DiscoverBritish Council - Teaching EnglishDo I need to sound like a 'native speaker'?
Do I need to sound like a 'native speaker'?

Do I need to sound like a 'native speaker'?

Update: 2024-04-04
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Welcome to episode 3 of series 3 of our podcast. In this episode, we ask the question: do I need to sound like a 'native speaker'? After discussing what we mean by native and non-native speakers of English, we have a conversation with Professor Jenny Jenkins, emeritus professor of Global Englishes. Jenny argues that 'native English' is a loaded and problematic term and she draws on her experience of ELF – English as a Lingua Franca – to provide a more useful understanding of English proficiency. Later in the episode, we hear from some of our TeachingEnglish Facebook community members, who give their opinions on the topic. Thanks to Maria GlazunovaFajarudin Akbar, and Cristiana Osana for their contributions. Finally, we speak with Ana Jović, English language teacher and consultant, about native speakerism and its impact on language learning and teaching. Ana highlights the need for educating parents, students and teachers about the myths surrounding English speakers in ELT.

Download the show notes and transcripts in English and Arabic.

Comments (2)

Sarah Kitty

This episode was excellent! I think as a native speaker from a country not counted among the big 5, it felt good to know we don't suffer alone, and there is dialogue happening. Bravo!

Nov 18th
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𝐅.𝐆𝐇

💯💯💯

Apr 26th
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Do I need to sound like a 'native speaker'?

Do I need to sound like a 'native speaker'?

British Council