The History and Ecology of English Language in Iraq and Other Countries - Research Paper Example

ECOLOGY OF LANGUAGE Name Institution of Affiliation Introduction Ecology of language refers to the relationship between a given language and the environment that surrounds it. The people who use the language, speak it, and transmit it to others majorly determine it (Haugen, 2001). It is necessary to analyze the impact of all psychological and social situations of language since it is part of both the social and psychological life of a human. The people who learn and use it determine language ecology. This report will discuss English language ecology in Iraq. First, I will cover the classification of the English language, which will be followed by a brief English history of the ecology of English in Iraq. The report will also cover the usage of English in Iraq and its most important domain. The report will explain the attitude of the users and the institutional support that is available for learning English as a language. There will be an explanation on the attitude of English users in Iraq, the level of institutional support in learning English, and the status of English as compared or related to other languages. Data collection First, I structured some questions that would help me to collect reliable information from the audience. My interviews included phone calls, and one on one conversation with people, which helped me to collect some vital information for my research. There are several reasons why I chose this kind of method for data collection. First, interviews give one a deeper insight into a given context or topic, more than any other kind of research method (Saville-Troike, 1989). Additionally, it is the best method for finding useful quotes from interviewees. This method also allows the respondents to freely express themselves and present to the interviewer what is important to their welfare. However, the difficult part of it is that it is more time consuming as compared to the other data collection methods. In addition, interviewing may seem intrusive into the affairs of the respondents. The table below summarizes the methods used to reach the respondents. Name Age Method of contact Response P1 23 e-mail Negative attitude towards English P2 25 One on one interview Positive P3 18 Telephone interview Positive P4 27 One on one interview Positive Classification of English language English was first introduced as a West Germanic language, which had its origin from the Anglo-Frisian dialects. The Germanic invaders were the first people who brought this language to Britain since they settled in the North West part of Germany and Netherlands. Vocabulary used in English is made up of words that were derived from the Anglo-Norman languages hence people considered it as a language for “borrowing” (Baugh, 2012). Brief history of English language ecology in Iraq: The history of English language in Iraq started during the Ottoman Empire. They opened the first school for boys in 1865 and for girls in1883.Modern methods in teaching foreign languages including Turkish and English are taught in those two school.( Ben-Yaacob et al ,2007).However, the British Empire came after the Ottoman Empire collapsed in Iraq. In 1917, some of the Iraqi people were working in the British administration especially in Basra and Baghdad. King Faisal decided to employ some of the British citizens in the Iraqi institutions because of their educational experience so English became an important language to communicate in Iraq during the first decade of the kingdom. However, in 1921, Iraqi people refused the employment of the non-Muslims and foreigners in their country.(Ben-Yaacob et cl,2007). However , in the 1980 Saddam became the president of Iraq and started a new war with his neighboring country (Iran).The outcome of this war, especially Iraq’s relationship with its Arab neighbors, led the Iraq army to invade Kuwait. (Baugh, 2012). A group of armies including United States and over thirty countries attacked Iraq in 1991.After 48 days of war, an economic sanction was imposed on Iraq. Iraq was isolated from other countries by the Bush and Clinton administrations. English was the language of most of the armies in Iraq. At this time, a new development stage in English language began in Iraq .Crystal (2003) said: “The role of the military, in the spread of English, is difficult to evaluate. It is obvious that the language of an invading army, or an army of occupation, must have an immediate effect on a community, but how long this effect lasts is an open question” The policy of Saddam is regime caused a significant decrease in using the English language in Iraq because Iraqi people were isolated from other parts of the world. For example, Iraqi people were not allowed to study abroad or to communicate with foreign people. In addition, there was no internet access for about 13 years until 2003 when Bush, the president of the United States, led the war against the Saddam regime. The Usage of English language in Iraq English is a global language. It is very important for every individual to learn this language regardless of where he or she comes from. Today, there is a strong motivation to learn English because it provides her learners the opportunity to be in touch with people from other parts of the world. (Crystal 2003). English is a language mostly used in many learning institutions in Iraq. Such institutions include primary schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. English is important also for the people who are in different organizations such as the military and in the cooperate world. In politics, English is one of the main languages used by politicians to communicate to their followers. Additionally, English is vital for all ages in Iraq for ease of knowledge access, social interaction, tourism, and job acquisitions. Access to knowledge Like other parts of the world, Iraq has many students as well as adult learners. All of them range between 3-55 years old. However, reaching the age of 55 does not limit one from learning some more and acquire more knowledge. Regardless of their religion and gender, most of Iraqi people need to learn English to read and write about English history. Many people in Iraq like to learn English through poetry. Learning English helps the Iraqi people to improve their knowledge about many events