Cruel English.

English Education.

1)     Importance of English.

 The minister of education in Korea highly emphasized English education. In addition, with the start of MB administration, the president Lee Myeong Bak also insisted that he will support English education. It is hard to deny that English is important language. These days, English is most powerful language and it is an also universal language.

 With the fast globalization, we now contact with many different countries cultures and people. To communicate with them, it is crucial for us to use English since it is used as common language. Also to adjust this globalization, many firms and business markets in Korea highly focus on English. When they hire employees, they want to see their TOEFL scores that verify the English abilities of worker.

2)     English as Barrier.

 I already mentioned in upper paragraph. These days, English is used as cutline. If a person who does not have enough English scores, he or she cannot get a job. As Patricia Ryan said, however, is it proper to make a barrier with English? I do not think so too.

 She gives us very interesting example.

Case in point, Einstein. He, by the way, was considered remedial at school because he was, in fact, dyslexic. But fortunately for the world, he did not have to pass an English test. Because they didn't start until 1964 with TOEFL, the American test of English.

However, these days require many English tests. If Einstein had to take English tests before he studies science, was he able to become a famous scientist as we now know? Now we are able to know, this barrier, English ability is restricting many intelligent professionals. It is great loss that we cannot be educated and learn from them because of English.

For using their knowledge their linguistic ability is unnecessary.

3)     English as a slaughterer

 Now the most important part is that inflow of English deters the development of domestic culture. We have to differentiate real globalization and Americanization. We are adopting not a diverse cultures but only English. With the cultures of English using countries. Can we then nominate this occurrence as “globalization”.

 When English enters to one nation, it does not come alone. In other words, it brings their culture and icons such as Coca cola, Mcdonalds. (that represents the English culture especially United States.) When it enters with other cultural aspect, nation’s own cultures cannot be maintained.

 There is no diversity with English dominated globalization. To make really globalized world, we have to cooperate and respect differences between cultures with tolerance. However, now a day, it shows the monopoly of English with devastates all of diversity.

 It may be important to have English as communication language. In addition, it is necessary for communication with other languages. However, although importance of English is significantly great, we do not have to change our language as English.

 The most important thing for us is maintaining our own cultures and languages. Without strong understand in our culture, it is hard to escape from monopoly of English.

 In the modernization era, Japanese reformer planned to change their mother tongue as English to make their country as developed country with faster adaptation of Western culture. However, many intellectuals such as professors and teachers of Japan objected.

 They insisted.

 “Japanese represents not only language but also Japan’s spirit.”

After 100 years have passed, now MB administration in Korea wants to make English as our common language. Why don’t we argue like Japan that they had insisted before 100years.