Spotlight - 11.2019

16 Spotlight 11/2019 LANGUAGE SPECIAL

Technology in the classroom

Technology is driving changes to the way

English is taught and learned. Chia says

trends include blended learning (com-

bining digital media with more tradition-

al forms of teaching), mobile learning

and “gamification” (use of apps, games

and phone-friendly language software).

Embodied learning, based on the idea

that learning is not just about memory,

but also involves active learning through

collaborating, discussing and exploring, is

increasing in importance, too. “Learners,”

says Chia, “need to be emotionally, intel-

lectually, physically and socially engaged.”

English for your career

Relating English studies

to learners’ career develop-

ment is an important trend

in English language teach-

ing (ELT), says Andy John-

son of the London School

Online. He notes that most

students learning English

in the UK, and an increas-

ing proportion of those

teaching it, are millennials. Born since the

1980s, they have grown up with the inter-

net, social media and mobile technology.

English learning, therefore, tends to incor-

porate technology and encourage social

connectivity and peer feedback.

A question of character(s)

Another interesting development is the

use of images in online language. June

2019 marked a milestone for the Oxford

English Dictionary (OED), when for the

first time it incorporated pictorial emojis

from social media as a source of illustra-

tive quotations. Examples included emo-

jis for “love” ( ) and “pride” ( ).

“Some have questioned whether the

increasing development and adoption of

emoji pictograms, which allow speakers

to communicate without the need for

language, mean that we will cease to com-

municate in English at all ;-)” suggests

Simon Horobin, professor of English lan-

guage and literature at the University of

Oxford. He also points to the increasingly

abbreviated forms of online English.

“Whether you or h8 such words, think

they are NBD or meh, they are undoubt-

edly here to stay,” he says.

The evolution of the English language

sees a constant movement of words in

and out of common use. The meanings of

words are changing, too. “Less” has come

to replace “fewer”; “literally” now means

anything but its original definition; and

“fantastic” no longer lies in the realms of

fantasy. LOL and YOLO are in; “ought”,

“whom” and “shall” are out, while “can”

and “should” survive.

How does the future look?

English as an international asset

“The English language is perhaps the

United Kingdom’s greatest and yet

least-recognised international asset,”

wrote Mark Robson, director of English

and exams for the British

Council, back in 2013.

English-language learn-

ers worldwide are divided

largely into two groups:

speakers of English as a

foreign language (EFL)

and learners of English as

a second language (ESL).

Generally, EFL speakers

use English now and again

for business or pleasure

purposes, while ESL speakers use English

on a daily basis. English is frequently used

as a common tongue for business and cul-

tural exchanges between nations where

it is not the primary language. China, for

example, currently has more speakers of

English as a second language than any

other country.

Will English keep its global domi-

nance? Possibly not, suggests Simon

Horobin. He believes that automatic

translation software, such as Google

Translate, will eventually replace Eng-

lish as the means of communication em-

ployed in the boardrooms of international

corporations as well as government agen-

cies.

Gaston Dorren, author of Babel: Around

the World in 20 Languages, thinks that ad-

vances in technology are likely to lead to

the development of a “Babel chip” which

could translate and transcribe without the

user ever having to learn the language.

“[Learning languages] will still be valu-

able for all sorts of cultural and psycholog-

ical reasons, but the majority won’t both-

er,” Dorren told news.com.au. He believes

that English could develop into so-called

“Globish”: a more simplistic form of glob-

al Anglo-American English.

(Continued on page 19)

abbreviated

[E(bri:vieItId]

, abgekürzt, Kurz-

asset [(Äset]

, Gut, Stärke

boardroom [(bO:dru:m]

, Vorstandsetage

cease [si:s]

, aufhören

embodied learning

[Im(bQdid (l§:nIN]

, ganzheitliches und

lebenslanges Lernen

eventually [I(ventSuEli]

, irgendwann

illustrative [(IlEstrEtIv]

, anschaulich

literally [(lIt&rEli]

, buchstäblich

LOL [lQl] ifml.

, Abkürzung für

„laughing out loud“

meh [me] ifml.

, (völlig) egal-

NBD [)en bi: di:] ifml.

, Abkürzung für

„no big deal“

peer [pIE]

, Kollegen-

quotation [kwEU(teIS&n]

, Zitat

realm [relm]

, Reich

YOLO [jQlQ] ifml.

, Abkürzung für „you

only live once“

Will

English

keep

its global

dominance?