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English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-99).
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| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Centre for Applied Language and Literacy Studies and Services in Africa
2015
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| _version_ | 1867614178730049536 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Pamegiana, Andrea |
| author2 | Young, Douglas |
| author_browse | Pamegiana, Andrea Young, Douglas |
| author_facet | Young, Douglas Pamegiana, Andrea |
| author_sort | Pamegiana, Andrea |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-99). |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14629 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:55.211Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Centre for Applied Language and Literacy Studies and Services in Africa |
| publisherStr | Centre for Applied Language and Literacy Studies and Services in Africa |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/14629 English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword Pamegiana, Andrea Young, Douglas Kapp, Rochelle Applied Language and Literacy Studies Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-99). This mini-dissertation explores the effects of the growth of English as an international and an intranational lingua franca with a focus on the South African debate about language and socio-economic empowerment. This exploration is carried out through an extended review of some of the theories that have challenged the notion that the spread of English is empowering for the majority of the world's population. I refer to these theories as the "critical discourse" about the power of English and argue that within this discourse there is a tendency to be exceedingly dismissive of the idea that the spread of English can in any way empower native speakers of other languages. I refer to this tendency as the "critical model" for looking at the power of English and analyze three metaphors that are often used as tropes to exclude from the "critical discourse" arguments that can be made for using English as a weapon of empowerment. These metaphors characterize English as a "linguistic poacher" that threatens endangered language species with extinction, as a "gatekeeper" that excludes the masses from socio-economic mobility, and as a "colonizer of the mind," or a mechanism that imposes Western-centric values. I argue that while it is important to be aware of these negative effects, the critics of English should not rely too heavily on negative constructions of this language, lest they create theories that are marred by epistemological fallacies that have negative pedagogical and political consequences. Epistemologically, sealing the border of a discourse can lead to tautological arguments that rely excessively on determinism and essentialism. Pedagogically, being exceedingly critical of the power of English can create obstacles in finding ways to teach this language effectively. 2015-11-04T10:29:26Z 2015-11-04T10:29:26Z 2005 Master Thesis Masters MEd http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14629 eng application/pdf Centre for Applied Language and Literacy Studies and Services in Africa Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Applied Language and Literacy Studies Pamegiana, Andrea English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword |
| title_full | English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword |
| title_fullStr | English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword |
| title_full_unstemmed | English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword |
| title_short | English as a weapon of power : a double-edged sword |
| title_sort | english as a weapon of power a double edged sword |
| topic | Applied Language and Literacy Studies |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14629 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT pamegianaandrea englishasaweaponofpoweradoubleedgedsword |