In the field of English Language Learning (ELL), it seems a lot of time, money and energy is expended, perhaps wasted, in the pursuit of ‘perfect’ native pronunciation and bilingualism.

But what is a native English speaker? Native English speakers come from many countries. Some native English speakers are even raised in Japan.

Where you are from may not be the most important factor.

Where I am from, in the north-east of England, we are not understood easily by those in London or the south of England,.

Do native English speakers speak American English or British English. Actually, no one in Britain speaks British English. We Brits speak English.

There is no right answer.

To understand, to be understood, and therefore speak confidently and fluently, is more important than accent.

‘Pure’ bilingualism is likely not attainable for those who are not brought up in a purely bilingual environment.

Functional bilingualism* more than enough.

Functional bilingualism means to be able to function in two languages and choose which one to use.

To achieve functional bilingualism children need to be engaged, want to speak and have an environment where they can.

Human beings excel at communication. Our schools should be places that encourage this and make it easy, not places that obfuscate, complicate and test.

*Functional bilingualism is the ability to use and produce both languages across …everyday events’ (Baker, C. (1993)