The Voice of a Native Speaker in the Land of | Nonnative English Speakers |

Few studies, however, have examined imagined communities available to both native and nonnative speakers of English or to native speakers only.. Pavlenko 2003, for example, examined what

The Voice of a Native Speaker in the Land of Nonnative English Speakers

KEIKO K SAMIMY

The Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio, United States

䡲 Marginalization of nonnative-English-speaking (NNES) professionals and students has been well documented and is receiving increased at-tention in the field of TESOL Braine (1999), for example, noted that NNES professionals have reported experiencing discrimination in their

employment, student evaluation of their teaching, and lack of visibility and voice in the profession In addition, NNES students have experi-enced feelings of marginalization or nonparticipation (Leki, 2001; Nor-ton, 2001; Morita, 2004), in part because some TESOL practices may unconsciously reinforce Western cultural hegemony (Norton, 1997) by unwittingly undermining or silencing the voices of nonnative speakers of English (NNESs) Furthermore, Norton (2001) asserts that learners’ nonparticipation might be understood to constitute a disjuncture be-tween their imagined communities and the teacher’s vision, which in turn can have a negative impact on their learning

Thus far, several studies have dealt with imagined communities avail-able to NNESs (Leki, 2001; Morita, 2004) Few studies, however, have examined imagined communities available to both native and nonnative speakers of English or to native speakers only Pavlenko (2003), for example, examined what kind of imagined linguistic and professional communities are available to 44 pre- and in-service English language teachers (24 American students and 20 international students) in an MATESOL program The participants’ linguistics autobiographies re-vealed that they belonged to three imagined communities: (a) a native speaker community that “portrays standard English as the only legitimate form of the language and monolingual native speakers—who are also implicitly white and middle class—as its only legitimate speakers and

‘owners’” (p 257); (b) a nonnative/second language (L2) learner com-munity that portrays L2 learning as a never-ending quest for an elusive

NS competence (p 259), and (c) a multilingual/L2 user community that provides alternative discourse to the first two communities and focuses

on learners’ multilingual competence and legitimacy as L2 users rather than L2 learners Pavlenko reported that some students continued to work within the framework of the native speaker community or L2 learn-ers community, and some students decided to reposition themselves to join the multilingual/L2 user community

The ratio between American students and international students in Pavlenko (2003) was almost evenly distributed What would happen, however, if one American student was placed amid primarily interna-tional students? What kind of imagined professional communities would she or he choose to identify with? What factors might contribute to her

or his choice of community? The current study explores the trajectory of one native speaker’s identity development in a land of nonnative speak-ers by exploring the following research questions: How does a native English speaker (NES) situate herself in a community of nonnative speakers? How does her identity as a native speaker evolve? What kind of imagined linguistic and professional communities are available to her? Because NES students are rarely a minority among NNES graduate stu-dents in a TESOL graduate program, this study provides an unusual

opportunity to explore the power dynamics between a native speaker and nonnative speakers in that particular context Another significant contribution is the emic perspective made available through the native speaker’s experience in terms of her identity trajectory Such insights could inform both NESs and NNESs to reimagine together more col-laborative and mutually empowering English language teaching (ELT) professional communities

METHOD

Context and Participants

As a way of providing different ways of communicating (Ellsworth, 1992) that nonnative speakers can use to address their experiences with discrimination, marginalization, or oppression without offending or em-barrassing native speakers in their classes, a graduate seminar for NNES professionals was established in 1997 at a large midwestern U.S univer-sity It aimed to raise both NES and NNES professionals’ collective con-sciousness concerning the status of NNES in ELT practice, and to em-power NNESs as ELT professionals through their participation in critical dialogue The seminar was titled “Seminar for Nonnative-English-Speaking Teachers,” and it attracted mainly NNES students who were enrolled in either a master’s or doctoral TESOL program In spring of

