Language learning privileges as a native lingua franca speaker
English

Language learning privileges as a native lingua franca speaker

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language learning
intercultural communication

There are a large number of privileges that I experience as a native English speaker. I am sure that I am ignorant of many of them (as I am also ignorant of many other privileges that I happen to experience in many other facets of my life outside of languages). One privilege that I've noticed (although I'm sure I'm not unique in having noticed it) is that there are more resources available for me as I learn other languages. Indeed, other Journaly users have mentioned things along the lines of "I'm learning English so that I can learn XYZ (other language)".

The first way that I notice this privilege is in the ability to access resources and to get feedback and help when practicing a language. The vast majority of resources that are published for learning any given language assume English knowledge. This may be partly what resources I find, but I don't think so. Also, anyone who is a language teacher or language enthusiast is almost certainly going to be pretty fluent in English, because it is the primary global lingua franca. With that English ubiquity, it's relatively easy to get feedback in English: especially for languages where my own skills aren't so good yet.

I'm certainly not complaining. Quite the opposite: like most privileges, I like the ability to get feedback that I can understand without having to put it through Google Translate / DeepL / etc. This is especially true in Spanish, which is a language where I'm still a beginner, but it also comes up in French or German where I tend to be more comfortable reading feedback in those languages. Indeed, for those who give me feedback, I think that people here on Journaly (and people generally) tend to have a pretty good gut feeling for when I will get the most out of feedback in the target language vs. feedback in English.

I think my motivation to write this is, in part, out of a feeling of guilt that I really can't do the same for others. When I do comment on people's English-language posts in Journaly, the best help I can give learners is almost always to just write my feedback in English - that is not the same as the help others can give me when I need more support by getting native-language feedback.

So I guess, to those of you who provide feedback in a mix of my target- and native-languages: thank you and I appreciate the thoughtful use of both to support me. I only wish I could return the favor to anyone who is still at an A1/A2 or so level in English where they might benefit from feedback in their native language. (Same too even for B1/B2 learners who might benefit, as I do, from the occasional hop over to their native language to clarify something.) As with any privilege, I also just want to be aware of it and acknowledge that I have it, I want to be cognizant of its impact for me and the way it benefits me, and I want to be aware that it is not something everyone has.

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