Pragmatic English versus Perfect English

Question: Discuss about the Pragmatic English versus Perfect English. Answer: Introduction: Being a person of an Arabic origin and having a belief that I can speak a perfect English I found it astonishing when I am reminded that my English is pragmatic. This ascription results from the ideology that only Native English speakers can understand and speak the language fluently. Out of this perception, pragmatic language is only embraced within the organizational context and it if is attributable to the non-native English speaker only. As Bailey, Canagarajah, Lanc, Powers (2016) puts it, being non-native English you have to acquire perfect English to qualify for certain positions. For example, Bailey, Canagarajah, Lanc, Powers in their article noted that Violet found that pragmatic English was restricted within the geographical scale and was acceptable in the workplace. However, the use of perfect English was restricted within the global scale. Additionally, there is a perception that for someone to have the successful career he or she must qualify as perfect English speaker. The attitude mentioned above discredits the non-native English speaker who qualifies as perfect English speakers but is still being referred to as pragmatic English speakers. For example, having studied and practiced English language for several years does not qualify me as perfect English speaker. I cannot solely argue that I am a perfect language speaker because of the social context where I was practicing my career. However, the perception that perfect English is a global language has influences many of my fellow citizens to acquire it. Having stayed with Native English speakers in Australia, I have developed a negative attitude towards my experience with them. Perfect English entails understanding the little details that the pragmatic English language speakers do not know. This impression has made it difficult for me to associate with the native language speakers. This attitude can be attributed to Bailey, Canagarajah, Lanc, Powers (2016) argument that there is a psychological barrier that exists between the pragmatic and perfect English speakers. References Bailey, A. J., Canagarajah, S., Lanc, S., Powers, D. G. (2016). Scalar politics, language ideologies, and the sociolinguistics of globalization among transnational Korean professionals in Hong Kong1. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 20(3), 312334.