Should All Teachers of English Be Native Speakers of English? One of the primary manifestations of increased globalization and interconnectivity is the spread of languages across the world. English is one of such languages, and it has spread exponentially. It is now being spoken and taught even in areas where English is not predominantly used as the first language. It is also fast becoming the world’s most popular lingua franca and has been instituted as the national and/or official language in many countries around the globe. As the language spreads, attention has been drawn to the teachers who teach it and to the way their nativity, or lack thereof, influences the capability to teach the English language. Some people opine that the native speakers of English make the best teachers because they have grown up using the language. The opponents of this idea posit that being a native English speaker does not necessarily make one a good teacher of the English language; the ability to teach is influenced by several other mitigating factors. This paper explores whether native speakers of English are better teachers of the English language than non-native ones. Analysis indicates that the native speakers of English make better teachers as compared with non-native English teachers because the former can speak the language more fluently and intuitively and have, with time, perfected their pronunciation, articulation, and general proficiency in the English language. Argument With The primary argument proving that all teachers of English ought to be native speakers of this language is that the native speakers have an enhanced sociolinguistic competence. Unlike non-native English teachers, the native ones have learned the language since their childhood and have perfected their competence in English. Although most of the non-native teachers have acquired English later in life as their second language, they may still have difficulties grasping it. To develop the same competencies as a native speaker, a non-native English speaker may have to study the language at an advanced level, that is the undergraduate or even at the master’s level. Due to this, the native English speaking teachers, more often than not, have superior fluency and proficiency in English. They also have an enhanced cultural knowledge of the language and, consequently, are capable of applying it in a more proper way. Students taught by native English-speaking teachers are, thus, vastly advantaged as compared to the ones taught by a non-native English teacher. Their teacher’s fluency and mastery of the language penetrates into them enabling them to have a better grasp of the language and to better appropriate it in diverse contexts. All teachers of the English language, therefore, ought to be native speakers of the language. Crucially, being taught by native English-speaking teachers provides students with the immersion experience that the students taught by non-Native English teachers often do not get to have. The immersion experience is critical for language acquisition as it not only accelerates the learning of the language but also enables the unconscious imbibing of the otherwise effaced mannerisms in the use of a language. Through the appropriate use of the language, the teachers create an apt environment where the students feel that they are immersed in an English-speaking community. The implication is that the students taught by native English-speaking teachers copy and learn, albeit unconsciously, the authentic use of the English language. With time, the use of English vocabularies and expressions come naturally because that is what they are used to. This, however, cannot be said of students who are taught by non-native English teachers in an environment where English is not predominantly spoken as the first language. The immersion experience, fundamentally, steepens the learning curve enabling the students, being taught by the native speakers of English, to acquire the most current and living version of the language. Their counterparts taught by a non-native can only acquire the “bookish” version which may not always be the most spoken one. A further reason why all English teachers should be native speakers of the language is that the native English-speaking teachers have a perfect language learning model. Unlike their non-native counterparts who have acquired the English language later on in their lives and may still be perfecting their mastery of the language, native speakers have, with time, perfected their pronunciations, vocabulary, and intonations among others. The implication is that the students taught by the native speakers of English have a superior understanding and application of the language and including an excellent interpretation of English texts. Since these teachers have learned the art of perfection, they transfer these techniques to their students. For the English students to apply an effective language learning model it is essential for the teachers to be native speakers of the language. Argument Against The most prominent counter argument advanced by the proponents of the viewpoint that native English-speaking teachers do not necessarily make the best teachers of English is the centrality of teaching competency to knowledge transfer. The proponents argue that teaching competency is the most important factor in knowledge transfer, not the nativity of the teacher. The argument is that there are many native English teachers who cannot effectively teach the English language because they have not mastered the art of teaching. Conversely, there are also many non-native teachers who are yet to master the English language but are gifted in transferring the much they know to their students. In the end, the students taught by a non-native English teacher may learn more than their counterparts taught by native English-speaking teachers solely because the non-native one knows how to better convey the ideas and lessons. The implication is that the knowledge has to be efficiently and effectively transferred from the teacher to the students. The ability to transfer this knowledge, what often constitutes teaching competency, is independent of one’s ethnicity or first language. Non-native English teachers should, therefore, not be disregarded solely because English is not their first language; they may have an enhanced teaching competency making them better teachers as compared with their native counterparts. Another key argument advanced against the preferential treatment of native English speaking teachers is that they often have an inferior understanding of the language learning process. Unlike their non-native counterparts, the native English teachers acquired English as their