NON-NATIVE EDUCATORS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING.George Braine (Ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 1999. Pp. xxi + 233. $49.95 cloth,$24.50paper.

Abstract

There exists a general belief that the ideal English teacher is a native speaker (NS). Because of this native speaker fallacy, it is undeniable that nonnative speaker (NNS) teachers have been marginalized in the English language teaching (ELT) profession. Until recently, however, the voices of NNS English teachers expressing their own concerns have rarely been heard. Non-Native Educators in English Language Teachingis the first and most comprehensive work done in the field to fill this gap. It focuses solely on the theme of NNS educators in ELT and provides a forum for language professionals to discuss the issues surrounding the NS-NNS dichotomy from linguistic, psychological, pedagogical, and sociopolitical perspectives. This anthology is unique and powerful. All of the contributors are NNS professionals from diverse linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. Because of the unique nature of its contributors, purpose, and contents, this volume makes a great impact on, and a valuable contribution to, the fields of TESOL and applied linguistics. It is powerful because the messages are coming from authorities on the theme—NNSs themselves.