The Loss of
Identity in Language Teaching and Learning
1. Introduction
Nowadays, in globalization era, communication across
country or even continent is highly needed. The world becomes a kingdom which
works as a team to fulfill the need of each area. A country is found not able
to provide all things they need so they trade with other countries to fulfill
the needs. Therefore, communication becomes very important to bridge the
countries. English language has been becoming an international language which
has been broadly used by people around the world to communicate each other.
Many people learn English in order to communicate with
people across the world. They express the need to understand each other and
cooperate to fulfill it. In many international forums, English is used to
convey the information and express the desirability.
In Indonesia, English stands as a foreign language.
Speaking English means becoming “international”. English is viewed as “an
imported thing” from international world which has high level. This becomes a
problem when an Indonesian learn a foreign language, in this case is English,
but he forgets his mother tongue. Moreover, learning other language means
learning its culture. It becomes very pathetic problem when a citizen of a
country supposes himself as a other country citizen. The problem of loss
identity has happened as the result of false perception in language teaching
and learning.
This topic “The Loss of Identity in Language Teaching and
Learning” is a topic which is appropriate to be considered as result of
globalization which may become a national threat.
2. Objective
The objective of this essay is to show the danger of loss
identity in language teaching and learning. There will be also some suggestion
to solve this problem that may help to correct the false perception of people,
in this case is Indonesian, in language teaching and learning.
3. Review of Related Literature
We
each have our own identity and personality that is made up of who we are and
what we stand for. It is this identity of ours that defines us and makes us.
Losing such a things, as ones identity is devastating and can lead to turmoil.
“Never forget what you are, for surely the
world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness.
Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
- George R.R.
Martin, A Game of Thrones
However, Learning second
language or foreign language is also a good thing, if the perception is
correct. The need of learning foreign language is to communicate with people
across the world. We could know and understand the differences of each other.
We learn others to enrich the understanding and comprehension of differences in
this world. By learning other language, people are hoped to think globally and
act locally.
Most people in the world are
multilingual, and everybody could be; no one is rigorously excluded from
another's language community except through lack of time and effort. Different
languages protect and nourish the growth of different cultures, where different
pathways of human knowledge can be discovered. They certainly make life richer
for those who know more than one of them.
(Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word)
(Nicholas Ostler, Empires of the Word)
The correct perception of
learning second or foreign language is we can learn our self better. We will
never know what black is if we do not know white. By learning foreign language
means its culture which will come up with many differences. By noticing those
differences, we will understand about ourselves deeper. This is the
correct perception which is hoped by learning second or foreign language.
Understanding
others makes possible a better knowledge of one: any form of identity is
complex, for individuals are defined in relation to other people - both
individually and collectively - and the various groups to which they owe
allegiance, in a constantly shifting pattern. -UNESCO, Learning : The Treasure Within, 1996
Culture is a
defining feature of a person's identity, contributing to how they see
themselves and the groups with which they identify. Culture may be broadly
defined as the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings,
which is transmitted from one generation to another. Every community, cultural
group or ethnic group has its own values, beliefs and ways of living.
Language is intrinsic
to the expression of culture. As a means of communicating values, beliefs and
customs, it has an important social function and fosters feelings of group
identity and solidarity. It is the means by which culture and its traditions
and shared values may be conveyed and preserved.
As
languages disappear, cultures die. The world becomes inherently a less
interesting place, but we also sacrifice raw knowledge and the intellectual
achievements of millennia. -Ken Hale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,W.
1999.
Identity is literally traits, or signs of identity attached to something or
someone that distinguishes it from the others. Understanding Identity in
essence a manifestation of cultural values that grow and thrive in the
aspects of life of a nation with distinctive characteristics, and the
distinctive characteristics of a nation is so different from other nation in
life. Thus the national identity of a nation is the hallmark of a nation that
held apart from other nations.
Globalization is like a coin. There are
positive and negative sides. Referring to the statements that have been revealed by David Held (2000) in his article titled "Regulating Globalization? The Reinvention of
Politics” that globalization has potential
to each individual country to become a cosmopolitan citizen, the
individual who has
the ability to mediate between
national traditions, communities united by fate,
and alternative lifestyles. In this case, the public is no longer mapped to
a cultural identity of a country, but it has been the view that they have
equal freedom. Language use
(e.g., code choice, register, genre, accent) itself conveys social information such as group identity: geographical region, language
variety and thus, in some contexts, socioeconomic status or educational
background.
Those things
may create a theory of dethronement of native speaker. A welcome consequence of
the “dethronement” of the native speaker in language teaching was ably summed
up by Davies (1989, p. 169) in the following words: “If it is accepted that the
native speaker is no longer at the center of communicative competence, then
that liberates language teaching because it means that worthwhile goals are
suddenly accessible – intermediate goals perhaps, but at least not unlike the
knowledge/ability of many native speakers.
4. Analysis
Learning foreign language
has advantages and disadvantages. In today's global society, people are well
aware of the more obvious advantages of learning a foreign language for college
students, young job seekers and world travelers. Educational literature also
abounds regarding the advantages of being bilingual from childhood. Learning a
foreign language also brings other, less evident but equally beneficial
advantages. These advantages can positively influence your health and family
relations, bringing benefits to the young and mature foreign language learner
alike.
