The Pros And Cons Of English As The Medium Of Language In Tertiary Education

Many kids in school are wanting to learn a new language away from their native language but many students are wondering what language is going to help them the most in the future. English is the clear answer for these students that are wondering what new language to learn for a number of reasons. Through different articles through the book “Language: A Reader for Writers” it discusses how language is the most successful and most useful language to speak. College students who want to learn a second language, that have not learned English, should learn English because it is the most widely used language in the world and it is the most useful language to learn.

English has become more and more significant. In China, a big part of higher learning, is a

Speaking English as a second language in front of others can prove to be anxiety-provoking and when an international student develops this kind of fear they limit their ability to participate in discussions of class and develop a social relationship. For entry of international student in universities would normally consist of a TOEFL or IELTS score. However, even when the entry level requirement is fulfilled by students, they are not acquainted with the terminology that is technical for a subject area specialist. Difficult time is faced by international students while reading because of lack of familiarity with English vocabulary, a weak understanding of complex syntax, lack of background knowledge in a subject and lack of equivalent words between English and their native language (Mertin, 2013). Criteria of language which is the only thing achieved by the students, studying in English, especially at the level of master’s, can result stressful and onerous. The language entry requirement which is pass by the international students and the independent study was problematic for the international students required at a very early stage of the

Before we begin, it is very important to understand the difference between an official language and a standard language. An official languages is one that is adopted by the government for document and business purposes, this would be most native people’s second language; one that the government sees as advantageous and necessary. Most of the time a standard language could also be referred to as the native language; a common language that the high majority of citizens use to converse outside of the government. Currently there is a major push to be bilingual, to the point where countries are adding or changing the official language(s). Countries that were presented and are using English because of government ordained laws are Kenya, Zambia, The Bahamas, Jamaica, New Zealand, Ireland; an extremely minimalistic representation the total amount of countries with English as an official language. Almost every other country, especially China and India, have their students studying English. It is advantageous for further education, business, and

Nowadays, English is the global and technology language. English play an important role in the world and it works like a passport because it has improved a lot and became the language of technology and the language of internationals. As result, most of people developed based on English language through global businesses. In all over the world there are many opportunities that changes people life to make it better and its English language. There many non- English speaking countries that uses English as a second language and they teach subjects like science and mathematics and etc. in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) to provide more opportunity for their development.

English as we know it is indeed the dominant language, but does that mean everyone should learn it? Should English be the global language? Should you have to know English to communicate if you are someone that lives in a place where the native language is something different? The answer is no. However, first you must consider the statement “It is a fact that English is the dominant language in the world today. Everyone, in every country, in order to participate in the modern world, should learn English. After all, a language is just a random collection of words, so how hard can it be”. Personally, I believe it is tremendously difficult to learn a new language as an adult, but in order to make the world go round, we all should know more than one language; no one language should rule. Barbara Wallraff, David Crystal, and John Tagliabue share a few words that connect to the statement to show their personal mindset behind English being a global language. In this essay, I will extract statements from each of the authors that explain their views on a global language to support my overall perception.

With the rapidly development of English, English becomes a lingua franca in the world. English language is spoken by over1.5billion people around the world (“Mufwene, S.”, 2010). Non-native speakers are far outnumber of native-English speakers which means that many people who come from different backgrounds and different native language are using English as a common language for communication(“Mufwene, S.”, 2010). In other words, English have an important position today; it affects more and more people use it as a common channel for communication or in the aspect of sharing academic information. However, although English has many advantages, it is threatening to the position of other languages in the world, for example, some languages are facing

For all immigrants and refugees, language is an important tool in their new society for economic and social progress. To help non-English speaking immigrants in their road to success, English as a second language (ESL), became inseparable program for almost every colleges and universities in America. Increasing number of immigrants and refugees, from non-English speaking nations, requires more and more studies to identify challenges that these students encounter in their ESL education. Native language and culture of these newcomers were fixed subjects for studies and researches for many years. According to Niranji, Pathirage, Morrow, Walpitage and Skolits (2014) “international students often face several challenges due to cultural differences as well as psychological issues during the transitions”. Learning a new language is not a simple process; it is a complex procedure of development and transition which includes learning/adopting another culture and connecting with new society.

Learning to speak another language other than English is a highly debated subject in regards to education. Language in itself is an essential tool to everyday living,from whimsical conversations to important business meetings. Words have the power to inspire and change the world, but not everybody can understand the same words. There are hundreds of languages spoken around the globe how do we know which to speak? We can’t be certain. Therefore, it is not advantageous for English speakers to learn another language, there are too many languages for one to be exceptionally useful, and other countries are quickly learning English.

Over the last half century, the internationalisation of higher education has become a priority for many countries particularly in Asian regions. This has had a significant impact on the use of English as a medium of instruction worldwide. The following essay presents an overview of how English is used in higher education institutions in both Malaysia and China. It aims to assess why English holds such importance within their education systems which this will be done through the studying of implemented government policies and student/academic staff experiences.

Over centuries, the English language has evolved from the roots of other ancient languages including: Latin, the Germanic languages, French, even Greek. Their influences are clear to see in its vocabulary and spoken dialects, which have also adopted words into its lexicon. Most of the aforementioned have their complexities, causing difficulties for students and scholars to learn as second languages. However, English is a much simpler language to comprehend due to its limited inflections and familiarity of spoken and written words. Thus, it has become the lingua franca for people around the world and is taught in the classrooms of most non-native speaking countries. As we can see in most areas of international business and education, the dominance of English is growing at a rapid pace that

One of the main advantages of studying English is that it vastly increases the career prospects and employment opportunities of students. One of the arguments in favour of speaking in English is that it virtually removes communication barriers. It is doubtless that it will be difficult to communicate with foreigners when the languages are different. English is therefore well-regarded as the lingua franca to ease international communication. As a result, miscommunication can be avoided and it can eventually assist companies to save cost and minimize wastage of time. (Mydans, 2007). Other than this, English is certainly the primary language of global trade and commerce and tourism sector. In many countries, most of the tourism authorities and other officials who are in contact with public prefer to speak English for interaction and also to engage with tourists and immigrants. (Wil,

In this globalized world, learning an extra language other than their native languages is almost essential for every individual. Although the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world, the need to promote a national language is widely held in the country as requisite for the promotion of a national identity, a President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, D.C, Terrence Wiley states (Wiley, 2014). However, English is not considered as an official language, which creates an opportunity for the citizens and immigrants to not only study English, but also inherit their mother tongues and learn other foreign languages as well, particularly during the secondary education. Additionally, “globalization in the economy and politics have profound consequences for language policies in education” (Wiley, 2014). High schools in the United States value diversity in language classes and support students learning more than one language to foster better communication with people around the world.

Nowadays, English language has become one of the most important languages in the world in which we need to learn and to teach in order to communicate effectively with others from all over the world. Al-Jarf (2008, cited in Alhaysony, 2012) indicates that about one million students are learning English worldwide, which highlighted the importance of English teaching and learning for academic purposes. Graddol (2000) states that English Language "is the main language of books, newspapers, airports and air traffic control, international business and academic references, science, technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions and advertising". Accordingly, we can say that it is important for students to learn English language effectively to achieve a good level which will help them to success in the relevant fields that depend on their good use of English language.

Globalization has also contributed to an increasing interest in English-language education worldwide. In response to the emergence of English as a world-linking, global language, an increasing number of schools have stepped up English–language requirements, even at undergraduate levels. The argument is that a universal teaching language is necessary as a natural consequence of globalization.