The Ecology of English in Saudi Arabia - Coursework Example

The ecology of English in Saudi Arabia Introduction English has spread throughout the world like a ‘virus’. Demand for English language is amazingly increasing at a high rate with it becoming a necessity. Individuals prefer learning English to enable them go beyond their local social group. Moreover, English is recognized as a channel to obtain power and prestige. It is counted as a bridge that leads many to benefits and opportunities. Despite national policymakers in countries trying to control choice of language (Wright, 2004) it is of great interest that local elites prefer using English. In countries that have more than one national group, English becomes a medium to establish communication among people who speak different local language (Crystal, 1997). The position of English in Saudi Arabia is in the education system according to the discussion made at academic and public levels. According to Al- Gorashi (1988), the role of English in Saudi Arabia just like in other countries has been argued to focus on the education systems and economics. The main language spoken in Saudi Arabia is Arabic and it is the official language of the country, though English is also used widely. This paper will discuss ecology of English as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia, highlighting its position, users or learners, its domain of use, how it is affected by bilingualism, any available language varieties, language standardization, institution support and its status. Classification of English in relation to other languages English is classified as a second language (ESL) which is compulsory taught in Saudi Arabian schools. It is not an everyday language but is taught and learned as a foreign language (EFL). Since the government of Saudi Arabia realized the importance for teaching English quite early, it introduced English language course as a compulsory subject from the level of intermediate through the secondary and tertiary level. The government saw in the light of the demands of employers and the needs of the new system in the world. Aims of making English a compulsory subject in schools by the Saudi Arabian Government is to open up the world to students, to cultivate critical thinking of students and to equip students with sufficient knowledge of English to help them in their future endeavors Its learners and users Before, English was taught to expatriate children working in the oil rich kingdom. But globalization and the emerging of Information Technology saw more of Saudi students studying due to the support provided by the government in term of funding. Parents are willing to support their children to study abroad (United States and Canada) to upgrade their children’s educational level of learning English. The government provides scholarships to students to study abroad. Back in Saudi Arabia many students learn English at a grade level meaning they will learn and school of the English Language continuously. Industrialization and computerization is the drive towards compelling Saudi students to learn English in order to compensate the needs and opportunities offered by the labour market of the country. Students appreciate the notion that learning English increases their employment chances after graduation from college. They believe that the ability to speak English is a way to a prosperous feature. Profit-based private schools and colleges use English to teach to stay ahead in education trend in order to promote their academic programs as well as the institutions. This is through the adoption of new English teaching methods or subjects like Math and Science. English is also used by Saudis to communicate to non-citizens living in the country. Businessmen interact in English when sealing business deals while students in universities are taught in English especially in medicine and engineering fields as it is considered as a language of telecommunication, communication, international diplomacy, banking, transportation, industry and commerce, advertising and internet Its domains of use English in Saudi Arabia isn’t restricted but is limited in some way. English in Saudi Arabia is used as a tool for diplomacy, travel, trade, business, communication and as a medium in higher education. Saudi Arabia has a large population of foreign people and Saudis communicate to them using English. India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippine and Pakistan are the non-native English speakers representing the majority of foreigners in Saudi Arabia. English is also used as a medium for many subjects like computers, dentistry, medicine, science and engineering. For a student to be accepted in Dentistry and Medicine schools for example, must have a proficiency in English Language. Saudi Arabia is a member of world community and has diplomatic relationships with countries of native speakers of English and countries that are not native speakers. English thus becomes a means of communication for all these activities to take place. However, some business records, dealings, transactions and dealings must be in Arabic. Any document submitted to the government of Saudi and courts must be either in Arabic or translated by a translator who is licensed. Judicial proceedings like arbitration need to be in Arabic. Some clauses in contracts that are stipulated to use a foreign language like business paperwork or legal proceedings are not forceable (Edward et al, 2005). Bilingualism/multilingualism and English Haugen (1969) provides a definition of bilingualism as a situation where an individual speaking one language is able to give complete and meaningful utterances in another language. Children who speak Arab through instructions provided and start producing English utterances that are meaningful will be termed as bilinguals. According to Grosjean (1982), nearly half of the world’s population speaks more than one language. Bilingualism exists in every country including Saudi Arabia. Job changes that involve an individual moving to Saudi Arabia overwhelm parents due to the demands of linguistic imposed on them and their children. There are monolingual families in Saudi Arabia who speak the same language but believe in the importance of English. Parents in these families send their children to English schools despite the fact that they speak Arabic at home. There are also monolingual families who are in a different language environment. This happens among those who are non-Saudi Arabians but live in the country for the reason of work. Bilingual families in same language environment are also in Saudi Arabia. With this, both parents come from different ethnic backgrounds. For example the father is a Saudi Arabian speaking Arabic while the mother speaks English. Both languages are used at home despite the fact that one parent speaks a minority language while the other speaks a majority language. Early EFL Education in Saudi Arabia involves teaching of English as a foreign Language to children at an early age of 5 years or 6 years. In Saudi Arabia bilingualism has become more of an asset to the individual and the society. Monolingual parents send their children to learn English in an attempt to nurture their linguistic capabilities and to provide them will a tool to start in life. Bilingualism in Saudi Arabia is caused by immigration from other countries. These immigrants speak their native language fostering it in Saudi Arabia. They also learn Arabic and thus rendering themselves into bilinguals. Education and culture also cause bilingualism where individuals learn a foreign language to help them in these fields. For an Arabic-monolingual individual to know or study culture of an English-speaking country, he must first learn English. Saudi students travelling to USA and UK for example to pursue further studies must learn English. According to Bialystok (1991), to be educated means to be bilingual. Cultural pluralism, innovation, cultures of exogamy, immigration, state formation and colonization are aspects that give rise to bilingualism. External and internal factors gave rise of bilingualism to Saudi Arabia. The internal factor is the need for industrialization and native workers as a requirement of the domestic economy. The external environment is the changing global economy formation that always leads to economic and socio-political changes. For instance the official language for Information Technology is English. Technical books relating to IT are usually written in English. IT fueled the production of globalization trends and culture which dominates the global trade and industry. With Information Technology and globalization, Saudi Arabia needs to cope with linguistic, social, academic, political, scientific and technological changes in the world. Globalization and IT has their own language, purposes, codes, systems and codes. People in the world live in a global village as IT has supreme and tremendous impact on people’s life, academic and trade. Globalization is the trade system which dominates the world market and Saudi Arabia is bound by its terms and effects since it is one of the world’s top petroleum exporters. English is the main medium of globalization, IT, world trade and global universities. Most contracts among multinational companies are written in English. This includes international treaties, laws, agreed, and so on. English thus plays a great role in ensuring nationalism by bringing people together in education, social and business life. Despite the different languages spoken in Saudi Arabia, they all meet at a common ground through English to communicate, do business, learn, relate and so on. Internal varieties The collective term used for the spoken varieties of Arabic is colloquial Arabic. This differs radically from the literary language (Formal Standard Arabic). The differentiation of dialects is influenced from other languages spoken in those regions which provide a number of new worlds. This influenced pronunciation or order of worlds. Arabic language originated from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia dialects are Najdi Arabic, Hijazi Arabic and Yemeni Arabic. These dialects are spoken in most informal settings like shopping, with friends or at home. Anything written like internet, books, and newspapers, as well as radio and television use Modern Standard Arabic (Al-Kamookh 191). The English dialects in Saudi Arabia are American and British English. In most cases, American English is used in scientific and medical journals, business textbooks and engineering. However both dialects are desired in the country as long it is accepted English of the world. Major problems associated with English speaking like pronunciation is felt across as they speak the same first language; Arabic. In studying English Saudi students have a problem grasping since they speak their native language at home and when interacting with their classmates, friends and peers. They have poor oral communication skills due to gross lexical errors committed. As different people in Saudi Arabia speak depending on their English level of learning difference is portrayed as someone may think its different dialects of the language. Some people have a problem exercising tenses, tense sequence, tense marker, perfect tense uncertainty and deletion of tenses. Some have a problem pronouncing, use of syntax and spelling as well as expressing themselves in the most competent and appropriate way. Arabic being their first language (L1) learners have no difficulties producing Arabic words. Since English is a second language (L2), the features of L1 clash with those of L2. L1 has greater influences on English pronunciation. English elements that are similar to Arabic