More than phonemic patterns: the English language and the formation of translated men

Official URL: http://192.168.1.20/record=b1379332 (Table of Contents)

English language teachers and those who train them will frequently and explicitly state that they do not just teach the English language - a statement which, in a postcolonial and ostensibly multiculturalist world, has all but monopolized the work of socially-conscious researchers in the fields of Education and ESL/EFL. While much of this work superficially condemns the undertones of cultural and linguistic imperialism assumed to be inherent in the global spread of English, this thesis questions the usefulness of such an approach. Approaching the matter through the metaphor of translation, this thesis presents an updated conceptualization of the 'Empire' to which the English language is presumed to be connected and explores the geopolitical implications of the language's growing prominence. Rather than positing that the global spread of English indicates an end to the necessity of translation, this thesis draws on the work of Steiner, Derrida and Benjamin to argue instead that what is being projected is a large-scale translation of men.