Plain talk

By Mursi Saad El-Din

The use of English as a universal language is not something new, considering the number of countries who are members of the British Commonwealth, and of course the United States. Whenever there was a problem in selecting a language of officialdom in multi-lingual states such as India, English was invariably chosen.

Here in Egypt we have been the target of both the French and the English languages and, at one time, it was difficult to say which of the two would prevail. Now one can say that it is English that has managed to edge French out of Egyptian culture and education. Advertisement for jobs are continually placed in the Egyptian press stipulating that applicants must have a fluent command of English. This has resulted in a rush to schools and universities, as well as to branches of the British Council, as ever-growing numbers of students register for language courses.

Having said this I would like to add that I have just discovered a newly-formed organisation called Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. This is a professional organisation for teachers of English and all those involved in English language teaching all over the world. It was originally an American organisation but now has chapters in many countries. Recently an Egyptian chapter was created by the indefatigable Omneya Kassabgi, the executive vice-president of the Career Development Centre.

Egyptesol, as the Egyptian chapter is called, aspires to "enhance the status and professional development of its members" in all areas of English language teaching, keeping them up-to-date with the latest developments in the field. It also provides its members with a forum for debating issues that affect the English language teaching profession, as well as raising awareness of global issues among its members, offering opportunities for networking and communications.

In America the organisation publishes a journal and a quarterly magazine. The former publication deals with practical issues such as classroom inquiry and research, teacher preparation, literacy/biliteracy curricula, policy issues and methodology. The issue I have in front of me contains articles with titles such as "Rethinking Empowerment: The Acquisition of Cultural, Linguistic and Academic Knowledge". It deals with the serious issue of immigrants who find themselves in a different culture, in this case the Chinese in America. The article stresses the relationship between language proficiency and power and how a knowledge of language facilitates the settlement of the immigrant.

Another article, which I found of particular interest, concerns using a narrative approach to teaching beginners.

The other publication, The Quarterly, targets researchers and includes a number of interesting papers. One which attracted my attention, "Literature and Language Teaching", uses one of my favourite poems -- William Blake's "The Tyger" -- as text. The article is based on the fact that literary texts are rich sources of classroom activities that can prove very motivating for learners, since they "encompass every human dilemma, conflict, and yearning".

I may sound over-enthusiastic about this new organisation, but as a believer in the value of foreign languages, especially English, I cannot but welcome such a group. I hope that it will attract as many teachers as possible, helping them to raise professional standards and the status of this noble profession.