are simpler for learners. Their knowledge of English is connected to their knowledge to their knowledge of Arabic in some way. They thus transfer some features from Arabic into English and thus resulting into error if it isn’t similar or if they don’t exist in English language. They transfer the patter of sounds of Arabic into English which cause different kinds of accents. This is hard in words mispronunciations made by Saudis. Nature of its written traditions Traditionally, all official and religious documents were written in Arabic. The Formal Standard Arabic is used to write official documents, formal speech and the same one Quran is written. Spoken or colloquial Arabic varies deeply in pronunciation and vocabulary running from one region to another. Newspapers, government laws and policies and the constitution are written in Arabic. However, due to bilingualism, globalization and technology emerging some newspapers are written in English. The constitution, policies and government laws are also translation to English for better understanding by non-Arabic speakers. English is the official language when it comes to e-learning. Computer language, academic reports about computers and IT, books, literatures and manuals are written in English. Standardization Arabic language is standardized by Academic of the Arabic language consisting of language-regulation bodies that is formed in Arabic-speaking countries. They review development of the language, monitor any new word and approve their inclusions into their standard dictionaries. However, English language isn’t standardized. Saudis learners portray grammar errors in their written or spoken English. Since Arabic has no verb ‘to be’ in the present tense and no ‘do’ as an auxiliary, and a single present tense compared to English that has simple and continuous tense, this results in errors in writing and speaking. While speaking English, they dismiss a verb ‘to be’. For example ‘she good girl’ instead of ‘she is a good girl’ or ‘where she going’ instead of ‘where is she going’. There is also a problem of creating a distinction between actions that were completed in the past that have no connection to the present. This leads to English speakers’ failure to use present perfect tense. For example ‘I finished reading’ instead of ‘I have finished reading’. Other grammatical errors are in using modal verbs. For example ‘a possibility that I am late’ instead of ‘a possibility that I may be late’. Construction of sentences is also a problem among the English learners in Saudi Arabia. For example instead of saying ‘the girl’s book they say ‘book girl’/. English dictionaries are presented in wide varieties both in hard copy format and electronic. There are Arabic-English dictionaries that translate word in Arabic to English for easier relation by the learners and pure English dictionary for explaining meaning of words. Some vocabulary are new to students both in English and in their own languages , some are unsure of the spelling of some worlds, phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions seem too difficult sometimes that a dictionary becomes a necessity. Students are accompanied by their dictionaries at home and almost everywhere because any issue to do with English can rise up any time. Institutional support of English According to Al-Khabtey (2002), the greatest support English has received in Saudi Arabia is from the Government through its education policies and reforms. The government has integrated English in the school curriculum to meet its changing economy, especially after IT arrived and galvanized globalization influence and effects. Integrating English in school curriculum is a way of improving the quality of Saudi Arabia’s workforce. The government recognizes the importance of English facility in the new global economy. It recognizes that English as the common language for important sectors like aviation, banking and to the academic and business life. With the pilgrimage influx annually that related to tourism and the global oil and technology demands, English became important in Saudi lives. Just recently the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia launched a Ten Year Plan in primary and secondary school with an aim of eradicating illiteracy. Another support is found from Oxford University Press, McGraw Hill and Pearson Longman who have collaborated with Saudi Ministry of Education to implement an English language programs in Secondary level. Saudi teachers and specialists in education create ELT materials that advance and enhance cultural and religious values through English language. Proponents of early EFL education in Saudi Education System have been of great support to English Language. They saw it obligatory to integrated EFL education into the education system of Saudi at an early age. Proponents like Ibrahim Al-Manna, dean of Teacher’s College in Jeddah explained English as an international language that allows Saudi to communicate with other countries. English is also the language of modern science and technology, and children need to learn it if the nation is keen to be developed (Al-Khabtey 2002). The proponents saw English as international language which would help Saudi societies develop and grow and be able to build successful relations with other societies as well as learn from them. