Cultural Linguistic Pluralism and the Problem of Motivation

Jacobson, Rodolfo

doi:10.2307/3585493

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…If this point turns out to be true, then it implies that, as Widdowson (1994) rightly pointed out in a discussion of the ownership of English, language teachers are reasonably advised to raise the learners" awareness of the fact that non-native speakers" rights can also be acknowledged in this regard, too. Similarly, previous research has also already suggested that what Standard English is to be freed from its association with what has been called "white man"s talk" in the literature (Jacobson, 1971). To sum up, the associations of acculturation language production outcomes, which represent some of the practical and policy value of acculturation theory and research, also warrant closer study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Acculturation Model in an EFL Context: Learners’ Attitudes towards Target Language Accent vs. L1 Accent

Sa’d

Modirkhameneh

2015

GEMA Online

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According to Schumann"s (1986) Acculturation Model, accent acts as a means of the learner"s identification with either his/her mother tongue culture or the target language culture and affects his/her effort to learn English as a target Language. Taking up a critical stance, the present study, thus, aimed at investigating the role that learner attitudes and beliefs play in the language that learners adopt in their mother tongue (MT) or the target language (TL) (i.e., English) accent when speaking English in an instructed foreign language setting. The participants consisted of 213 Iranian male elementary EFL learners, aged 12 to 19 years. The data were elicited using a questionnaire consisting of both close-ended and open-ended questions, and were, furthermore, triangulated through focus-group interviews and class observations. The questionnaire required the participants to voice their opinions freely regarding the accent they assumed and preferred when using the target language and the reasons for their preferences. The findings revealed that 81.3% of the participants displayed strong preferences for the TL accent (i.e., English) while only 18.7% of the participants privileged speaking English with their MT accent. The rationale for the TL accent preference was found to be composed of nine categories with "intelligibility", "beauty and effectiveness of TL accent", and "resemblance to native speakers and avoidance of mockery" cited as the most primary reasons. On the other hand, the major reason for assuming a MT accent was to reveal one"s identity through the MT accent. The study therefore highlighted the strong inclination among EFL learners to acculturate into the TL culture through assuming its accent.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Acculturation Model in an EFL Context: Learners’ Attitudes towards Target Language Accent vs. L1 Accent

Sa’d

Modirkhameneh

2015

GEMA Online

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“…Smith is one of the more recent scholars to forward such a particularly lucid example of the antagonism towards Standard English, but Smith"s argument is notable and potent because the authors suggest changes to the mechanism of testing. 4 Under no circumstances am I casting aspersions through this argument on the scholars or research conducted around the colonial aspect of teaching Standardized English; however, reconciling the suggestion to dilute Standardized English with other dialects does seem to stand in opposition to some of the principal skill sets employers seek. In the "Report of The National Commission on Writing for America"s Families, Schools, and Colleges" generated by College Board in September of 2004, writing was recognized as a ""threshold skill" for both employment and promotion, particularly salaried employees."…”

Section: Linguistic Context For Standard Englishmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The survey considered 120 major American corporations that represented almost eight million workers. The term "writing" 4 There is a veritable cavalcade of scholars who attack standard English. Consider Andrea Sturzuk"s ""The Standard Remains the Same": Language Standardization, Race, and Othering in Higher Education" (2015) or the recent research of Canagarajah (2006a), Canagarajah (2006b), Shohamy (2006).…”

Section: Linguistic Context For Standard Englishmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To deepen the point, one might ask not only 2 Rodolfo Jacobson in his 1971 article "Cultural Linguistic Pluralism and the Problem of Motivation" lends insight into the early incarnations of this argument that has yet to be resolved: "The knowledge of Standard English is necessary to function successfully in our society; and if Standard English is freed from its unjustified association with "Anglo speech" and "white man"s talk" and is merely considered a standardized tool of communication, no harm can possibly be inflicted to the learner"s self-image nor can its enforcement be considered a construct of white racism." (265) [4]. In some ways, the positions adopted on either side of the debate seem to have calcified over the years, lending themselves to a certain kind of intractability in the argument.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Cracking the Code (Meshing and Switching): Standard English as a Required Ticket to Influence

Beehler¹

2020

IJIET

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Scholarly debates about Standard English in the 1970's were, in part, instigated by the 1969 Task Force on Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English. Committees like this one charged by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) gave rise to such scholars as Rodolfo Jacobson, Patricia Cunningham, and James Sleddall of whom considered the role of Standard English in classrooms and possible consequences of white supremacy tethered to Standard English. The debate over Standard English and its position in composition classes has evolved over the decades since the 1970's, but the anxiety associated with Standard English has never been extinguished or even fully addressed. Recently, the 2019 College Composition and Communication Conference (CCCC) keynote address, delivered by Dr. Asao B. Inoue, served as a call to action wherein Dr. Inoue encouraged colleagues throughout rhetoric and composition to abandon Standard English. This response considers an excerpt of Dr. Inoue's speech and then ultimately refutes the argument that Standard English should be abandoned. Indeed, such a practice could very well harm first and second generation students, effectively isolating and marginalizing the most vulnerable groups in American universities. Standard English has played an historically seminal role in American universities and broader society, and that roleacademically, economically, and sociallycontinues to reinforce the underpinnings of accurate communication in current American and international communities.

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“…Motivation. My recent study (Jacobson 1971b) discussed aspects of motivation-as they relate-to -the pluralistic society in which we live. I tried there to show the close relationship that exists between what our students call "relevancy" and the problem of motivation.…”

Section: Call For Relevancymentioning

confidence: 99%

An Inquiry Into the Relevancy of Current English Instruction

Jacobson

1972

Language Learning

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Any innovative curriculum to be designed for the training of English teachers in urban schools should consider at least two basic assumptions: (1) Black English is a linguistic system in its own right and, (2) current English instruction fails to motivate the child toward his school subject because of the lack of creative programs in most American schools. A number of descriptive and historical aspects of Negro non‐standard English are discussed, and, in a plea for greater relevancy, various motivational factors regarding current English instruction are examined. Finally, an appeal is made to create more interdisciplinary programs in order to help future teachers acquire appropriate attitudes and gain motivational and methodological insights, in the expectation that this would contribute toward the solution of some of our most urgent problems in urban education.

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Cultural Linguistic Pluralism and the Problem of Motivation

Cited by 3 publications

References 7 publications

Examining Acculturation Model in an EFL Context: Learners’ Attitudes towards Target Language Accent vs. L1 Accent

Examining Acculturation Model in an EFL Context: Learners’ Attitudes towards Target Language Accent vs. L1 Accent

Cracking the Code (Meshing and Switching): Standard English as a Required Ticket to Influence

An Inquiry Into the Relevancy of Current English Instruction

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