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Effects of English Imperialism on Australian Classroom

The spread of English language across the world can be viewed to have a close relationship to linguistic imperialism. In Australian context, the Aboriginal English is threatened by unending growth and assimilation of globalization and English language. Intuitively, the spread of English have continued to marginalize Aboriginal English since the language is regarded as the gatekeeper to employment, education, popular culture, and business opportunities. Principally, although the spread of English is critical within the Australian classrooms, it has caused numerous threats and it is regarded as a major concern to the education fraternity across the country.

             A major concern against the linguistic imperialism in Australian classroom is that the wider spread of English has continued to weaken the right of Aboriginal English and to marginalize available opportunities for widespread multilingual education in various classrooms across Australia. Essentially, Butcher (2008) contended that linguistic imperialism has accompanied the economic and political desires of English speaking countries to take over other countries in terms of what is being taught and learned in classrooms. This endangers cultural ideals, ways of life and Aboriginal English in Australian classrooms thereby hindering learning.

            Collectively, linguistic imperialism has been a critical issue within the Australian classroom because it has perpetuated myths regarding the necessity and significance of learning English and in making sure that English overpower the teaching of Aboriginal English in the country (Harrison & Sellwood, 2016). For this reason, Modiano (2001) recommended that there is need for drastic change in language policy to address the balance and to foster multilingualism that depicts the more natural situation of Aboriginal English in Australian classrooms.

            Linguistic imperialism is a critical issue in the Australian classroom because it makes instructors to feel unnecessarily guilty on teaching English and implementing a patronizing attitude towards improving the economic development of a country by assuming that they  cannot make their persons choices regarding their language choice (Purdie et al., 2002). Moreover, linguistic imperialism ensures that the body that formulates and provides a compact English program and dictates assessment norms and designs tests accordingly. To succeed in these tests, the indigenous learners are required to not only master the linguistic standards established by the center but also the English culture (Sharifian, 2008). These learners are expected to copy English patterns of language culture and use to excel in the classrooms tests and assessments. Nonetheless, given that aboriginal learners are unlikely to fully assimilate linguistic imperialism requirements, their performance in these assessments are greatly hindered.  As such, using Aboriginal English in various learning classrooms across Australia are questioned because the tests often focus on the demands and requirements of linguistic imperialism as opposed to Aboriginal English (Watts, Gardner, & Mushin, 2017).

            In conclusion, the spread of English language across the world is pervasive because it is strongly linked to the ideals of politics, education, science and technology, economics, as well as Aboriginal English. As such, fierce resistance to linguistic imperialism is required to deal with the diffusion of English in classrooms across Australia where it leads to inequalities and power imbalance. In situations where English is not the native language and that is not used by a larger population, learners should be allowed to appropriate English to fulfil their purpose, thereby adding to a wealthier language repertoire. For this reason, English language professionals within Australian classrooms should play a critical role by using Aboriginal language in their pedagogical practices. In particular, they need to teach ideological domination and bring on board approaches to validate aboriginal English.