Obasa Gbolabo
USER ID: 10-320157
ITTT Dip TESOL – Summative Test
29th November 2021
IS THE CONFLICT OF IDENTITY AN INHIBITOR (AFFECTIVE FILTER) TO THE
AUTHENTIC USE OF TARGET LANGUAGE (ENGLISH) SOUNDS BY A SECOND
LANGUAGE LEARNER?
KEYWORDS: Conflict of identity, Affective filter, Perception, Authentic use of sounds,
Code Switching
ABSTRACT
While it has been established that “one of the key factors in fluent writing is the order of
information within the sentence” ¹Tony Lynch and Kenneth Anderson (2013, page 20),
good communication(tive) skills underscored by a sound command of thought and
grammar are therefore essential, but competence is not judged exclusively by them. A
fluent, authentic demonstration of the grasp of the sounds of a target language (for
example, English) by a second language learner has a way of tipping the odds in favour
of the one who wields it. This reality is as potent and evident among native speakers of
English at it is among speakers of English as a second language because as an example
²“Posher accents cast an interviewee in a better light”.
It is what is responsible for the term ³“Mockney” among native speakers of English.
This term is used to describe those who wish to sound more acceptable, by identifying
with certain sociolinguistic inference that cockney conveys. It’s just that “Mockney”
speakers do a bad job of cockney and that attracts the rebuttal depicted in a name that is
coined from mockery and cockney. Even the first female Prime Minister of the Uk
Margret Thatcher, was famously claimed to have taken voice training classes. It is
simply a social reality that using a perceived standard accent confers some privileged
status on its speaker.
For speakers of English as a second language however, the quest to speak “posh” or
Standard English is even more daunting. One of the reasons for that is obviously the
insufficient or in many cases, the absence of exposure to authentic sources of the
English Language. Another one is the many English accents that the second language
learner is faced with having no prior understanding of which is standard or not. The
third, which is the main focus of this essay, is the historical sentiment that finds a strong
basis in cultural identity, creating an emotional impairment that inhibits the second
language learner’s openness to accepting the naturally different sounds of the target
language, English.
In many cases the perception of the second language learner is so heavily steeped in the
patriotic feeling for his first language (L1) that efforts to speak the target language is
inhibited by the notion of being forced to take up another identity. This even happens
in some cases, to people who live among native speakers. This inhibition - deeply
rooted in cultural Identity works as ⁴an“affective filter” Krashen (1985) against internal
motivation. It is the attempt at investigating how this situation can be ameliorated that
this work is committed to.
INTRODUCTION
When the film Black Panther was released, it became an instant commercial success.
One of the reasons was its appeal to the African identity and heroism. A prominent
feature is the use of the supposed Wakanda accent. It was patterned after the South
African ⁵Xhosa accent/language.
That however, is not the focus of this argument. The focus is that the lead character
King T’challa, played by the late Chadwick Boseman was an American. Most of the
other characters were mainly Americans but had to be trained in the same linguistic
traits that depicted everything totally different from their original, natural American
accents. Although, not completely perfect, the Artistes achieved sufficient realism that
not only brought to light an overwhelming support, popularity and acceptance by
many people of colour, especially Africans. It achieved the idea of the “Integrative”
aspect of Language and motivation which according to ⁶Gardner (1979) is a “positive
attitude towards a group” and the potential of “integrating into that group”.
It is also a situation where people of similar sociolinguistic identities accept you and
identify with you. It is needless to say therefore that, that culminated in one of the
reasons for the commercial success of the movie. The instrumental function of language,
equally propounded by ⁶Gardner (1979), again finds fulfillment in that same project. All
of these owing to one fundamental reality that these artistes have been able to
demonstrate the capacity to code switch and code mix which is essential to the notion of
having overcome “affective factors/filters” and inhibitions that limit one’s capacity to
accept and use the peculiarities of a target language without losing touch with your first
language. It evokes the Input Theory argument of i+1 according to ⁴Krashen,(1985). You
do not need to become someone else, you only add to what you have acquired.
The implication of a cognitive capacity that realistically imbibes the phonetic elements
of a second language as demonstrated by these artistes to achieve acceptance,
integrating with diverse audiences is a vista that needs to be explored and exploited to
the fullest extent for the immense potentials it promises for communicators in general
and second language teaching modules.
Maybe we need to redefine personal/cultural and national identity and rework the
mental, emotional suppositions, sensibilities that may negatively inhibit potential
capacities of the human person to transcend the hold back of nativism such that
communicators can really be “engaged” introduced to “study” and then be genuinely
“activated” as in the ESA method to be their best improved original selves, liberated to
own any language with reasonable, sustained exposure to acceptable standards instead
of being holed up by an unyielding, de-motivating nativism priding itself as cultural
identity.
