Series 3, episode 3: Do I need to sound like a 'native speaker'?
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 Glazunova, Fajarudin Akbar and Cristiana Osan 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.
Show notes and transcripts in English and Arabic are available to download at the bottom of this page.
How to listen
You can download the episode below or listen on the following platforms:
You can also search for 'British Council: TeachingEnglish' wherever you get your podcasts, or paste the following URL into your podcast platform: https://feeds.captivate.fm/british-council-teach/
Don't forget to subscribe!
Production team
- Hosts: We'am Hamdan and Chris Sowton
- Producer: Elizabeth Dyer
- Executive producer: Kris Dyer
Are you enjoying the podcast?
Tell us what you think about this episode in the comments below!