Dear Editor,
The use of English will be a powerful tool for social interaction with other speakers in and outside the classroom. It will also help in organizing cultural discussions associated with the language. Why English? English, as the main language of instruction in schools, would have the advantages of engaging students in a variety of English productive skills. It would provide the perfect opportunity to hear different voices in the classroom. The classroom and the community are the social environment allowing the use of natural authentic languages.
English brings the study of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics out of the classroom to the community, where people will be able to communicate in Standard English. It plays a huge role in computational linguistics, where the use of computers can make the teaching and learning English fun in all schools, and the workplace. The use of English will identify speakers in the language of semantics and pragmatics, where users can link outside language to the grammar of English.
Many students in schools want to communicate in good English. They want their English to be good enough to allow them to travel and communicate effectively in the language. The official languages of the United Nations are English, Chinese Mandarin, French, Russian and Spanish. English is now becoming the leading language of the United Nations. The most widely spoken languages of the world are: English with over 1,000,000,000 speakers. Second, Chinese Mandarin, approximately 1,000,000,000 speakers, Third, Hindi about 900,000,000 speakers, followed by Spanish and French with 450,000,000 and 125,000,000 respectively.
Dutch is the minority with a little over 20,000,000 speakers. Lesser and Greater Antilles groups official languages are English. Some people of the Windward Islands group speak local French Patois. English is the native language of most Caribbean ancestors. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious awards given for intellectual achievement. The United States and the United Kingdom are the English-speaking countries with the most winners of the prizes.
There are many English universities around the world catering to English-speaking students than any other. Many countries around the world have their own version of English. They are as follows: Australian English, African English, American English, British English, Caribbean/West Indian English, Cantonese English, Filipino English, Dutch English, Korean English, and Vietnamese English, just to name a few.
Many English words are built from Latin, Greek, French, Dutch and Spanish prefixes and suffixes roots – making the English Language the most widely spoken language globally. Grammar and use: Lexis, colloquialism, jargon and cliché can be used in English to introduce new foreign vocabulary and phrases to the native speaker. Aircraft pilots must be able to communicate in English apart from their own language, if not English. Medical doctors who want to practice medicine in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom must be able to speak English.
People in banking, the Courts, stock exchange market, the police, army and navy must be able to communicate in good English. Many Professional Examinations are conducted around the world in English to cater to the need of students and adults out of colleges and universities. There are plenty of opportunities for people whose mother tongue is not English. The language of instruction for all schools should be English because more native speakers of the language occupy the classes.
Dutch, French, and Spanish should be optional languages. More emphasis should be put on English because of its role in world affairs, science and technology, global trade, banking and medicine. In summary: English teaching is the way to instruct students, teachers, and the community in achieving higher level learning and better career choices for brighter future.
Joseph Harvey
