Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


osu1337952671.pdf (25.62 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

English-Language Introduction to Contemporary Taiwan: A Historicolinguistic Perspective

Birkby, Stuart J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1337952671

Abstract Details

2012, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
Over the centuries, languages have moved from their places of origin to regions where they have not been used previously. According to Nicholas Ostler (2005), languages shift because of migration, military conquest, empire consolidation, and, to a lesser extent, trade and religious proselytizing. English evolved from a local Germanic dialect on continental Europe two millennia ago to worldwide recognition by the early 20th century for these reasons. Models of English-language spread, most notably that of Braj B. Kachru (1985, 1988), have focused predominantly on the sociocultural status and use of English in the areas where it expanded. But such an analysis tends to be ahistorical and static. Thus, this study adds a historical element by focusing on Taiwan and posing the following research questions: How did English come to contemporary Taiwan? Why did the Taiwan people accept the language? How did the language become an established part of Taiwan society? Based on document-derived research of political and military activities involving the United States and Taiwan during World War II and the Cold War, this study identifies a three-step pattern of English-language introduction: Military cooperation that required English proficiency among Taiwan military officers; a subsequent “trickle-down” use of English by the adjacent society, which embraced American culture; followed by the permanent establishment of the language in the society due to Taiwan’s participation in a globalized marketplace. The orientation of this investigation is significant given the generally accepted assumption put forth by Mikhail Bakhtin (1982) that language study cannot be separated from its sociohistoric context. Ultimately, what is at stake is the quality of EFL pedagogy, which is enhanced by teachers and education-resource designers who are aware of the local history of the foreign language as well as its sociolinguistic status. Thus the historicolinguistic perspective here is defined as this study’s systematic, chronological account of military and political events that influenced English-language introduction to Taiwan after the Second World War. The added view can inform foreign-language educators in their decision-making relative to the effectiveness of framing English as a modified product of a learner’s society.
Keiko K. Samimy, PhD (Advisor)
Anna Soter, PhD (Advisor)
Galal Walker, PhD (Committee Member)
221 p.
Bilingual Education; Education; English As A Second Language; History; International Relations; Language; Linguistics; Modern History; Multicultural Education; Multilingual Education; Pacific Rim Studies; Political Science; Sociolinguistics
American-Taiwanese relations; English, language spread; Taiwan; World English

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Birkby, S. J. (2012). English-Language Introduction to Contemporary Taiwan: A Historicolinguistic Perspective [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1337952671

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Birkby, Stuart. English-Language Introduction to Contemporary Taiwan: A Historicolinguistic Perspective. 2012. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1337952671.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Birkby, Stuart. "English-Language Introduction to Contemporary Taiwan: A Historicolinguistic Perspective." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1337952671

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1337952671
827
© 2012, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12