Multiculturalism

Estudios Interculturales en Lengua Inglesa I -  ISFD 41 

LESSON # 3

Welcome to a new lesson !

During this lesson, we´re going to explore the topic of MULTICULTURALISM and we are also going to read and analyze a poem by the British writer Benjamin Zephaniah. Shall we get started?

 

Let´s begin by first exploring the concept of multiculturalism, two related theories and a few examples...

 Follow THIS LINK to learn about multiculturalism  

READ the information and find the answer to the questions below. 

01

How can MULTICULTURALISM be defined?

02

Explain the "Melting Pot" theory using your own words.

03

Explain the "Salad Bowl" theory using your own words.

04

Which of the two theories do you adhere to? Why?

05

Go through the examples provided on the web page and pick up, at least, one for each theory.

REMEMBER to take down notes of all your own anwers in your e-Portfolio!

DID YOU KNOW?

Britain has always been a multicultural society...

In the Bronze Age, Neolitic migrants travelled across Europe to Britain. They were followed by the Celts, the Goths, the Romans, the Saxons, the Vikings and the Normans. Many people came to Britain as slaves and servants. Others came in search of work or food, or because they were forced to leave their own country. 

Today many asylum seekers go to Britain in the hope of a better life for themselves and their families. If you trace back far enough, you will find that everyone in Britain has origins somewhere else.

(Source: World Around, by Maria Cleary)

 

This is Benjamin Zephaniah, one of the most popular contemporary British poets, novelists and playwrights. He was born in England on 15 April 1958, and grew up in Jamaica and in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, which he called the ¨Jamaican capital of Europe¨.

 Click here if you want to learn more about Benjamin´s life and work.

 

LITERATURE CORNER 1:

 ★·.·´¯`·.·★ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀɪᴛɪsʜ ★·.·´¯`·.·★

(serves 60 million)

Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.
Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.

Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.
Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.
Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.
Leave the ingredients to simmer.
As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.
Allow time to be cool.
Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.  

Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.

Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.

 A)  Look at the statements below. Tick the ones which match your understanding of what the poet is saying in THE BRITISH. 

Try to find lines from the poem to support the statements.

1.            All people should be treated with respect.

2.            It takes time for people to live in harmony.

3.            We have to work at getting along with all kinds of people.

4.            Throughout history the population has changed.

5.            Everyone is equal.

6.            It's exciting to live in a multicultural society.

7.            Benjamin Zepaniah is passionate about justice and equality.

 B) The Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Normans all came to Britain hundred of years ago. What point do you think Benjamin Zephaniah is making by including them in the poem?

C)  The poem looks like a recipe:

1- What words/phrases and/or other features in The British make the poem look like a recipe?

2- Make up a list of those words/expressions and look them up in the dictionary.

3- Why do you think Zephaniah decide to write the poem in this way?

D)  And now,  watch a group of British teenagers (and Benjamin Zephaniah too) recite the poem! Pay special attention to how the different nationalities are pronounced and practice saying them out loud!

 

This is all for today!

Grace

LESSON # 1 _ English

   VIRTUAL LESSON # 1   

"ENGLISH has evolved from a language spoken by a few people into the most widely spoken language in the world."

 Ok, but.... how and why did this happen?   ⚿ 

In this first lesson, we´re going to learn about the origins of English and the reasons why it became such a powerful language in the world today?

Let´s get started ....

• How much do YOU know about the English-speaking world?
• Do you know how many people in the world speak English?
• Which, as far as you know, is the most spoken language in the world today? And the most widely spoken and learnt language?

Let´s start by taking a look at the many countries in the world where English is spoken, at least , by more than 1 million people. 

It goes without saying that English is not the first or native language of all these people, but it plays an important social, cultural or educational role in many of their countries.

⏩⏩ Let´s watch a short video clip to learn about this ...

English has become a global language.There´s no doubt about this now! Although it is not the most spoken language in the world today (Mandarin Chinese is first on the list mainly because the number of Chinese people; that is, Mandarin Chinese is  basically spoken as a native language by Chinese people in China), it is the most widely spoken and learnt language in the world! The video is quite clear about it! What´s more, English is spoken as a first language by people whose countries are very powerful, and this makes it a very powerful language as well. 

As lingüist David Crystal once said, "the power of a language does not depend on how many people speak it, but on who those people are." What do you think?

WATCH the first video and:

✎Write down the countries you hear. How many did you count?

🔉  Practise reading them out loud. Easy? Difficult?  Which one did you find the most difficult to pronounce? Were any of the countries unknown to you?

✎Which continents do these countries belong to? Try to locate all these countries in a world map? Doing this will help you understand how English spread all around the o

WATCH the second video:  

https://youtu.be/WZI1EjxxXKw

1- David Crystal says that power means different things at different times. Which types of power does he refer to? 

2- According to him, why did English become a global language?

---

In reference to the first video I posted, it is important to understand that the role English plays in all those countries is definitelynot the same.  English can be a first language; it can be made an official or semi-official language in places where it is not a first language; or it can just play an important role in business and/or education where English is a foreign language.

 In 1985, an Indian linguist called Braj Kachru studied the different Englishes spoken in the world and developed the following three concentring circles to show them.

Global Englishes (Kachru 1985)

Included among Inner Circle nations are countries where English is spoken as a first language (L1). Englishes in the Inner Circle, such as UK and USA, are often the model for other Englishes to follow. 
Outer Circle nations are countries where English is often an official language, mostly the nations which were previously colonised by Britain. Therefore, these nations usually develop distinctive varieties of the norms of English, e.g. India, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. 
Expanding Circle nations, e.g. Thailand, Japan, Nepal, etc. are those where citizens learn English as a Foreign Language and English does not serve a crucial communication functions within the countries (Mooney & Evans, 2013, p. 200). 
In many environments, the pronunciation of expanding-circle Englishes is often characterized by a mixture of the innercircle accents (British and American), and also derived from the speaker"s mother tongue.

To start thinking...

To which of these concentric circles does Argentina belong to? Why?

What is the difference between English as a first language, English as a second language and English as a foreign language? 

Over to YOU

Before watching

English has evolved from a language spoken by a few people into de most widely spoken and learnt language in the world. 

Watch this last video to see how this happened...

After watching 


 +Take down notes of, at least, three new things you did not know about English and have now learnt. 

✚ Find out the meaning of the term "lingua franca". Had you ever heard it before?  

 ANSWER:

1- English is the language of preference in many different situations. Which ones are mentioned in the video? Name them.

2-According to the information we get from the video (bare in mind that the figures presented in this video may have already changed....), how many native speakers of English are there in the world today? 

3- How many people use it as a second language?

4- What´s the estimated figure for non-native speakers of English in the world today? 

You can go over the contents of this first lesson as many times as you need during the week. I suggest you complete this first lesson little by little. Do not try to do everything together. 

Last but not least, don´t forget to register the most important activities  in your e-PORTFOLIO.

Bye for now!

Grace  😊