APPROACH TO RESOLVING THE CONFLICT OF IDENTITY AS AN INHIBITOR
TO A SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNER’S USE OF AUTHENTIC TARGET
(ENGLISH) SOUNDS.
I owe the approach to attempting a resolution to the ESA methodology, the Input
Theory of ⁴Krashen (1985) and the extensive works of ⁷Clement R et al (1980) and the
arguments of ⁸Daniel,(2011) In perception. It is important to state here that any
individual or language must never be denied their sense of originality. Speaking a
second language should not be channeled in that wise. For the reasonable integrative
argument and appeal of ⁹Gardner et al(1977) demonstrated in the impressive skills of
the artistes referred to in the introduction, it stands to reason that may be, it is time for
second language teachers to invest more in the emotive part of language research as
propounded in the ESA approach. The part that addresses the sense of identity and
personhood more than ever. From the immensely available research into other aspects
of language learning: grammar, intonation, sound structure, vocabulary development
etc, I am often baffled by the level of linguistic (in)competence of many professionals
because their grammar is often impeccable but their pronunciation of words is
catastrophic to say the least. The argument by many is that they wish to maintain their
cultural identity. While they have full rights to that, I believe a situation in which
intelligibility is disturbingly compromised leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
I also think it is an indication of insufficient motivation and/or an insufficient exposure
to the realities and benefits of transcending such linguistic/communicative limitations.
Imagine if the cast of Black Panther were so inhibited in their cultural identity that they
developed such mental crisis and could therefore not achieve the linguistic feat in code
switching as seen in that production! We would not have had such a successful piece of
art work. It also suggests the losses of many in their professional practice.
The thought being developed suggests that people sound the way they sound mainly
because they choose to and not because they cannot sound differently. It bothers on the
concern of identity and the crisis it is likely to trigger when people are exposed to
languages other than theirs. Their patriotic feeling for their mother tongue seems to be
the main issue. It is not necessarily any impossible impairment or limitation. It further
suggests that with sufficient motivation, exposure and practice, anyone can improve on
their speaking skills especially in their oral production.
I will like to further capture this argument of cultural identity and the emotion motif
and its tendency to create a clamour/crisis for inhibitive linguistic attitude by referring
to the identity politics that changed Bombay back to Mumbai. While not disagreeing
with the change, it underscores the identity war that created the adulteration of the
name from Mumbai to Bombay and the eventual counter identity clamour that
reinstated the rightful indigenous pronunciation of the name. It is described in the
¹ºJournal of Asian Studies (2012:1178) as “identity politics”, “demagogic” “populist”. It
is basically a fight to maintain an identity. Where I seek to draw a balance however
bothers on “How should we actually define ourselves?” This is because it seems to
create an internal ideologue that is self persuading which unfortunately is self limiting
too.
Should we be so regionalized in our perception of personhood that we sacrifice the
promises of the integrative and instrumental advantages that we stand a better chance
of getting or gaining?
I believe an informed opinion will answer in the negative. It therefore goes back to how
best to win the emotional war that is tied to identity.
THE HISTORICAL/COLONIAL PERSPECTIVE
A strong point of argument for many is the supposed imposition of the English identity
on non-native English speakers. In the words of ¹¹Miriam Durrani (2012:4), in her
Article: Banishing Colonial Specters: Language Ideology and Education Policy in Pakistan
The advocacy was,
“…we cease the perpetuation of language policies informed
by colonial-era, and thus colonizing, discourses. Rather we
must understand contemporary language practices
of teachers, students, and families and then it may be
possible to propose more contextually appropriate
and empirically grounded language policies based on
these practices” (Emphasis mine).
The candid aversion to any presentation of the colonial element is unarguably
without pretence in this reference. It is safe to suggest that such feeling is not
exclusive to the Pakistani region but with emerging populist/nationalist leaning
(exemplified in the quoted text) in different parts of the world, the sentiment
expressed in the reference is wide spread. If communicative competence, ¹²Hymes
(1972) extends beyond linguistic competence ¹³Chomsky (1965), then the features of
communicative competence: Linguistic competence which include grammar and
sounds, Sociolinguistic competence, Discourse competence , Strategic competence –
capacity to recognize and repair communication breakdowns, ¹⁴Pyros Armostis
(2013), must be adhered to in a bid to see how nationalist language agitators and
intellectuals contribute to the discourse that has affected language policies that have
also generated a contention between sounding authentic when speaking a target
language, in this case, English and then imposing the indigenous linguistic traits of
mother tongue on target language, in this case again, English.
By the foregoing, we can probably guess why the idea of identity creates such an
affective filter to the mastery of the authentic sounds of a second language. People
are trying to keep their cultural identities. The question is, if maintaining your
identity makes you impose your indigenous traits on a second/target language, are
you not equally guilty of neo-colonisation?