in the world. According to statistics, most of the international history, stories, and information are written in English. Tourism purposes Iraqi is one of the countries that attract tourists from all over the world. Tourism is one of the backbones of this country since it boosts the economic sector. The number of tourists who come every year increases by the day. One of the reasons for this is its geographical location and the interesting history this country has (Kana, 2011). This increase of tourists increases the need for more people to learn English as a main language of communication. According to Kana (2011, the shrines and religious sites are one of the unique places where tourists love to visit. Due to their Muslim faith, Islam from all over the world is attracted to the Islamic historical sites such as the religious shrines in Najaf and Karbala. On a daily basis, Iraqi holy cities receive about 250 to 300 visitors (Kana, 2011). Getting good jobs Most companies in Iraq require workers who are good English speakers and have a certificate in computer. Any person in Iraqi who requires a good job must get these certificates by enrolling in language learning centers in the country. According to statistics, 2003 was one of the years that Iraqi received many foreign investors who entered the country to rebuild the infrastructure that was damaged during war. Most of these countries required workers who were English speakers. Additionally foreign armies that that invaded the country required young Iraqi people who were good in English. These people were given good jobs, which had high salaries. Social interaction and the use of social media In the world today, one of the main means of communication is social media. social media was used in Iraq mostly after the war in 2003. During these days, only one channel, that is social media, was used during the Saddam rule. However, this completely changed after the war in 2003. English is a requirement with the use of social media. sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and hi5 require a good understanding of the English language. Social media in this country is used as a tool for spreading news apart from the television and radio. It is more effective since most people in Iraq can access it. The domains of English language in Iraq English is an important language in Iraq. Its domains include education, media, employment, immigration, airports, restaurants, and hospitals. These are places where English is used for better communication purposes. Education Like any other country, Iraq private and public schools make use of English as one of the main languages of communication. In this country, English has been in use for more than 10 years. Students learn English from their third year in primary school to their twelfth year in secondary school. English is a language that is taught on a daily basis since it is a language like any other in the curriculum. It is considered a second language for all students in Iraq. Today, the government insists on students learning English before they are admitted in colleges and universities. This approach exposes them to a wider base of knowledge. Workplaces English is a global language and is necessary for all workplaces. This is because workplaces are one of the public places in Iraq that hosts people from different countries. Workplaces such as hospitals, restaurants, and companies host people from different parts of the world, not just Iraq. Therefore, this brings out the need for use of English as one of the main languages in these. One of the main reasons why English is necessary in Iraq is also because other people, especially medics come from different parts of the world to Iraq to help in the fight against diseases such as cancer. Business Business is a backbone in Iraq, just like in any other places in the world today. This, therefore means that English is a requirement for the success of business interactions with business people from all over the world. International travel International travel is one of the characteristics of the citizens of Iraq. Most of them travel to other countries for studies, jobs, sports, or even visits. With them, they must be equipped with English as a language for them to communicate effectively. In his book, Crystal (2003) argues that “If there is a contemporary movement towards English language use, therefore we would expect it to be particularly noticeable in this domain”. This quotation underpins the concept that the most important benefit from the spread of English is the facility of using it everywhere to communicate with other people. Iraqi people who work in the government institutions have holidays in the summer season. Most of them tend to travel during this time to other countries so English is the universal language of international travelers. Media Although Iraq is an Arabic country, most of the TV programmes are in English such as movies, advertisement, and political reports. Occasionally, you would find translations of this movies, ads, and political reports into Arabic language. Employment Most international companies and institutions, which entered Iraq after 2003, require English language certification as a condition of employment for Iraqi people who want to work in these companies. For example, oil companies in Basra employ only people who can read and write in English. Moreover, English after the United States invasion of Iraq has an effective role in employment field in Iraq. The United States army during its invasion of Iraq required English language professionals for translation purposes. Although translators work is very dangerous in Iraq, many Iraqi young people leave their jobs and take English language courses to work as translators with the American army as a high salary is paid. Other languages employed by the users (bilingual/ multilingual) Apart from English as a second language, Iraqi citizens also make use of Arabic as a first language. Kurdish on the other hand is spoken by around 20% of the population in Iraq. Other minor languages include Neo-Aramaic, Armenian, Mandaik, and Shabaki. These three languages are spoken by approximately 3% of the population (Ben-Yacoob et. al, 2007). In this case, it is evident that this society is multilingual. Many Iraqi people cannot learn all these languages at once, therefore, they prefer to use a universal