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is a cosmopolitan area for people coming from different countries for work and other aims. English allows Saudis to communicate with these people who cannot speak Arabic. On the hand, subjects like science, mathematics and IT are taught in English at a higher education level. Meaning, only students who are good at the language will perform better in these subjects and their future will be shaped to a great extent. Furthermore, English is becoming compulsory in employment in Saudi Arabia. This forces educators and policy makers include English as a language of instructions in schools. Attitudes of its users towards Using English in Saudi Arabia becomes something to value too many of Saudi Arabia. It creates a notion that if you are poor in English or if you don’t know English then you are missing out on so many important things in life. This has also created stereotypes and prejudices which create discrimination afterwards against those who don’t know English. Those who can’t speak fluent English are perceived or insulted as inferior and labeled as incompetent. On the other hand, those who don’t speak English well perceive English as a language for those of high status in the society or those with wealth. In a nutshell, the perceptions and attitudes towards English speaking places English speakers on the top of the social hierarchy and non-English speakers at the bottom. It seems like in order to classify people the criterion to use is their proficiency in English. Saudis also have a sense of fear that the use of English involves Westernization. Their fear is English will detach them from their country and is a source of corruption to the Islam religion they are committed to (Smadi & Fawwaz, 1996). It is seen as a tool used by elite to strengthen their power. Many think English intensifies inequalities and economic and renders poor and uneducated powerless. However many view English as an investment. They see it as a global medium of communication since the revolution of technology and the use of internet. They see the need of extending interaction between the people beyond their communities of speech. Almost 90% of materials are on internet and emails are in English (Crystal 1997). Saudi Arabians view learning English as a source of personal development. English is perceived to open doors of opportunities which local languages cannot do. In a multicultural and multilingual society, English is viewed as a language that maximizes opportunities. By learning the language they think they can get access to the resources represented only by English like money, education and friendship. Saudi Arabians relate English proficiency with influential factor in employment and promotional (Morritoshi 2001). The Status of English English will continue to grow in its importance and usage. Undoubtedly even as Saudi Arabia continues in its infrastructure development. The standards of teaching English is continuing to rise as more English teachers flock to the country. Saudis view English as necessary for advancement and development. In this world of globalization Saudi Arabia has discovered that English is spoken in many countries and is considered a universal language. Saudi is looking forward to compete with other countries in terms of education. Just like any country, it is forced to meet global standards on quality, environment and so on. The first criteria used to admit a student in reputed institution is English. Many companies embrace individuals with fluent English and will reject anyone with good qualification but poor English language. Saudi Arabians have realized that they need to deal with English discourses to fulfill their needs of communication. They accept English as the shared communication tool. Since it has become a global language no one can deny its existence. Conclusion English in Saudi Arabia is classified as a second language (ESL) and is compulsory taught in Saudi Arabia schools as a foreign language (EFL). Many learners pursue English for various reasons. Some want to have obtained power and prestige, while some want to receive benefits and opportunities that are not provided by their local language. Due to bilingualism in the country, English acts as a medium of communication and a foster of nationalism. The users of English are business people, politicians, expatriates, and students in order to stay ahead in trends. Use of English isn’t restricted, however, it is limited. It is used in travelling, communication, higher education, business, trade and for diplomacy. Its limitation is in the use of official government and religious documents like the Quran, the constitution, government laws, judicial proceedings, and contracts, where only Arabic is used and any translation to English has to be licensed. English has led to bilingualism in Saudi Arabia where individuals knowing their languages choose to language another language; English due to realization of its importance. Early EFL Education has been integrated in schools to meet the needs of English demands among parents. Saudi Arabia internal language varieties is dominant in Arabic language as compared to English. The Arabic dialects are Najdi, Hijazi and Yemeni, spoken in informal settings. The written standardized Arabic language is Modern Standard Arabic. The English dialects used are American and British English. Arabic language is standardized by Academic of Arabic language which monitors any word addition and inclusion in the Arabic dictionary. English has been strengthened by the support of the Saudi Government and the proponents of its inclusion in the Saudi Education system. English language thus has potential to widen its territory amongst the Saudis as its demand increases daily. Reference List Al-Haq, F & Smadi, O 1996. Spread of English and westernization in Saudi Arabia. World English AL-Kamookh, A1981). A survey of the English language teachers' perceptions of the English language teaching methods in the intermediate and secondary schools of the eastern province in Saudi Arabia., University of Kansas. Al-Khabtey, A 2002. The Ministry of Education and English Teaching. Riyadh News Paper, 30 July, p. 15. Bialystok, E 1991. Language Processing in Bilingual Children. Cambridge University Press Crystal, D 1997. English as a Global Language. CUP. Grosjean, F 1982 . 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