first language and, therefore, did not consciously undergo the language learning processes. They just found themselves learning the English language without necessarily appropriating different strategies and tactics non-natives apply to attain proficiency in a language. The non-native English teachers are, therefore, better equipped to model the auxiliary language learning processes to their students in the process helping them to better master the language. The non-native teachers, for instance, can offer meaningful insights into how they came to attain proficiency in the English language and how they have perfected their mastery over time. These are insights that native English speakers may not be in a position to provide since they have a shallow practical understanding of how languages are mastered. To that end, non-native teachers of English may, in fact, make better teachers of English as compared to their native counterparts. Lastly, non-native teachers might make better teachers of English because they are stricter than their native counterparts. Findings from a few studies suggest that non-native language teachers are more robust in their teaching approaches and are less tolerant to grammatical mistakes. The native language teachers, on the other hand, are perceived as lenient and more tolerant of mistakes. The explanation is that the non-native language teachers are conscious of their teaching methods and contents, unlike native language teachers. The non-native teachers of English language have, on one hand, consciously learned how to observe the rules and structures of the English language and are thus inherently wired to detect and correct mistakes. The native English teachers, on the other hand, largely acquired the language subconsciously and are, therefore, predisposed to let the mistakes slide. The implication is that native English-speaking teachers subconsciously promote the fossilization of their students’ mistakes by not promptly correcting them. The assumption that the non-native English teachers are essentially better teachers of English because they have superior teaching competencies than their native counterparts is fundamentally flawed. It presupposes that teaching competency is enhanced through acquiring a language, preferably as a second language, which is not the case. Teaching competency varies from an individual to another depending on the efforts a person has made to develop it. Furthermore, there is no credible evidence that substantiates the assertion that the non-native teachers are better qualified to teach the English language. While teaching competency remains a critical factor in the effectiveness of knowledge transfer, any side of the divide can acquire the competencies. Assuming that non-native ordinarily have superior teaching competencies is misleading. In fact, the reverse appears to be true. Since the native English speaking teachers have grown up speaking the English language, they are better equipped to teach it. The art of teaching their mother tongue comes naturally to native English teachers, which is not the case with the non-natives who have to practice it. Furthermore, the presupposition that non-native English teachers better comprehend the language learning processes merely because they acquired English as a second language is, at best, misleading. The assertion presupposes that those who acquired English as their first language did not undergo the language learning processes; that they just found themselves learning without purposefully imbibing the language knowledge, which is deceptive. In fact, if one is objective enough, one would realize that everyone who acquires a language does so through undergoing the language learning processes, even an infant. In reality, native English speaking teachers may have a superior mastery of the language learning processes solely because they have been applying the language proficiency tactics during their whole lives. Non-native teachers of English certainly do not have a comparatively better comprehension of the language learning processes as compared with their non-native counterparts. Lastly, the argument that non-native English teachers make better teachers of the English because they are stricter than their native counterparts is simply not accurate. The proponents of this argument maintain that non-natives have learned the language the hard way and are thus less tolerant to the violation of the grammatical rules or sinister application of the language structure. The explanation could not have been more misleading. If one is objective, one will discern that the opposite is quite the case. The native English speaking teachers are less tolerant to language mistakes. As they have been speaking or otherwise using the language since they were young, they have long perfected its use and readily detect when there are mispronunciations, faulty intonation, incorrect subject-verb agreement, improper use of vocabulary, and faulty verb inflection. The native English speaking teachers are predisposed to perfection so far as the language is concerned and, unlike their non-native counterparts, would readily correct any errors. In this respect, native English speakers make better teachers of the English language because they are stricter than non-native English teachers. It is evident that to produce competent speakers of English, all teachers of the language should be native speakers of the English language. The native teachers have an enhanced sociolinguistic skills as compared with their non-native counterparts. They are better suited to teach the language they have been familiar with since they were young. Students taught by native English speaking teachers are intrinsically advantaged as compared with those taught by non-native English teachers. For instance, their immersion experience helps them to learn the authentic and perfect use of English vocabularies, idioms, and expressions among others. Furthermore, students tutored by native teachers are more careful in their language usage as their teachers do not condone arbitrary mistakes. Native English speaking teachers, therefore, produce competitive students of the English language. This can barely be assumed about the students tutored by non-native English teachers. The benefits of hiring native English-speaking teachers, hence, by far outweigh those of hiring non-native ones. Verity Thompson is a curious and inquisitive person. She likes exploring the world and life. It's a reason why she works as a writer at https://exclusive-paper.net/blog/how-to-write-an-interview-essay-easy-tips.php It's a team of experienced and skilled writers. They are able to solve any problem connected with completing writing tasks.