What are some advantages and disadvantages of English becoming the global language?
Liu: As for the language itself, I think it provides a good means for communication for people from all parts of the world. It certainly can quicken the process for the global exchange of ideas, commerce, business, and everything else. On the contrary, it could also be a potential threat to the national identity and pre-mature merging of national identity with foreign identity. So, I think at the same time that we emphasise English as a global language, we should never neglect the teaching and learning of our respective native language and culture. There’s also a hidden danger in teaching. We over-emphasise communication and neglect basic language skills and the language itself. I think this is an issue of teaching methodologies. LP: Is there really a short cut to language learning? Liu: No, there is no short cut. But there are strategies that if used properly can help learners learn quicker and make them more proficient. A short cut is a concept. And everyone wants a short cut. I don’
