What price English? Identity constructions and conflicts in the acquisition of English

Abstract

In a world where English has become a dominant force, how does the acquisition and mastery of the English language impact upon the identities of non-native speakers of English? To what extent do we feel empowered by English in our lives? Do we encounter identity conflicts or a sense of loss? There has been concern expressed that the worldwide spread and globalization of English is a form of linguistic imperialism ( Phillipson, 1986). Pennycook (1995), on the other hand, argues that we cannot reduce language spread to a form of imperialism but rather concern ourselves with examining the effects of the spread of English, how people take up English in their daily lives, and what is being done with , in Achebe's ~1975) words, "the world language which history has forced down our throats." Based on research findings, this paper will discuss how the acquisition of the English language influences identity construction in Malaysia, a multicultural, postcolonial society. It will explore how language choice in varied contexts impacts one's sociocultural identity. It will present the diverse views of a group of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban and Kadazan Malaysian women as they reflect on the process of acquiring English and the changes this has wrought. The findings reveal that acquiring the global English language is a complex win-lose situation related to a sense of changing identity and multi-faceted definitions of self.