key concepts in e l t

The non-native speaker teacher

Ali Fuad Selvi

Non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) have tended to be

conceptualized within E LT along the same lines as NNS in general. The
second language acquisition literature traditionally elevates an idealized
native speaker above a stereotypicalized nonnative, while viewing the
latter as a defective communicator, limited by an underdeveloped
communicative competence (Firth and Wagner 1997: 285). The resulting
(in)competence dichotomy positions the NNS/NNEST as a deficient or less-
than-native speaker (cf. near-native, Valdes 1998). In an attempt to
solve this problem, a number of alternative terms have been suggested,
for example proficient user (Paikeday 1985), language expert (Rampton
1990), English-using speech fellowship (Kachru 1992), and
multicompetent speaker (Cook 1999). However, the field is still a long way
from reaching a consensus about whether to adopt any of these labels.
Debate about this issue is particularly important in the realm of teaching
and learning English as an International Language (Jenkins 2000; McKay
2002). In this context, NNS are estimated to outnumber their NS
counterparts by three to one (Crystal 2003), the ownership of English is
shared by all its speakers, regardless of their nativeness (Widdowson
1994), and 80 per cent of English language teachers worldwide are thought
to be NNESTs (Canagarajah 2005). Nevertheless, N N E S Ts are often
accorded lower professional status than native English-speaking teachers
(NESTs) (Mahboob 2010). It is widely accepted that the presence of native
speakerism (Holliday 2005) of this kind in the English language teaching
profession leads to unprofessional favouritism in institutions, publishing
houses, and government agencies (Medgyes 2001: 433), frequently also
resulting in unfair employment discrimination (Selvi 2010).
Phillipson (1992: 185) refers to such unethical treatment of qualified
N N E S Ts as a result of the native speaker fallacy: a prevalent assumption
that the ideal teacher of English is a NS (ibid.). Using the NS as
a benchmark for teaching employment in this way can cause NNESTs to
suffer from the I-am-not-a-native-speaker (Suarez 2000) or impostor
syndrome (Bernat 2009), leading to negative consequences for their
teacher persona, self-esteem, and thus their in-class performance as well.
Consequently, the global E LT enterprise has been criticized for positioning
the NS as the ideal English teacher and thereby creating a false dichotomy
between N E S Ts and NNESTs (Moussu and Llurda 2008). The need to go
beyond the NS as a benchmark in English language learning and teaching

E LT Journal Volume 65/2 April 2011; doi:10.1093/elt/ccq092 187

The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
 has therefore been widely argued for in the field (Braine 1999, 2010
Mahboob op.cit.).
Subscribing to the dominant either/or discourse (i.e. NEST or N N E S T) in
this area has also been seen as problematic because it attempts to establish
a direct causal relationship between language proficiency and pedagogical
practices (Braine op.cit.). Such discriminatory attitudes have led the US
TESOL organization to adopt two position statements (TESOL 1992,
2006) opposing such discriminatory practices. As a result of such
initiatives, the E LT field is now moving towards a more encompassing
both/and discourse (i.e. NEST and NN EST) that embraces the strengths
and limitations of both teacher populations in various teaching settings
(Matsuda and Matsuda 2001). This reconceptualization enables
cooperation and collaboration that can foster more educationally,
contextually, and socially appropriate English language learning
opportunities (Mahboob op.cit.). As a result, on a micro level, learners of
English as an international language can gain access to a wider
sociolinguistic and intercultural repertoire (McKay op.cit.). On a macro
level, it lends further support to the establishment of a professional milieu
that welcome[s] ethnic, racial, cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity
(Selvi 2009: 51).

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188 Ali Fuad Selvi

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The author
Ali Fuad Selvi is a PhD candidate in the Second
Language Education and Culture programme at the
University of Maryland, U SA. He is the current
President of the Washington Area Teachers of
English to the Speakers of Other Languages NN EST
Caucus. His research interests include the global
spread of English, second language teacher
education, and issues related to non-native English-
speaking professionals in E LT.
Email: alifuad@umd.edu
189