Assignment Two

EMI: Why English?

As someone coming from a predominantly monolingual society, I’d never really given the concept of English Medium Instruction (EMI) much thought before studying abroad. The more English in class, the better. However, EMI is not necessarily ‘natural’ to my fellow students who grew up in countries speaking many languages other than English. As we have been discussing this concept in class, one of the questions I find interesting that we keep coming back to is: why English? There are so many other languages in Europe that could have been selected, but ultimately EMI is on the rise. 

So, why English? 

There are a couple of reasons that English has become the language of choice for many educational institutions. The main reasons that I will be discussing are economic reasons, and the accessibility of the English language, as well as its prestige. 

To start with, it is important to note that English has become an extremely important language in the business world. So in the international business domain, knowing English is very beneficial. This is mostly due to the overwhelming presence that the United States has in the international business sphere. In order to be competitive with companies from the United States it would be important for European companies to be able to communicate in English. This creates job openings for people who can speak English, and makes it more attractive to higher education institutions to offer EMI in order to recruit more students and be competitive. [1] Higher Educational Institutions are much like any other company, they want to make money and be successful, and in the past few decades it seems like teaching in English is one of the key ways to remain relevant. 

Additionally, universities in the United States are consistently ranked as some of the best schools in the world. These schools end up being highly attractive for students across the world, including those in Europe. One reason that European schools have adopted EMI is to try to emulate the success of American institutions and achieve similar high rankings. By offering EMI, schools are also able to market themselves as very international, and in an increasingly globalized world, it pays to have world wide connections. 

Another reason that I think that EMI has been gaining in popularity is due to the widespread availability of English media. This is once again partially due to the dominance that Hollywood and the United States has on media production in addition to increased globalization. As a result, there are many young people who consider english the language of the internet. Taking classes in English would serve a purpose of creating a better fluency in this language to allow for young people to connect easier with peers across the world. 

Having one common language is believed to make it easier to share ideas and collaborate. EMI currently plays a role in facilitating this exchange of ideas. 

Are there any downsides? 

Creating a more competitive international business environment, elevating statuses of European universities, and contributing to the exchange of ideas, what’s not to like about EMI?

There are actually several problems that arise with EMI education, and unless addressed could pose significant issues down the line. The first issue that I will be mentioning is domain loss in students’ L1. Domain loss refers to how after spending a lot of time experiencing a language other than one’s L1, people can become rusty with their L1. At an EMI institution, if students spend years using academic English, they may find that writing academic papers in their L1 to be much more difficult. [2] One way to combat this is to simply raise awareness of this issue to students earlier on in their educational career so they can address this problem before it grows too large. 

Another issue that I have with EMI is the concept of fairness. Taking English classes as a student who does not have English as their L1 can be extremely difficult. Especially for students who might not have been able to receive much exposure to English at a young age. Due to the prestige of the English language, I wonder if this leads to more middle/upper middle class students attending these universities while leaving behind those in a lower social class. 

 

Conclusion

English medium instruction is not without its downfalls. However, that being said, I think that as long as the proper precautions are taken, it is an excellent way to teach people how to act in a professional environment in a new language. In these international institutions that arise like Maastricht University, EMI allows for people from all across the world to come together and exchange ideas in a way that would not have been possible before. I feel like simply gaining that global perspective is more valuable than I think most people realize. 

 

References: 

[1] Wilkinson, R. (2012). English Medium Instruction at a Dutch University: Challenges and Pitfalls. In: A. Doiz, D. Lasagabaster and J. Manuel Sierra (eds.), English-Medium Instruction at Universities. Global Challenges. Bristol,-Buffalo-Toronto: Multilingual Matters, pp. 3-24

[2] Wilkinson, R. 

 

One Comment

  • charlotte

    Hello! I enjoyed reading your external point of view on the linguistic education within Europe. What are your thoughts on developing more programmes taught through the medium of other languages in the US? Do such programmes already exist? Would you think they would be beneficial in an environment where English is majorly spoken as L1?

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