Critical pedagogy, globalization and the Persian language: Challenges and insights

The notion of language attrition, i.e. a natural outcome of acquiring another language (Seliger, 1996), has been a topic of investigation for more than three decades. Though a few studies have illustrated the traces of attrition in the Persian language as a result of Persian-English contact (Jamshidiha & Marefat, 2007), almost none, to the best of our knowledge, provide fruitful suggestions as to the way the Persian community might inhibit the influence of English on the language. With this goal in mind, the researcher in the present study, reviews principles of Critical Pedagogy and Globalization of English that, if implemented properly, could rescue Persian language from loss. In light of these two perspectives, it will be argued that Persian language and culture needs to be valued in its own right. The article ends with a look at the burden such perspectives puts on the shoulders of policy makers, ELT teachers and students to prepare their own local materials and appropriate teaching methodologies to be practiced in language classes in order to help keep their mother tongue and culture from being attacked by the dominant English norms.