2002, however, an NES student, Olivia (pseudonym), decided to join the seminar

The seminar was an elective, and met for two and a half hours each week for 10 weeks The class comprised 23 graduate students: one NES and 22 NNESs The NNES students’ academic backgrounds were varied, and included TESOL (M.A and Ph.D.), drama (Ph.D.), and global edu-cation (Ph.D.) I, the researcher and the instructor of the seminar, am a Japanese female who was interested in issues related to NNES

profes-sionals We used two main texts: Non-Native Educators in English Language

Teaching (Braine, 1999) and The Other Tongue (Kachru, 1992), as well as

selected journal articles (e.g., Cook, 1999) and online materials (e.g., Kamhi-Stein, Lee, & Lee, 1999; Matsuda, 1999/2000)

The current study is a single case study of a White American female student who had 2 years of ESL teaching experience with K–12 students, and who was teaching ESL for adult refugees in a midwestern U.S city at the time of the study

Sources of Data

I chose to use a case study approach to provide “holistic” and “context sensitive” descriptions of a case (Patton, 2001, p 447; see also Stake,

2000) The study aimed to describe the world of a native speaker as she saw it in the context of an NNES seminar Data for the study were collected from two sources, which included the instructor and the NES student, Olivia The instructor kept a reflective journal throughout the seminar as a participant-observer; and with her permission, a second data set came from Olivia’s responses to online interactive dialogues, her final class project, and online interviews with the instructor

Analysis of Data

I analyzed the data using two methods in tandem One method, which

is based on “data reduction and interpretation” (Marshall & Rossman,

1989, p 114), seeks to identify emergent patterns, or themes, which are then compared with patterns or themes outlined in the extant literature The other method entails looking for causal links and/or explanations (Yin, 1989) To ensure the trustworthiness of the study, I used member checks, which led me to exchange several e-mail messages with Olivia to elicit her feedback regarding my analysis and interpretation of the data

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

Olivia’s Initial Struggle to Gain Entry to the

NNES Community

When I first met her, Olivia struck me as a very friendly and sensitive person who was eager to learn Although the seminar was initially de-signed to deal with issues specifically related to NNES professionals, I saw the opportunity to have a native speaker in the seminar as a welcome change However, contrary to my initial nạve enthusiasm, Olivia re-ported experiencing feelings of exclusion and bias from her classmates,

a fact she attributed to her status as a native speaker of English In her journal she wrote:

On the first day of the course when I introduced myself and confirmed the group’s assumption that I was the only native English speaker in the room, I asked them not to hold it against me What was my purpose in saying that? Just minutes before making that self-introduction I had en-tered the classroom and was confronted by a NNES classmate who seemed confused or upset about my being there She questioned why I was there and declared that the course was for “nonnative” professionals and clearly I am not a nonnative I replied that I hadn’t heard being a nonnative was a requirement for the course and that my advisor had suggested the course to me (Olivia’s Journal, April 5, 2002)

During her self-introduction, feeling self-conscious about being “the only native speaker in the room,” Olivia informed the class that she wanted to take the seminar because she felt that she could learn a great deal from her classmates, all of whom were NNES professionals, espe-cially in terms of ESL learners’ strategies and their cultural backgrounds

At the end of the first class meeting, Olivia noted that, “as it turned out, a different classmate responded that he wished ‘there were more Olivias here.’ Others came to me after class to welcome me and voice their interest in hearing my thoughts throughout the course” (Olivia’s Journal, April 5, 2002)

Despite her somewhat rough initiation to the land of NNESs, Olivia felt comfortable enough to stay in the seminar In fact, a few weeks later, she noted that she felt accepted and “perhaps even a little bit overly self-assured that I would find my place easily in the scheme of the course” (Olivia’s Journal, April 19, 2002) However, her self-assurance soon be-came shaky:

One classmate posted an email that mentioned a student confiding in her that she understood exactly what [the students] don’t understand, but that the NS teachers did not Braine (1999) supports this claim, stating that “as [students] become better acquainted with qualified, compe-tent, non-native teachers, students often clamor to be in their classes, knowing that the non-native teachers better understand their language problems.” Reading these comments put me in a place that had previ-ously been foreign to me: I stood alone questioning what strengths can I offer and what connections to my future students will I be able to foster

if I don’t understand them? I felt defeated I realized that I would never

be able to truly possess the empathy of knowing the struggle that comes with learning English as a second language The trait I had long given myself, as being sensitive and empathetic to the needs of my ESL learners, seemed fake and pretentious

