“I’m sorry, my english is not very good”: the linguistic ideology of native-speakerism and its influence on chilean university students' on an instrumental level from an anthropological perspective

Abstract

Native-speakerism is a linguistic ideology commonly applied to the field of ELT defined as the conceived relationship between the figure of a native teacher who accurately represents their culture, language and teaching methodology. However, the present paper holds that Native-speakerism, when considered from a social perspective, can explain few occurrences related to the English language in Chile. It was found that Native-speakerism has influenced not only the self-perception of the students, but also contributed to the construction of idealized and unrealistic expectations of what a true speaker of English must be and sound like. Moreover, the Chilean English education system continues with this narrative and connects the eventual proficiency of their citizens in English with economic growth, further evidencing the reach of the Native-speakerism ideology. However, the English teaching in Chile has failed to live up to the standards they have imposed and does not offer active communication instances where the students can develop their skills, where oral tests were found to be especially deficient in the eyes of the learners. It is clear there needs to be further research regarding what teaching and learning methodologies would be beneficial for the country.