Globalization and the Linguistic Imperialism of the English Language

Abstract

This paper aims to address the new challenges faced by English language teachers in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms, which have emerged as a result of the commodification of English and the rapid growth of the English Language Teaching (ELT) industry. The paper first scrutinized the correlation between the recent global changes and the predominant power of the English language. It also examined the "commodification of English Language" as a new global phenomenon that triggers many challenges for language teachers. The main focus of this paper is to reveal the EFL teachers' level of awareness of the current impact of globalization on the ELT realm. For the purpose of collecting data, a questionnaire was distributed among thirty non-native English teachers who teach the language to freshmen in different Omani higher education institutes. The questionnaire was intended to investigate the participants' attitudes and the challenges they encounter as non-native speakers and teachers of the English language. The major findings of this paper concluded that this group of teachers was aware of the status-quo of the English language and they believed that the power of English has entailed some challenges in the ELT filed. The two principal challenges are: The changing linguistic and communicative needs of language learners and the cultural barrier global course books create when adopting them in EFL classrooms.

Keywords: Commodification, ELT Industry, English, Globalization, Linguistic Imperialism