In this chapter, I reviewed perspectives on globalization as represented in the recent writings of applied linguists. One alarming finding of this brief survey is that few applied linguists find it necessary to specify their take on such a complex issue before discussing what they see as its causes or consequences.
While this reluctance to go into the specifics may be in part due to the spatial confines of the conventional academic paper, it may also indicate a lack of familiarity with the specifics themselves, especially in the area of economics, a field discussed in depth in mainstream writings on globalization but generally ignored by applied linguists. In addition, most of the applied linguists that address this dimension of globalization do this in uniformly negative terms, in the process revealing rudimentary understanding of the subject and often offering the sovereign nation state the unequivocal support it hardly deserves.
More worryingly, this dismissive approach to the specifics – and especially the economics – of globalization suggests that the factual basis of the phenome-non is seen as self-evident. Evidently, given the breadth of viewpoints repre-sented in this review of the recent literature, no such consensus exists. In fact, the field of applied linguistics is overall very catholic in its perceptions of what matters about globalization.
This is especially apparent in the range of approaches taken by applied lin-guists to globalization as it relates to language spread and language teaching, two areas where, naturally, they are more convincing than when discussing (or avoiding) economics. Here, the coverage ranges from fears of linguistic hegemony and the downgrading of local vernaculars to a view of English as having a positive influence on local settings because – ironically – this very
influence generates resistance and may in fact work towards revitalizing at-risk cultures and languages.
Another area where the recent writings of applied linguists demonstrate both vitality and breadth is that of the impact of globalization on culture.
Though the theme of cultural homogenization preoccupies many, others ques-tion the widespread view that it is invariably in the interest of corporate forces to impose their cultural practices on less powerful societies. Instead, they argue, cultures – corporate or otherwise – will inevitably adapt as they come into contact with other cultures and will be best served by modifying their practices to suit local preferences, even if their ultimate motivation is purely commercial.
Related to the theme of adaptation is the notion of cultural hybridity, a process by which the identities of groups as well as individuals gradually become detached from ethnicity, geographic location or nationality and are able to shift across overlapping cultural territories in an effort to adapt opti-mally to shifting social conditions and opportunities. While the dislocation involved in these shifts creates undeniable tensions and difficulties, this loos-ening of traditional links between culture and identity also has liberating potential because it offers a hitherto remote chance of imagining existence in ways less tightly connected with the past. Given that for many in developing societies that past was often cruel, applied linguists concerned with redressing social injustices and contributing to raising living standards among the poor-est should welcome – as many do in their writings – the role of globalization in this liberation.
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In Singapore, the need to participate in a globalized economy has prompted a move towards a more pragmatic view of language. This can be seen in the government’s attempt to assert the economic value of the local languages, offi cially known as
‘mother tongues’. The mother tongues originally contrast with English in a narrative where they are treated primarily as repositories of cultural values and thus assigned to a domain (the traditional and cultural) that is distinct from that assigned to the latter (the economic and technological). This chapter explores the factors motivating the government’s shift towards a discourse of linguistic instrumentalism, as well as its consequences, and ends by suggesting some possible general features of linguis-tic instrumentalism.
Introduction
According to Heller (1999a: 5), the need to participate in a globalized economy creates a situation where ‘the ability to cross boundaries’ and the ‘construction of new global, international norms’ are especially important, and this has led to the ‘old politics of identity’ being increasingly abandoned ‘in favour of a
Chapter Outline
Introduction 31
The language policy of Singapore 33
Linguistic instrumentalism in Singapore 35 Some features of linguistic instrumentalism 40 Conclusion 42 Notes 43 References 43