LANGUAGE & GLOBALIZATION – UNIT 3: LANGUAGE CHANGE & TRANSITIONS: USERS OF EL ACROSS THE WORLD
CONCLUDING CONSIDERATIONS BY THE EXPERTS
Kachru
The ‘circles’ theory’
(1992)
Canagarajah
Kachru’s
Circles are
leaking.”
McCarthur
Word
standard
English
(2001)
(In 2001, there was an
estimated of 320-350
million users of English in
Inner-Circle societies,
150-300 million in OuterCircle (ESL), and 100 -1000
million in the Expanding
Circle. 1992)
Reasons:
Human
migration,
historical and
current
Technology
connects
peoples.
The ELT industry continues
to be driven by the Inner
circle E speaking countries,
especially England and
USA.
There is
impossible to
talk of a
world
standard
English WSE:
English is
‘built’ by
people
depending
on their
purposes and
context
(In 2001,
there was
an
estimated
of 375
million
users of
English in
Inner-Circle
societies,
375 million
in OuterCircle (ESL)
societies,
and
750-1,000
million in
the
Expanding
(EFL) Circle.
Most world teachers of
ESL and EFL in the world
today are ‘non-native’
teachers NNESTs working
in a wide range of settings
in Outer-Circle and
Expanding-Circle societies.
(Bolton, 2006: 261,
Retrieved from Oxford &
Jahin: 2008).
The results of these
phenomena evidence:
 Non Native standards
 Multiple literary
canon
 Nativization
 acculturation
 “Liberation linguistics”
“Functionality
and
pragmatics
are more
relevant than
WSE” (Oxford
& Jahin:
2008).
Kandya (1998)
New Englishes
New Englishes
Africa (Kenyan English,
Nigerian English)
South Asia(Indian English,
Lankan English, Pakistani
English)
Southeast Asia (Filipino
English, Malaysian
English, Singlish)
Old Englishes
(American English,
Canadian English, Great
Britain English, Scots,
Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland, Irish
English, Southern Indian
and Pacific Oceans,
Australian English, New
Zealand English)
(English-based)
Creoles, Pidgins
Decreolized varieties
West African Pidgin,
Papua New Guinea, Tok
Pisin, Sierra Leone, Krio
USA: Black English
Vernacular, Hawaii
English Creole, Vanuatu,
Bislama
Reasons for the spread
of English:
The colonization
phenomena and the
global village.
To conclude, Kachru
favors development of
non-native ELT standards.
Graddol
Global English
(2006)
Global English would suggest the way
to the end of EFL.
Demography trends and movement
phenomena are determining the new
global population. The new population
flows have in turn generated new
powers in the world economy. On the
other hand, spread of communication
technologies in the English language
have promoted and ‘ensured’ the
worldwide use of English at different
levels and contexts. In consequence:
even though new economic trends and
powers have raised, poverty continues
to grow in different ways; technology
and internet are not equally
distributed and accessible, social
cohesion implies new society trends.
English has become relevant to take
part in the world economy, and to
access better labor and life conditions.
Which are ELTs implications?
These phenomena have carried out
new trends in education, such as
 International student mobility,
 Transnational and global education,
and
 New models of ELT.
In consequence, TLTs should think
about new roles in educating current
and future generations:
Considering new models, introducing
CLIL, considering a ‘standard language
learning’ without affecting (protecting)
the other languages and identities.
Getting responsible and committed
with ELT in the globalized world.
References:
Graddol, D. (2006). English Next. The British Council. Associated Press.
Oxford, R. & Jahin, R. (2008). World English and varieties of English. National Museum of Language. PPP. October 12th 2008.
YENY JUDITH MALAVER ROJAS – MASTER IN ELT AUTONOMOUS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS – UNIVERSIDAD DE LA SABANA - 2010