| This work is a critical analysis of the social and cultural power of language1 and its effect on the development of an individual's identity2. Specifically, it examines the ideological assumptions of acquiring a second language and questions what effect it may have on the identity of the learners. There is an ongoing debate about the value of second language acquisition. One view of second language acquisition (and language instruction in general) is of social activism3 and intellectual liberation4 for the learner. Aquiring a second language is viewed as an economic, social, and political cure for a world rife with poverty, powerlessness, and misunderstanding The opposing view is of linguistic imperialism 5, colonialism6, and the death of indigenous languages. 7 A second language is seen as a way for those with power to oppress those who are powerless. This debate is focused on the political and economic effects of expanding a global language, rather than its effect on individual learners and their sense of cultural identity. This work is an analysis of the social and cultural impact of an indigenous people acquiring a second language.;1Tollefson, James W. 1995. Power and inequality in language education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2Gergen, Kenneth J. 1994. Realities and relationships. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 3Crystal, David. 1997. English as a global language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 4Freire, Paulo. 1995. Pedagogy of the oppressed. Translated by Myra Bergman Ramos. New York: Continuum. 5Phillipson, Robert. 1992. Linguistic imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 6Pennycook, Alastair. 1994. The cultural politics of English as an international language. London: Longman. 7Grimes, Barbara, F., ed. 1996. Ethnologue. 13th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics. |
