A 'Globish' World

Teaching English as a second language always seemed unethical to me.  It is a modern form of imperialism, a quest to make everyone the same, or at least speak the same. And yet here I am, in Phnom Penh, teaching English to a group of 19 young women who hang on every word I articulate because they are desperate to master the language as soon as possible. For example, one of my students said to me, "English is the international language. If I learn English, I will get a better job." She is not the first person to say this to me, and I know for certain that she will not be the last.

I first need an answer to this question: Why is English the international language? There is a new book out called Globish by Robert McCrum that attempts to describe this very real phenomenon. I plan to read this as soon as I return home to the States to try and wrap my head around how this all came to be. McCrum discusses more of the theoretical explanations and since I already have the first-hand experience I think this read will provide me with a well-rounded analysis.

The second question I am seeking an answer to is: Why are most foreigners happy to take on the challenge of mastering such a difficult second language? Okay, so I already know the most obvious answer to this question... If business, negotiations and everyday dialogue between people of different ethnicities is conducted in English, then knowing English is essential to having a successful livelihood within our international community. This makes sense and makes me feel so fortunate to have been born into a society that happens to speak the world's language. Make no mistake about it people, if you are from the US, UK, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, and any other English speaking country...you have a huge competitive advantage over those who are not and you... are... on... top!

Houng is a 25-year-old teacher and also a cashier
at a boutique in Phnom Penh. She stopped her education
after grade 12, but has been talking with all of her
customers since then. Consequently, she is
nearly fluent in English!

However, just because I am a native-English speaker it has not stopped me from trying to feel what it must be like to be on the other side. Everyday I interact with young women who are dedicating their time our of their incredibly hectic schedules to achieve fluency in English. It truthfully pains me to compare the diligent work ethic of non-English speaking students to native English speaking persons when it comes to learning a second language. Believe me, this is a serious self-reflection as I can only boast that I know conversational Spanish in addition to my Mother Tongue where as the Khmer girls I live and work with know Khmer, English and are in the process of studying on average 2 other languages--mainly French, Chinese or Japanese. And then there are those Khmer people who I have met on the streets or who are staff in local cafes and retail stores who have received no formal education, yet know how to speak English incredibly well. How do they practice? They talk with every English speaker they meet and never spare an opportunity to learn how they can improve. What I am slowly starting to realize is that with everyone beginning to learn my language (and more!) it is just a matter of time before the job market and society at large will have to decide what other criteria should be used to assess our abilities. Bottom line: myself--and many other native English speakers--may not be on-top for much longer.

I consequently find myself in quite the ethical predicament. Since the international community is already well on its way to creating a world language, do I succumb to the movement and try to join it through educating those who want to learn English so badly? Do I stop what I am doing now and try to not only preserve other languages but avidly strive to master one, two or three others? Or do I strive for a happy medium, whereby I let others continue to teach and learn the English while I rev up my pursuit of achieving fluency in more than just one language?