language, which is English. Nature of English written traditions Iraq, just like any other country has different kinds of publications such as newspapers and official notices. Additionally, this country has lovers of literature both in school and out of school. Most of their literature work is written in English to help people learn some more English through literature. Most of the textbooks in primary, secondary schools, colleges, and universities are written in English. This is to standardize their education system to fit into the world education system. This country makes use of the Arabic-English dictionary. This dictionary helps the students to have more understanding of this language. The dictionary is available both online and in bookstores. It is majorly used in schools during English lessons. The government has encouraged the use of English in Iraq by ensuring that employers find workers who are English speakers. In addition, in the government, the people who are sought for in the places of leadership are the ones who have the ability to speak English and have the right qualifications as English speakers. This has worked well in ensuring that students work hard to know and speak English in and out of school with the aim of getting good jobs and conversing freely in the cooperate world. The attitude, instructional and linguistic support of English language users User attitudes Different people in Iraq view learning of English language differently. Some receive this course with a lot of positive mindedness, while others do not find it easy to adapt to this system of learning another language apart from Arabic. A research was conducted to verify the user’s attitude on English and one of the most outstanding reasons for negative attitude towards English is that most of the people in Iraqi thought that English would replace their language. In addition, resistance to this kind of change was also brought about by the fact that nobody likes change, especially when it comes to language. However, few people were happy that a new language was brought to them, which would help them to be exposed to the world and learn new things from other people. To seek out for this information, interviews were conducted and data collected. The institutional support for English language in Iraq Before the fall of Saddam, English was taught from the fifth grade and the textbooks for teaching English in primary and secondary schools depended on the translation approach, which is a very old method. After 2003, the ministry of education in Iraq contract with Garnet education, which is one of the most important British institutions to produce a new English curriculum for both primary and secondary school. It starts from the first year in primary school to the senior year in secondary school. These new curriculums including students’ books and activity books are free for all students in Iraq. In addition, Garnet education prepares training courses to all language teachers in Iraq and provides them with teacher’s resources and audio resources. The material in the new curriculums depends on the communicative approach, which is a very modern method. As a result, this support for teaching English as a second language in Iraq will reflect a good side effect on the spread of English language in the country. Furthermore, the Iraqi government and other foreign institution support English language in Iraqi universities (Pennycook, 1994). The Ministry of higher education in Iraq prepares many programmes with different countries to their undergraduate students and postgraduate students (Agresto, 2004). In addition, English is the language of instruction in all Iraqi universities. The United States government provides Iraqi universities with modern journals and new books in all fields of education (Crystal, 2003). Iraqi universities will be again the most progressive institution in the Middle East. Typology of English in Iraq English is one of the languages that is experiencing a huge growth in Iraq. As compared to other languages, promotion of this language stands high in relation to other languages such as Arabic. More materials offered for reading are written and translated in English, with the main aim of ensuring that more people study English and use it in their day-to-day activities. Presently, English stands second in the frequency of its use in Iraq. It is considered as a high standard language and of high value all over the world (Baugh, 2012). According to statistics, it is considered as one language that gives people an easy time in communication since it is standardized (Haugen, 2003). According to the interview opinions, most of the young people preferred English to other languages such as Arabic. Most of them were positive about learning the language since they were assured of a brighter future in terms of entry into the cooperate world. Conclusion: In conclusion, English is one of the most important languages in Iraq, just as it is in other countries. The need for English did not just start recently, but during the reign of Saddam. The political events in Iraq required knowledge in English encouraging the ecology of English language in Iraq. Apart from the challenges of adaptation of English during the rulership of Saddam, English has been one of the most developed languages within a short while in Iraq. A standard language is used in many places in this country such as education institutions, restaurants, hospitals, and even workplaces. English has been accepted by most people, however, some people have had a negative impression of it. The government of Iraq has encouraged English development through applying it in government affairs and ensuring that students in schools learn it as a second language. References Graddol, D. The decline of native speaker. Aila Review 13. Agresto, J. (2004). What Higher Education in Iraq Needs Now. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 50(32), 0.  Ben-Yaacob, A., Cohen, H. J., Kazzaz, N., Goren, A., & Shiloah, A. (2007). Iraq. In M. Berenbaum & F. Skolnik (Eds.), Encyclopaedia Judaica (2nd ed. ed., Vol. 10, pp. 14-24). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language Retrieved from http://UNE.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=221205 Kana, A. G. Religious Tourism in Iraq, 1996-1998: An Assessment. 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