Brain Fitness
Recent medical
studies bring attention to the positive effects learning a foreign language has
on the health of the human brain. Studies by York University of Alzheimer's
patients demonstrated that those who were bilingual had a significant delay in
the onset of the disease compared to their monolingual counterparts. Other
studies concerning the health of monolingual and bilingual patients' brains
showed that the effects of dementia were less advanced in bilingual patients
even though their brains showed more brain damage as a result of the disease.
Family Ties and Networks
Knowing a foreign language can
help keep your extended family intact while also expanding your network of
contacts. For example, if your family came to the United States during World
War II from Germany, you may also have family members who remained in Germany
and others who migrated to places like Argentina and Chile; therefore knowing
Spanish and German will help you stay in contact with those family members and
will also be useful in conducting any genealogical research about your
ancestry. On social networking sites, members speak many languages and live all
over the globe; knowing another language permits you to reach people who would
not necessarily be in your network due to the difference in language. This
enlarges the geographical scope of your relationships and enables you to expand
your business and personal contacts.
Additional Compensation
Some employers are willing to
offer additional compensation to employees who have verifiable foreign language
competency, particularly if such languages are in high demand like Arabic, Urdu
or Farsi. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Language Services
Section is dedicated to providing linguists across the law enforcement community
to offer translation and other language services. The FBI has developed a
special program -- Foreign Language Incentive Pay -- that awards additional
compensation to employees who have certified foreign language proficiency in
critical foreign languages.
However, the disadvantages of learning second language come up when the
basic perception of language teaching and learning is already false. The correct perception of learning second or foreign language is we can
learn our self better. We will never know what black is if we do not know
white. By learning foreign language means its culture which will come up with
many differences. By noticing those differences, we will understand about
ourselves deeper. This is the correct perception which is hoped by learning
second or foreign language.
Many national organizations believe that the answer to
create a correct perception of language teaching and learning is to capture
students’ interest at a young age. All kids start out naturally curious about
the world around them; however, in elementary school, students begin to be told
about their identity. Middle school can be a tipping point as to whether a student
will be directed.
The key is to understand that we are a single system; not
separate, man is not superior to other living things, but equal to them. So
whatever we do locally affects other people and the environment globally. Loss of cultural identity that occurred in the traditional society, the change from a closed society to a more open society, from the values that are homogeneous to
the pluralism of values and social norms is one of the effects of globalization. International communication and transportation has removed the boundaries of each nation's culture. Societies
develop from primitive society to the modern society and confound between subjective views about the
value and purpose of the changes towards the end of modern society is something that cannot be avoided.
Art-art ritual started out and loses its function. Even so, it does not
mean all our traditional
art disappear. There are a variety of
art that still show their
existence, and even continue to
grow creatively without
having oppressed the
modernization process. The rapid pace of
information technology or communication technology has become a powerful means of cultural diffusion, as well as alternative
options are more diverse entertainment for the wider
community. As a result people are not interested anymore enjoy various traditional
performing arts were
previously familiar with their lives.
5. Summary and Recommendation
In globalization era, communication across country or
even continent is highly needed. The world becomes a kingdom which works as a
team to fulfill the need of each area. A country is found not able to provide
all things they need so they trade with other countries to fulfill the needs.
Therefore, communication becomes very important to bridge the countries.
English language has been becoming an international language which has been
broadly used by people around the world to communicate each other.
In Indonesia, English stands as a foreign language.
Speaking English means becoming “international”. English is viewed as “an
imported thing” from international world which has high level. This becomes a
problem when an Indonesian learn a foreign language, in this case is English,
but he forgets his mother tongue. Moreover, learning other language means
learning its culture. It becomes very pathetic problem when a citizen of a
country supposes himself as a other country citizen. The problem of loss
identity has happened as the result of false perception in language teaching
and learning.
Language is intrinsic
to the expression of culture. As a means of communicating values, beliefs and
customs, it has an important social function and fosters feelings of group
identity and solidarity. It is the means by which culture and its traditions
and shared values may be conveyed and preserved.
Some actions must be done to overcome those problems. The correct perception of learning second or
foreign language is we can learn our self better. We will never know what black
is if we do not know white. By learning foreign language means its culture
which will come up with many differences. By noticing those differences, we
will understand about ourselves deeper. This is the correct perception which is
hoped by learning second or foreign language.
Learning foreign language
has advantages and disadvantages. In today's global society, people are well
aware of the more obvious advantages of learning a foreign language for college
students, young job seekers and world travelers. Educational literature also
abounds regarding the advantages of being bilingual from childhood. Learning a
foreign language also brings other, less evident but equally beneficial
advantages. These advantages can positively influence your health and family
relations, bringing benefits to the young and mature foreign language learner
alike.
However, the disadvantages of learning second language come up when the
basic perception of language teaching and learning is already false. The correct perception of learning second or foreign language is we can
learn our self better. We will never know what black is if we do not know
white. By learning foreign language means its culture which will come up with
many differences. By noticing those differences, we will understand about
ourselves deeper. This is the correct perception which is hoped by learning
second or foreign language.
The rapid pace
of information technology or communication technology has become a powerful means of cultural diffusion, as well as alternative
options are more diverse entertainment for the wider
community. As a result people are not interested anymore enjoy various traditional
performing arts were
previously familiar with their lives.
Bibliography
http://www.omniglot.com/language/why.htm
http://www.racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding/culture-language-identity.html
Handout Topic in Applied Linguistic
David Held,"Regulating Globalization?
The Reinvention of
Politics. 2000.
