GE as a Paradigm Shift in English Language Teaching, Learning, and Use

Some people may argue that GE does not actually represent a paradigm shift, that it's really nothing more than a natural extension of communicative language teaching (CLT) because the focus is on helping users become more effective communicators. While there is some truth to this, there are also ways that a communicative approach still operates within the grasp of native-speakerism and traditional ELT (for example, “authentic tasks” are based on native speaker norms and situations where users are expected to adapt themselves to the cultural rules in a native-speaking country).  

In contrast, GE offers a clear alternative to the ideology of native-speakerism. In their GELT framework, Galloway and Rose summarize the differences between the two paradigms as follows: 

The information in this graphic was shared with us by Heath Rose, and represents a recent version of Galloway & Rose’s GELT framework.

We believe that GE represents a new paradigm because:

• GE recognizes that use of Englishes is fluid, not static (that is, every encounter may involve different uses of Englishes, and each person’s Englishes evolve over time).

• GE recognizes and appreciates that all Englishes are equally valid in global interactions.

• GE eliminates the need to differentiate between native speakers and non-native-speakers of Englishes, by focusing instead on effective GE users who cooperatively accommodate one another.

• In GE, learners focus on effectively communicating and developing relationships, instead of worrying about accuracy based on a native-speaker standard, which, as Lippi-Green points out, is “an abstracted, idealized, homogenous spoken language" (2012, p. 67).

• Materials for learning in GE classrooms will change from being native-speaker focused to being focused on GE values. Instead of having listening samples from users who are predominantly native speakers of the standard variety, GE materials will provide exposure to users of Englishes from around the world, and will highlight that there are many equally valid ways of expressing the same information or ideas.

• GE represents a change in how we assess users’ success, which could affect not only classroom assessment, but eventually also standardized proficiency tests.

It may take time for this paradigm shift to happen across the globe, but we believe it’s an inevitable part of the evolution of how people teach, learn, and use Englishes.

Native Speakerism and Standard Language Ideology

Why does GE advocate against native speakerism and the ideology of focusing on a native-speaker standard as the “correct” version of English? 

The main reason is that these ideologies have resulted in (a) the privileging of native speakers from a few specific countries and, as a result, (b) the marginalization of everyone else as inferior users.

These ideologies have permeated every aspect of English language teaching, learning, and use. We outline some examples of this in the table below:

We acknowledge that some students have the goal of wanting to use English like a “native speaker”. For many, this may be a totally valid goal, and we believe it is not our place to push these students to change that goal. At the same time, we also believe in raising students’ awareness of the issues connected with GE, native speakerism, and standard language ideology so that they are well-informed about the goals they choose and how they approach learning and using Englishes.

The ideas presented in this section came from and were influenced by the following sources: Galloway & Rose (2015), Harding (2019), Harding & McNamara (2018), Holliday (2006), Lippi-Green (2012), Matsuda (2012), McKay & Brown (2016), Rose & Galloway (2019), and Rose et al (2020). If you are interested in reading more, you can find them on our References & Links page.