THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH

BY DAVID GRADDOLBritish Council MalaysiaPDP 4 ELT B2 – Penang B3

WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH?

WHAT PREDICTIONS DO YOU THINK DAVID GRADDOL MADE ABOUT THEM?

People who only speak English... Abdul: People who speak English and no other language will find it difficult to learn other

languages. Chia: They will be left out in many things especially technology advancement and career

opportunities. They will face social problems. They will have communication problems. Lim: People who speak English and no other language will be at a disadvantage as

they're not marketable. Rasidah: Native English Speakers who only speak English will be at a disadvantage but

the English language will develop and evolve with time. Yeoh: People who speak English and no other language may lose their places in our

globalized world. They will face communication problems in their jobs, business, studies, etc.

Balamurali: People who speak only English is at a disadvantage. Other languages have been gaining  influence in the last decades.

Chai: People who speak English and no other language will not survive in other countries where English is not spoken and they will face miscommunications now and then. They might not even catch up with others as their worldwide knowledge might be restricted.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

English teachers... Chia: They will face technology challenges. They will have difficulties dealing with students,

especially the Z and Alpha Generations. English teachers will have to adopt & adapt the lessons creatively and innovatively to teach the language in the most simple and yet interesting way. Not only that, they will also have to come up with repertoire of strategies & methodologies to make English learning workable and meaningful to the students.  

Rasidah: The number of English teachers will increase.

English in schools... Chai: This is important, indeed. Students are encouraged to learn and speak more than one

language in this modern world, a digital world and English is definitely prominent to play its role. Most gadgets are in English and even the websites like games. Without English, most things can’t be done. That is why our Ministry of Education had announced that all SPM students, F5 should pass their English subject in order to obtain the SPM certificate.

WHAT PREDICTIONS DO YOU THINK DAVID GRADDOL MADE ABOUT THEM?

FUTUROLOGY

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology & English... Lim: About 80% of the world's social / digital media users will

share & communicate in English. Rasidah: Mandarin Chinese will be used in technology because

there is a lot of new technology coming from China.

WHAT PREDICTIONS DO YOU THINK DAVID GRADDOL MADE ABOUT THEM?

YOUTH CULTURE

English in India and China... Rasidah: There will be more people speaking English in India

and China.

WHAT PREDICTIONS DO YOU THINK DAVID GRADDOL MADE ABOUT THEM?

PREDICTIONS

Were you able to guess some of David Graddol’s predictions?

REFERENCE

Graddol, David. (1997). The future of English. The British Council. Available at http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-elt-future.pdf