Authenticity as a continuum
in the global context:
Identity and empowerment for L2 teachers of English

Richard Pinner
FAAPI 2017 | Posadas, Misiones

31/08/2017

Reality is not always
probable, or likely.
- Jorge Luis BorgesFakeCharlie Chaplin
came third in aCharlie Chaplin
lookalike contest

Paradox of Authenticity

What is authenticity in language
teaching and learning?

Twoexistential
practicalBasic
Strands •interactions •materials
Pinner, R. S. (2016). The nature of authenticity in English as a foreign
language: a comparison of eight inter-related definitions. ELTWO
Journal, 9(1), 78-93.

1•“the language produced by native speakers for nativespeakers in a particular language community

2•the language produced by a real speaker/writer for a realaudience, conveying a real message

3•the qualities bestowed on a text by the receiver, in that it is
not seen as something inherent in a text itself, but is
imparted on it by the reader/listener)

4•the interaction between students and teachers and is a‘personal process of engagement’

56

78•the types of task chosen•the social situation of the classroom•assessment•culture, and the ability to behave or think like a target
language group in order to be recognized and validated bythem”

Gilmore’s(2007) 8‘interrelated’
definitions
Gilmore, A. (2007). Authentic
materials andauthenticity in foreign
language learning.
Language Teaching,
40(02), 97-118.

Native
CultureWhat isauthenticity?

RealAssessment

Self

SocialClassroom
Task

Gilmore, A. (2007). Authentic
materials andauthenticity in foreign
language learning.
Language Teaching,
40(02), 97-118.

Pinner, R. S. (2016). The nature of authenticity in English as a foreign
language: a comparison of eight inter-related definitions. ELTWO
Journal, 9(1), 78-93.

554.5

444444444443.5
33333

2.5

22

1.5

1
NativeReal

SelfClassroom

Task

Students

Teachers

SocialAssessments

Culture“nativespeaker”

What is anativespeaker?

Native-speakerism

Holliday, A. (2005). The struggle to teachEnglish as an international language.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Native speakers
may feel the language'belongs' to them, but it
will be those who speak
English as a second or
foreign language whowill determine its world
future.
David Graddol, The
Future of English 1997

Nationality
British (RP)

Austrian

North American

British/Australian

British (Northern)

Singaporean

China (Tibet)

JapaneseKorean

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

9.00

10.00

Overall average 4.40 (9/9)(4) “He’s Korean” [Chinese student](8) “His English is formal and likenative speakers!”(2) “He is not good at speaking
English natively.”(4) “He speaks English fluently. But
he doesn't make eye contact withpeople. Because his speech isn't
persuasive.”(5) “I don't think he is poor atspeaking English. However, he is aKorean.”Overall average 5.54 (7/9)(3) “Chinglish” [Chinese student](3) “He is a suspicious-looking person.”(1) “I don't like him. I think he isn't agentleman.”(7) “I feel his English is not good. HisEnglish is similar to mine.”Overall average 8.65 (2/9)(10) “I love Arnold Schwarzenegger
and He is native English speaker.”(9) “He is native and it is easy to hear.”(10) “He is a native speaker.”(9) “He is very nice guy”
(8) “The speed and rhythm of his
English was closer to native speakers
but I sometimes felt his "ur" sound and"or" sound unnatural.”Overall average 9.07 (1/9)(8) “I want like Queen Elizabeth II. I want to go toEngland someday.”(10) “Hers is royal.
(10) “Se [sic] is more 'authentic' because she must
speak collect [sic] English.”(10) “She is queen”(10) “She is the queen”(10) “She's a Queen”(10) “Because It is official British movie”(9) “Her native language is English, and her end of aword is not clear”(5) “Because she spoke dispassionately, so I felt it isdifficult to understand what she wanted to say.”

6.20

9.00

AVERAGE EL1 OR EL2

EL2EL1

All Englishes are equal, butsome varieties are moreequal than others

Pinner, R. S. (2016). Reconceptualising
Authenticity for English as a GlobalLanguage. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

authentic materials are real, as in“not originally developed forpedagogical purposes, such as theuse of magazines, newspapers,
advertisements, news reports orsongs”(Richards & Schmidt, 2013: 43).
Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. W. (2013).
Longman dictionary of language teaching
and applied linguistics. Harlow:Routledge.

Materials
andAuthenticity

‘Classic’Definition

AngloAmerican-GlobalView(AAG)‘native’ + ‘real’ = ‘classic’Extrapolation

Useful Definition“Authentic materials are ‘designed not
to transmit declarative knowledge
about the target language but rather toprovide an experience of the language
in use.’(Tomlinson & Masuhara, 2010: 400)

Tomlinson, B., & Masuhara, H. (2010). Applications of the research results for second language
acquisition theory and research. In B. Tomlinson & H. Masuhara (Eds.), Research for materials
development in language learning : evidence for best practice (pp. 399-409). London: Continuum.

Genuineness is acharacteristic of thepassage itself and is anabsolute quality.
Authenticity is acharacteristic of therelationship between
the passage and thereader and it has to dowith appropriateresponse.
(Widdowson, 1978: 80)

van Lier, L. (1996). Interaction in the language
curriculum: Awareness, autonomy andauthenticity. London: Longman.

Authentication is basically a personal
process of engagement, […] it isreasonable to suggest that a teacher’sauthenticity may stimulate authenticity
in the students as well.
(van Lier, 1996: 128)

Alborotar el avisperoAuthenticity comes from the Greek wordauthenteo which meant ‘to have full power’.
The word is made of two parts; auto- means‘self’ and hentes refers to the doer or being, andthus has etymological roots with autonomy (selfand nomos as in law, self-governing).

Pinner, R. S. (2016). Reconceptualising Authenticity
for English as a Global Language. Bristol:Multilingual Matters.

social/contextual

Authenticity Continuum

Working on what reallymattersIf you seek authenticity forauthenticity’s sake, you are nolonger authentic

Summary
You can download the slides
and additional resources atwww.uniliterate.com

Please email me!
rpinner@sophia.ac.jp