john hajek university of melbourne afmlta 2013 1

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Snapshots from the edge: Australia, languages, languages education and the Asian/Global

CenturyJohn Hajek

University of Melbourne

AFMLTA 2013

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Life in the Anglobubble: how it affects us and how we can change

it

John HajekUniversity of Melbourne

AFMLTA 2013

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RUMACCC (Research Unit for Multilingualism and Cross-cultural communication) http://rumaccc.unimelb.edu.au/

LCNAU (Language and Cultures Network for Australian Universities) www.lcnau.org

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to highlight how pervasive Anglocentrism limits the way we see, experience and understand the world and how we devalue multilingualism/language success

How that same Anglocentrism limits the success of languages education in our schools and social multilingualism

Some good news, bad news and some ideas

PS you have permission to LAUGH!

A random collection of thoughts, snapshots and vignettes

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You will now see an apparently random series of face shots

Can you identify them?

Most (but not all) share a common characteristic. Can you work out who they are and what it is?

They will reappear later in the presentation

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Is English good/bad for us? English as no.1 = privilege and blight

3 major consequences for native speakers:

The Monolingual Mindset The Anglobubble

Language cost-benefit formula is totally skewed.

The cost of linguistic success as L1 English speakers is so low that there is no understanding of the real cost to achieve the same for L2:

Result: chronic underinvestment and inadequate policy re language education and bilingualism in the wider societal setting

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The greatest impediment to recognizing, valuing and utilizing our language potential is a persistent monolingual mindset. Such a mindset sees everything in terms of monolingualism being the norm, even though there are more bi- and multilinguals in the world than monolinguals (Clyne, 2005)

What is the monolingual mindset?

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This is that part of the world, with a concentration of monolingual English speakers, that operates in English, thinks it only natural that everything should happen in English and should logically be experienced and understood in English.

English is often said to open up the world for you. There is good evidence that for L1 speakers it easily hides it from them.

The Anglobubble

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So what happens when you combine monolingual mindset with the Anglobubble?

A few examples…..

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‘Let’s ditch the study of languages’

The new national curriculum will, after establishing Italian and Chinese, also teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Why?

Can't someone explain to the bureaucrats and educators that this is a massive waste of time and resources?

English, as anyone who regularly travels will tell you, is the universal language of business, diplomacy and entertainment.

(Steve Price, Herald-Sun, February 2011)

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How the monolingual mindset fails to tell the truth, the whole truth…. "Poorer schools outshine the rest"

The Australian 28 November 2009

Richmond West Primary punching above its weight

Highly disadvantaged – starts well behind. By Yr3 90% meet NAPLAN minimum but still below average.

By Yr5 well above the state average (in English!)

What's their secret? How does it get reported?

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How do the Anglobubble and monolingual mindset combine to affect the way we look outside at the wider world?

The next slide contains a league table

Warning (Australians only): Australians may be upset to find that New Zealanders are higher on the table.

Good news (Kiwis only): we know we always perform better than our neighbours over the Ditch. Please get streamers ready.

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Other than your native language, how many foreign languages do you understand well enough to conduct scholarly research?Global Survey of International Relations Academics

None One Two Three or moreAll 22 37 26 14Brazil 0 4 46 50Finland 0 14 43 43Denmark 0 24 29 47Norway 0 28 51 21Argentina 0 33 30 37France 0 39 37 24Sweden 0 39 39 21Colombia 0 49 43 9Hong Kong 0 50 40 10Turkey 0 56 30 13Mexico 1 32 45 22Israel 4 54 25 17Singapore 15 45 25 15Canada 23 38 27 12Ireland 24 38 34 3South Africa 26 35 30 9US 30 39 22 9UK 31 34 23 12New Zealand 33 28 28 11Australia 49 35 10 6

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Group A Group B

Denmark Greece Finland Ireland Germany Italy Luxembourg Portugal Netherlands Spain Sweden UK

What you can't see from inside the Anglobubble: 2 Europes

Extra questions: Which of all these countries has the biggest trade deficit? Budget deficit? Language deficit?

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The Anglobubble isn't all bad: it did give us this

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English is not enough! 94% of the world's population do not speak

English as their first language 75% of the world's population do not speak

English at all World languages don't last

(remember Bladerunner?)

New challenges and challengers

Shift already occurring – on the web & outsourcing

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How the Anglobubble cuts us off from the rest of the world?

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It can be dangerous to speak another language in the Anglobubble – when coupled with the monolingual mindset

and politics…..

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What's wrong with Mitch Romney?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuzu6iS036Q

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An Australian example

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We have to talk about Kevinhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bro4mkb_VKc

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Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has accused Labor leader Kevin Rudd of being a show-off who can't hold himself back from breaking into Chinese.

  "He likes to show off, and you get that a bit with certain

people in life," he told ABC Radio today.

Mr Downer says Mr Rudd is not the only person in Australia who can speak another language.

"There are thousands upon thousands of Australians, there are tens of thousands of Australians, who can speak foreign languages and most of them don't bother to show-off about it," he said.

'Rudd a show off' says DownerNov 6, 2007 The Age

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Gotye: Somebody I used to know

415 million views. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY

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The Anglobubble disconnect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVckoz0fM_Q512 million views

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Gangnam Style: is this the start of the Asian Century?

1,7 billion views so farhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

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It’s been coming a long time

(More likely the Global Century)

Various policy initiatives:

NALSAS and now NALSSP

Australia in the Asian century?

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As language teachers we do our best in difficult circumstances, we really do….

Teachers get blamed for a lot of things. But it's not your fault, as language teachers

in schools, if recent federal policy initiatives in favour of Asian languages and studies have not been successful – most recently NALSSP (2008-2012)

Some good news! Kind of…..

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Decline in Asian language studies parents' fault, says Education Minister Peter Garrett, The Australian, August 12, 2012

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(1) Chronic underinvestment (2) Excessively low and excessively high

expectations + unachievable outcomes (3) Misguided policy and failure to

implement what policy there is (e.g. principals have a critical role here)

NALSSP = less than $1 p.a per Australian = cost of one dim sim (steamed or fried) White paper? Gonski report?

Why languages aren't thriving in our schools

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Expectations and investment: What is official language policy for

European Union citizens? (How many languages? Which languages?)

What's so special about education in Finland?

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Need to improve supply in schools AND demand in schools and in society

Well funded public campaign matched by proper resourcing in schools + application of policy

One solution: Language champions – just like sporting, media, business champions – as powerful role models

Solutions

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We need to take Hollywood and subvert it for our own purposes:

We take rich, beautiful, globally known stars of film and TV – people we watch, admire and aspire to imitate….

And we use them as role models and language champions

Star power to transform social attitudes and practices

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What's so special about Mila Kunis?

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What about Bradley Cooper?

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Sandra Bullock?

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A nationally funded reality program to give direct experience of the world beyond the Anglobubble

Survivor – principals and policymakers

Leave them in sites around the world. Compass, penknife, $10 and a list of challenges

Here's an idea for a new TV program

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How to convince business we're onto something with language champions?

We need to find a champion who crosses the business/entertainment divide

A rich, powerful CEO of a global company with international profile and real staying power – someone that even Gina Hancock might listen to (….not Rupert Murdoch!)

Back to our champions

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This is that person: Queen Elizabeth II, CEO of the Firm (UK and member states of the Commonwealth are wholly or partly owned subsidiaries)

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FIN