A Linguistic Currency
Tourist often wonder if it is possible to get by with only being able to speak fluent English in Peru. Evidently, it is often rare to find natives that are capable of speaking the English language, given that 97 percent of the population speaks Spanish and Quechua, and the remaining 3 percent speaks other forms of native, indigenous tongue. This is a result of different cultural backgrounds in Peru and how natives most commonly aim to preserve their culture; thus, they maintain only their native tongue and refrain from taking in the English language that comes from opportunities outside of their cultural heritage. English, however, still remains to be a highly desirable language to know by the majority of Peru's population due to the numerous advantages that can come with being able to know English such as employment opportunities and social status. According to Mercedes Nino-Murcia in her report on her trip to Peru:
Because it is seen as the linguistic currency that makes one a potential actor in the global
marketplace, English has acquired special ± perhaps inflated ± standing among forms of cultural capital. "El ingles es como el dolar'' (`English is like the dollar') a taxi driver told me in Lima in June, 2001. This analogy, or similar ones, were voiced by other Peruvians when asked how they judge the importance of learning English....Another taxi driver commented, "El ingles en el mundo de hoy es un mal necesario, lo necesitamos si o si'' (`English in today's world is a necessary evil, we need it, one way or another'). In the rest of our conversation, he expressed resentment about this particular demand, but he perceived it as inevitable: "No que sea lo mejor para nosotros pero no podemos escapar de la urgencia de aprenderlo'' (`Maybe it's not the best thing for us [Peruvians], but we can't escape the urgent need to learn it'). Asked why he felt resentment, the same driver replied "por la amenaza de la americanizacion'' (`because of the threat of Americanization') (Nino-Murcia 2003). |
Professor Mercedes Nino-Murcia is a sociocultural linguist from the University of Iowa. She focuses on the effects of linguistic contact and language ideologies in Latin America and the United States.
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Peruvian English vs. SAE
Although Peruvian Spanish and Standard American English utilize many similar words and the same alphabet system, slight differences in phonetics can be identified, thus influencing Peruvian English. In terms of phonetics, there is a large difference in the amount of vowel sounds between the two dialects with SAE having fourteen different vowel sounds and Spanish having only five. This results in the pronunciation of different English words such as seat and sit having the same vowel sound in Peruvian English. Also, while the sounds [b] and [v] are separate phonemes in SAE, these two sounds are related allophones in Peruvian English. The same goes for the sounds [s] and [z], resulting in the pronunciation of the word "is" as [Is] rather than [Iz].
Interview
I was unable to conduct an interview with another person who had experiences in Peru or with Peruvian people. However, I was able to find a video on an interview done of a Peruvian teacher named Ralph Grayson in English.
(Longman, 2010)
In the interview, Grayson mentions how he did not grow up learning English, but was taught the English language mostly through "tertiary education", or in other words, during his time at a university. He also mentions how he was taking classes on learning how to speak English the same time he was working as a teacher at the same university. Additionally, Grayson spent some time in the United States as an assistant to Spanish teachers. This allowed him to help the Spanish teachers with their own Spanish and also learn more English on the side.
Through his complex experience of learning English, Grayson shows the difficulty of becoming a fluent English speaker in a country where English is barely introduced through education unless attending school at the tertiary level. This is rare because most people going to school do not continue past the secondary level.
Through his complex experience of learning English, Grayson shows the difficulty of becoming a fluent English speaker in a country where English is barely introduced through education unless attending school at the tertiary level. This is rare because most people going to school do not continue past the secondary level.
Peru's Key to the Future
In addition, the country wishes to encourage the education of the English language upon its people in order to continue its economic growth and keep up with the global market. The British Council, an organization known for promoting education across different cultures, reports several key findings on Peru's efforts to grow the number of English speakers and its vitality to the well-being of the developing South American country (British Council, 2015):
- In 2014, President Ollanta Humala announced that bilingual education was a priority and set the goal of achieving bilingualism, with English as the priority language, by 2021; funding has been allocated to meet this goal
- Initial aims of English language reform include more resources, increasing English lesson time in public schools and prioritising teacher training and professional development through online and face-to-face training in Peru as well as in English-speaking countries
- Most Peruvian English learners studied English in secondary school (57 percent), while 46 percent learned during undergraduate study and 41 percent attended private language schools; education is also a major motivating factor for language learning: 44 percent learned English because it was mandatory in secondary school and 40 percent learned because they needed it for university
- More than three quarters of surveyed employers (78 percent) believe that English is an essential skill for managerial staff, while a similar share (77 percent) feel that English is essential for Peru’s growth and progress
Teaching English In Peru
(Rob Simmons, 2015)