ABSTRACT
English is the quintessential language of power. Its rise as a global language has been driven by power of the rawest kinds-military, economic, political, and cultural-and in today’s world command of English offers its users more utility value than any other language. The question I will examine in this chapter is what responsibilities this reality suggests for English teachers, especially native speakers of English from Inner Circle1 nations. In particular, I will discuss the responsibility of two distinctive communities of teachers: (1) those in the professional ELT community, as embodied by organizations based in Inner Circle nations such as TESOL (Teachering English to speakers of other languages) and IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language); (2) those who are Christian and perceive their English teaching as a form of Christian mission, whose community is embodied in Western Christian groups that engage in English teaching. Below I examine ways in which these two communities have been involved in creating and sustaining the dominant position of English, and I suggest that this involvement gives both communities a special responsibility to respond to the dominance of English. I also suggest that, for both communities, uncritical acceptance of the dominant world role of English is incompatible with important strands of their ethical traditions. Finally, I suggest that one response of both communities to the power of English should be increased commitment as individuals and as professional communities to the principle that English teachers, especially those whose first language is English, should also be language learners.
