What Is English?

It can be suggested that the term, 'What is English' is rather broad and branches out into many different areas, but it is important to gain some basic understanding of how the language was formed. In my opinion the English language is a fusion of other languages, when the German tribes (the Angles, Saxons and Jutes) invaded Britain who at the time spoke a Celtic language with Latin influences. Beowulf, written in Old English can show the development of the English language and can be used as a comparison to a modern text, in the English Classroom (Alexander, 1971). As English is also seen as a core subject, in my opinion, the requirement to study it until GCSE indicates the value of it. This assignment will consider speaking and listening (an integral part of the English National Curriculum) and will also focus on the debates, models of teaching and my personal analysis of 'What is English'.

Historical and Current debates around English as a school subject.

There are a number of debates around English as a subject. Richard Andrews (2004, p.1), states that "The class of the late 1970s or (very) early 1980s would have had no computer accessible to the pupils." Andrews (2004) is highlighting the difference between the two different classrooms (traditional and modern), but favours the change, as he may believe that this makes lessons more enjoyable. In addition to this there is a huge contrast, due to the fact that modern classrooms now include significant technology advancements (Andrews, 2004). Most classrooms have replaced the traditional blackboard with the modern whiteboard which allows pupil participation whilst the teacher interacts with the class. For example: If a lesson on Grammar is taking place, the teacher can upload an activity where students can interactively answer questions and gain an immediate answer after completing the activity, perhaps through an animated action or speaker. This I feel, allows students to engage with the visual and auditory learning, as students can feel in control and be active participants in the classroom.

Focusing on a historical idea, Terry Eagleton in Literary Theory (1983, p.1) takes a different approach of the English subject and argues that "literature did more than 'embody' certain social values: it was a vital instrument for their deeper entrenchment," which I believe suggests, that nineteenth century literature operated as a powerful tool which gave an individual the opportunity to open doors. For example, due to the "bloody civil war" (Eagleton, p.1) divisions were created in society and literature provided "guidebooks to manners and morals" (ibid., p.1) which answered "questions of social power" (Eagleton, p.20), not just about values in society. One could state that literature almost had a healing power, to solve problems that the war created; it worked as a dominant tool which provided norms and ideas in society for people, so that they could gather a sentence of direction.