As I heard the comments of my classmates, who happily discussed their strengths as NNESs, I felt absorbed by a cloud that swallowed me as I

dissolved within my diminishing confidence My voice silenced and my thoughts drifted elsewhere, while my hopes to be a role model for my students were shattered (Olivia’s Journal, April 26, 2002, emphasis added)

The quote reveals Olivia’s disillusionment as an NES professional vis-à-vis her NNES classmates Her positive self-image as an ESL teacher was gravely challenged by what she heard and read in the class Until she participated in the NNES seminar, she perceived herself as a “sensitive and empathetic” ESL teacher However, after reading articles that sug-gested “nonnative English teachers could be better role models than native speakers” in some contexts (e.g., EFL contexts), she felt that her chances to be a good role model for her ESL students were almost nonexistent

Olivia’s Feeling of Displacement and Nonbelonging

Unfortunately, as time went on, Olivia’s sense of isolation in the semi-nar became so painful that she approached me about dropping the seminar She wrote in her journal,

What truth do I behold as a native speaker, that yes, you too can learn English, when I only happened to learn it because I was fortunate enough

to be born to English speaking parents in an English speaking country? For a few weeks I felt like a shadow, a phantom that eavesdropped on discussions that I could not relate to other than to feel as a guilty member

of the group that has long marginalized nonnative speakers I belong

to the Center nations, which claim ownership over English How am I to contend with that label? (Olivia’s Journal, May 1, 2002)

Olivia continued to struggle with her role and identity as a NES in relation to the NNES professional community She detested the NES label, which was associated with marginalization and disempowerment of NNES professionals, but at the same time, she “thought” that she could not be an advocate for NNESs because she was not a member of the NNES community She noted in her journal, “My concern now is how can I stand up for the rights of NNES when I am not one myself?” (May

17, 2002) Her inner struggle is well depicted by the following quote from Britzman (1992), who draws on Bakhtin to discuss teachers’ mul-tiple and conflicting identities:

Two types of conflicting views on what it means to take up the identity of

a teacher: the centripetal, or normative voice which defines what a teacher is and does in relation to the kind of authority and power teachers are expected to deploy; and, the centrifugal, or resisting voice, that speaks

to one’s deep convictions, investments, and desires These two moments are

in constant tension, positioning multiple identities (p 33, emphasis added)

In Olivia’s case, she was caught between the centripetal voice that en-dorses the native speaker myth and the centrifugal voice that challenges her role and identity as an NES teacher vis-à-vis NNES teachers and encourages her to take action

Olivia’s Newly Claimed Identity as a Role Model for Other NES TESOL Professionals

Olivia continued to view herself as a peripheral or marginalized par-ticipant in the land of NNES However, through assigned readings that focused on collaborations between native speakers and nonnative speak-ers (Kamhi-Stein et al., 1999; Matsuda, 1999/2000), she gradually

repo-sitioned herself as a role model for other NES professionals and became

an ally of NNESs She explained:

What can I do as a native speaker to raise awareness among my native speaker colleagues that nonnative speakers are qualified professionals

and that we should ALL work together Once I decided to focus on this question I was in a better position to feel that I merit an important position as an English language teacher, regardless of my native tongue I can be a role model by taking a stand and advocating for the rights of NNESs as deserving respect and being valued as well-qualified ELT professionals A good starting point might

be to point out that native English speakers are actually the minority in the world (Olivia’s Final Paper, May 15, 2002, emphasis added)

As this passage shows, Olivia finally seemed to have resolved her inner conflict not only by accepting her NES identity but also by extending herself to help other NES professionals increase their understandings of their NNES colleagues

She further elaborated:

