Blog 7 - Peter Medgyes, "Native or Non-Native"

When I first began reading this article, I was a bit confused...the introduction sounded like Medgyes was putting down non-native speakers and elevating native speakers. I questioned the relevance of this article. Yet, as I read further into the article, I began to realize that Medgyes was actually saying that though some non-native speakers may not speak English as well as native speakers of English, both categories of people have an equal opportunity and should be given an equal chance.

Medgyes article opened my eyes to the capabilities of both native and non-native speakers. He reviews what exactly a "native speaker" should look like. His continuum of native competence is something that we talked about in my Methodology class and something that really interested me. No one person will ever be 100% proficient in English. No one person is the authority on English. No one person has mastered English 100%...there is always something that one can learn, whether it is a new vocabulary term or a concept or idea. However, Medgyes does have a point that a non-native speaker will never "achieve a native speaker's competence" (p. 342). Simply because a person is born into an English speaking country gives that person an advantage. Yet, it is important that we give both the native speaker and the non-native speaker the same opportunities to grow and improve.

Medgyes writes that "natives and non-natives stand an equal chance of achieving professional success" (p. 346), and I completely agree with him. Just look at the people in our class! Dr. Seloni is an excellent example...she is not a native speaker of English, yet she has accomplished so much. She has guided us and taught us so much that we did not know. Look at the others in our class who have taught in the US as well as in their native countries. They may not be native speakers of English, yet I'm sure they are excellent teachers. Just because people have not had the opportunity to have English be their first language does not make them inadequate teachers. Also, just because our students may not of had the opportunity to learn English as their first language does not make them inadequate students. It is our job to help them and guide them. It is our job to help them become more competent in English, and even though they will never become a "native speaker" of English they will (hopefully) master English in a way that they will be able to help change society into a better place. It is not necessarily how well a person learns or speaks, but what that person does with the knowledge given to them that makes a difference in the world. So let us, as teachers, help use our knowledge and make a difference in the lives of our students.