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It is commonly accepted that a language reflects a particular culture and that learners should be made aware of the implicit values and beliefs of that culture in contrast to their own. However, in countries where English is used as a language of wider communication the users of English increasingly imbue that language with the accent, lexical items and value systems of their first language, particularly when English is also taught by non‐native speakers. One has to ask to what extent such teachers are aware not only of the cultural aspects of English language teaching, but also of the first‐language cultural values reflected in their teaching and use of English. This paper would like to argue that critical awareness of the role and function of the emergent South African English is dependent upon (1) the acknowledgement of the first languages of learners to prevent loss or down‐grading of first‐language cultures, and (2) the development of techniques by which learners’ first languages can be used more explicitly in classrooms where English is used as a language of learning and instruction.
