This interesting article by Lauren Razavi in the Guardian, argues that the role of English as a global lingua franca means that native speakers of English have little reason to learn a second language from an ‘instrumental’point of view. To motivate native English speakers to learn a foreign language it is crucial to demonstrate the social and cultural benefits and factors which draw on ‘integrative’ purposes for language learning. As Schumann puts “to get to know, to be with, to interact with and perhaps become like the speakers of a target language” is a powerful driver for foreign language learning. |