I agree with Bachus's assessment of the situation, but I find it tragic.
Language is a link to our past. Every word and phrase reflects what its speakers have experienced generations earlier. In English, we have Latin words like London due to the Roman invasions, Thursday (for the Norse God Thor--Thor's day) because the Norse invaded parts of England in the first millennium, and a host of other words from the cultures the English conquered with the Empire (cola from West Africa, tobacco from America, bungalow and shampoo from India).
In places like Qatar English is the language of the colonizer. And as with empires of old the new imperialism erases vestiges of cultures, rewarding those who shun tradition for the ways of the colonizer. I disagree with Bachus that compelling the best and brightest of the nation to pursue a Western education puts them on a level playing field with native English speakers. I would argue the opposite. Forcing them to play by Western rules and standards puts Qatari children at a DISadvantage and ensures that they will not be competitive, because native English speakers will always have the homefield advantage, as they are the ones who are making the rules. The best Qataris, or any such nation, can do in the present situation is follow.
I agree with Bachus's assessment of the situation, but I find it tragic.
Language is a link to our past. Every word and phrase reflects what its speakers have experienced generations earlier. In English, we have Latin words like London due to the Roman invasions, Thursday (for the Norse God Thor--Thor's day) because the Norse invaded parts of England in the first millennium, and a host of other words from the cultures the English conquered with the Empire (cola from West Africa, tobacco from America, bungalow and shampoo from India).
In places like Qatar English is the language of the colonizer. And as with empires of old the new imperialism erases vestiges of cultures, rewarding those who shun tradition for the ways of the colonizer. I disagree with Bachus that compelling the best and brightest of the nation to pursue a Western education puts them on a level playing field with native English speakers. I would argue the opposite. Forcing them to play by Western rules and standards puts Qatari children at a DISadvantage and ensures that they will not be competitive, because native English speakers will always have the homefield advantage, as they are the ones who are making the rules. The best Qataris, or any such nation, can do in the present situation is follow.