Entrapment or empowerment: ESL profiles

Abstract

This paper will discuss some of the findings of a doctoral research study on how the acquisition of the English language impacted the cultural identities of a group of Malaysian ESL speakers. The participants shared that learning English was an empowering and positive experience. English possessed a quality of directness and neutrality which allowed expression of their innermost feelings. In multicultural societies, where certain values are attached to the use of the vernacular languages, resorting to English provided a freedom of expression because of it is "free of any ethnicity" within localized contexts. The findings also revealed that participants experienced identity conflicts and that the sociocultural context in which English is acquired, particularly in postcolonial societies, is loaded with complex cultural and political issues.