure that 7uropean 1ernacular as well as

non-7uropean national languages will e ac5uired as second and +oreign languages.

@y re+erence point +or setting the +ramewor is the discourse +rom @arale !996 pp.

!!9 - !2' " on 1ersions o+ multiculturalism three o+ which # shall outline. 4hey arecorporate multiculturalism lieral multiculturalism and radical democratic

multiculturalism. #t is the last which # +ind rele1ant to the goal o+ implementing a

di++erent approach to communicati1e language teaching. # am +ully aware that @araleAs

discourse on multiculturalism is applied to the B.$.. # am also cognisant that the gloalsetting is not the B.$.. ,ie the world setting the B.$. is ethnically and racially

di1erse. @araleAs discourse is also conceptually appealing.

)e states that promoters o+ corporate multiculturalism emphasise cultural and social

di1ersity y endea1ouring to heighten the sensiti1ity o+ usiness eecuti1es to matters

such as racial gender age linguistic seual di++erences. @arale notes that the principalmoti1ating +orces +or this type o+ multiculturalism are minority marets and laour +orce

demography. #n the B.$.. there is great pressure on the corporate milieu to hire persons

+rom the di1erse pools o+ the non-white population. #t is also within these di1erse pools

that corporate merica stands to mae huge pro+its +rom massi1e consumer spending. #n


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the +oreground o+ gloalisation laour +orce demography and consumer power are 1ery

e1ident.

@araleAs prolem with corporate multiculturalism is that its ad1ancement is de1oid o+

signi+icant discussion aout eploitation racism seism or homophoia. #ts e1asi1e

posture can e located in celerating di1ersity o+ all inds without criticising anyone.,ieral multiculturalism a roadly democratic outloo is distinctly anti-racist. #t is

premised on the 1iew that educational estalishments ha1e ma>or oligations to

deconstruct the ideology o+ human ine5uality. #t is howe1er inade5uate in dealing withine5ualities o+ power pri1ilege and resources.

#t attempts to articulate the percei1ed interests o+ minority groups to increase their

in+luence within the eisting mainstream. #n short lieral multiculturalism is


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associate with alternati1e medicine are integral to the e1eryday li1es o+ 1ernacular users.

4heir massi1e economic signi+icance is so paramount to the +orces o+ domination that

prominent io and agro-chemical multinationals ha1e een seeing to eploit the curati1e1alues o+ plant li+e indigenous to +rica sia and $outh merica.

4he case +or 1ernacularisation can e made y looing at a discussion +rom *arrington !99D pp. 2 - 92 " on strategies +or the estalishment o+ 1ernacularisation o+ literacy.

ne o+ *arringtonAs main points o+ departure is his acceptance o+ this de+inition o+ a

literate person o++ered y udschinsy !96 p. !'6 ":


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8anner>i ).


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*homsy %. . ,anguage and Prolems o+ ?nowledge. *amridge: @.#.4. Press

!9 ".*riper *. and (iddowson )..


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)ymes E.


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$tern ). ).

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