Prior to attending this course, respecting differences seemed to be the only requirement for establishing impartiality between groups of English language teachers who have been segregated based on when they learned English—as their first or as an additional language While it is important that we respect our differences, staying within the comfort zone that distinguishes ‘us from them’ and remaining content—as long as the other doesn’t get in the way of oneself—perpetuates the false notion that our differences are not mutually beneficial The truth, I’ve learned, is that when both groups collaborate and work together for a common purpose, the TESOL profession makes strides in terms of promoting strengths on both sides and begins to see ‘the other’ as a resource rather than as a deficit model or representation of an unattainable standard Even as

a native-English-speaking teacher, I will be a role model by advocating for the rights of all “nonnative speaker professionals as an important, vital and very credible force in the TESOL profession” (Thomas, 1999, p 12) (Olivia’s Final Paper, May 15, 2002, emphasis added)

Olivia repositioned herself not by changing her identity as an NES but

by redefining or expanding the traditional definition of native speaker.

She happened to speak English as her first language, but that did not mean that she had to endorse the native speaker myth Instead, Olivia chose to break away from it by choosing to be an ally for NNES profes-sionals by advocating collaborations between NES and NNES communi-ties

CONCLUSION

By focusing on Olivia’s experience and her voice in the land of NNES, the current study explored the trajectory of her identity to better

under-stand the identity of an NES professional in relation to her NNES coun-terparts The guiding questions were the following: How does a native speaker situate herself in the community of nonnative speakers? How does her identity as a native speaker evolve? What kind of imagined linguistic and professional communities are available to her?

As is often the case for NNES students and professionals, Olivia was led to question her legitimacy as a community member, lost self-confidence as an ESL professional, and experienced feelings of isolation and marginalization as a result of being the only native speaker in the class However, toward the end of the NNES seminar, she felt that she could establish her professional legitimacy by being an NES professional who is also a role model for other NESs who may not understand NNESs and by being an ally for NNES professionals to bridge the gap between the two communities Through classroom readings and discussions, Olivia’s identity options expanded That is, instead of staying within the framework of the NES/NNES dichotomy, through her personal experi-ence in the NNES seminar, classroom readings, and discussions, Olivia was able to see herself as well as her NNES classmates as legitimate ELT professionals Furthermore, she saw herself as someone who could help other NES professionals to do the same in order to establish mutually empowering working relationships between NES and NNES profession-als

Olivia’s negotiated identity needs to be interpreted within the context

in which she bravely chose to step, one that positioned her as the sole native speaker surrounded by nonnative speakers Had she chosen not to stay in the NNES seminar after the first class, Olivia might have imagined her identity differently With her determination and investment in stay-ing in the land of NNESs, although it was very painful at times, she was able to gain new insights into the native speaker myth and negotiate her new identity One might argue that Olivia is still within the boundaries of the NS community; however, her discourse at the end of the NNES seminar clearly indicates

a point of departure of the process of self-consciousness, a process by which one begins to know that and how the person is political, that [and] how the subject is specifically and materially engendered in its social conditions and possibilities of existence (deLauretis, 1986, p 9)

PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Several pedagogical implications can be drawn from this study First, NESs in TESOL programs need to have opportunities to experience ideological and identity conflict both theoretically and personally, much

like Olivia did This experience will allow them “to imagine themselves and others as legitimate members of professional communities” (Pav-lenko, 2003, p 253) Second, to help both NES and NNES students venture out of their comfortable communities of practice and imagine alternative communities, TESOL programs need to incorporate peda-gogical interventions such as cross-cultural training and/or cross-lingual activities (see Cook, 1999) where instructors become the “emancipatory authority” (Giroux, 1988, cited by Norton, 2000, p 145) to facilitate students’ transitions into uncharted lands

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge Olivia, the participant in my study, for her willingness to share her story, as well as the two anonymous reviewers, and Soonhyang Kim, Alan Hirvela, and Karen Newman for their helpful comments and suggestions.

THE AUTHOR

Keiko Samimy is associate professor in foreign and second language education at the Ohio State University Her research interests include empowerment of NNES pro-fessionals and advanced language learners of less commonly taught languages Her

publications have appeared in TESOL Quarterly, Modern Language Journal, Language Learning, and JALT Journal.

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