If the Yoruba is fighting neo-colonisation and says “teet” instead of “teeth”, and the
Indian says “wery vell” instead of “very well”, then our fight against colonisation is
an indictment against us all. This is in addition to the problem of communication or
the lack of it that is generated by the level of or the obscured intelligibility that is
created by such nationalistic quest to speak regional variants of whatever we speak.
So the British who anglicised “Mumbai” to “Bombay” were only precursors to the
“Hindunisation”, “Yorubanisation” or the “Pakistanisation” of English in the name
of maintaining a cultural identity.
WHERE PERCEPTION, ESA METHOD, THE INPUT THEORY COME TO PLAY
According to Liang Chen-ling ¹⁵(2014), “Krashen’s (1985) “affective filter
hypothesis,” SLA can be affected by the affective variables: “selfconfidence,
motivation, and anxiety” (as cited in Lightbrown & Spada, 2006, p. 37).”
I am going to attach the cultural identity concern discussed so far as to the notion of
motivation in the quote above. Motivation or the lack of it could also, arguably be
the consequence of a wrong perception based on a re-inforced idea of English as a
colonial language therefore creating an affective inhibitor to learning, accepting the
sounds of English. Interestingly, this could be the problem we all face with other
languages too – the desire to keep our regional identity.
This is why the ¹⁶ESA methodology – Engage, Study , Activate teaching method
will be deployed because if its capacity to appeal to the emotional part of a learner of
English as a second language. This is not to “cajole” but to create motivation and
unlock the receptive part of such emotion to learning.
I will attempt to deploy an original perceptual table where a learner moves from a
native identity to a professional one; where their personal identity is not lacking in
indigenous content but they are motivated enough to commit to solutions – meeting
the need of their audience at grammatical, semantic,
sociolinguistic, phonetic
levels. Where such a person sees themselves as not just a tribe or nationality but a
trained, skillful one, un-inhibited by “de-motivating affective filters”.
THIS TABLE IS CALLED THE S.T. E. P TABLE/PRINCIPLE
-
SOVEREIGNTY
-
TRANSFERENCE OF ALLEGIANCE
-
EXPOSURE TO AUTHENTIC MATERIALS
-
PRACTICE
Second language learners should be motivated enough to be willful in
stepping out of inhibitive regional identities or sensibilities.
4. PRACTICE
3. EXPOSURE to Authentic Materials
2. TRANSFERENCE OF ACCEPTANCE to T.L
1. SOVEREIGNITY of all Languages
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. SOVEREIGNTY of all Natural Languages – The unpretentious presentation of
natural languages as being equal in linguistic value and originality needs to be
an established cannon in second language learning. The notion of an official
language over a so called “vernacular”, exploitatively deployed to de-motivate
speakers of a natural language should be critically done away with. Krishan’s
input theory - i + 1 might well evoke a pattern of language learning that makes
the learner realize, he is adding to his linguistic prowess and not denying his
cultural origin where a professional(learner) = a native + training: p/l=n+t.
where i+1=p/l=n+t. This should be the foundation of motivation.
2. TRANSFERENCE OF ALLEGIANCE OR ACCEPTANCE – Language learners
should be motivated such that they will not be embarrassed to accept and speak
the sounds they are exposed to. This is in line with one of the rules of
orthography “Say what you hear”.
3. EXPOSURE: Language teachers should endeavor to prove the authenticity of
their modules by an uncompromised exposure of their classes to authentic
materials ONLY and consistently too.
4. PRACTICE: Repetition and practice will help mastery.
I believe E for ENGAGING in an E.S.A class by arguments such as I have suggested
will help counter the emotive inhibitions that bother on identity
and then provide
some level of emotional assurance devoid of the attempt at imposing another culture
or identity on the learner of such target language.
CONCLUSION
A person’s cultural identity is a crucial part of personhood. It is important for
confidence and social function as against dysfunction. This social function includes
but is not limited to speaking, especially with the mastery of target language sounds.
This can however be impeded by unresolved perceptual misconceptions that can
lead to inhibitions in accepting and using the sounds of a second language
competently. This is where motivation comes in. according to ¹⁷Corder (1967)
“Given motivation, it is inevitable that a human being will earn a second
language…”
One of the best ways of achieving that is to willfully deal with the likely conflict that
may arise between the mastery of the sounds of a target language and being true to
yourself. This is based on the potential gains of such a stance.
Second language teachers and learning modules should be deliberate in being
neutral and transparent in letting students understand the equality/sovereignty of
natural sounds as used by natural languages. Good investment should be made in
motivating students especially with exposure to authentic materials and resources.
Instructors and instructions must be unambiguous in relating to a second language
learner that the experience is more of self improvement and never that of self denial.
___________________________________________________________________________
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