Resources

Chapter 1 – The history of English

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Extra activity 1

The history of English

In the table are three excerpts, representative of English used at 500-year intervals.

An excerpt from Beowolf from 900 ad

  • Hwæt wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum
  • þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon
  • hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon
  • Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum
  • monegum mægþum meodo-setla oftēah
  • egsian eorl syððan ǣrest weorþan

An excerpt from Beowolf from 900 ad

  • His Almageste, and bookes grete and smale,
  • His astrelabie, longynge for his art,
  • His augrym stones layen faire apart,
  • On shelves couched at his beddes heed;
  • His presse ycovered with a faldyng reed
  • And al above ther lay a gay sautrie,
  • On which he made a-nyghtes melodie
  • So swetely that all the chambre rong;
  • And Angelus ad virginem he song;

An excerpt from Beowolf from 900 ad

  • Hwæt wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum
  • þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon
  • hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon
  • Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum
  • monegum mægþum meodo-setla oftēah
  • egsian eorl syððan ǣrest weorþan

Discussion questions

  1. What do you know of the origins of the English language?
  2. Discuss what you know of the following peoples in terms of their origins, history, and languages spoken: the Ancient Britons, the Angles, the Saxons, the Normans.
  3. What do you think caused the English language to change throughout this time in history?
  4. In which period do you feel the language changed the most drastically, 900–1400 ad or 1400–1900 ad? Why do you suppose language changed more in this period?

Extra activity 2

Categorizing English speakers

Audio/Video

    Listen to the interview with Marko Modiano on his Centripetal Circles of International English and English as an International Language (EIL), shown in Figure 1.8 and Figure 1.9 in Chapter 1 of the book, and take notes.

    Discussion questions

    1. What does Modiano say about the difficulties in categorizing World Englishes? Do you agree with his views?
    2. In what ways does his second model represent a shift away from the native/non-native speaker spectrum? Do you agree that international intelligibility is more important than native-speaker proficiency?
    3. How would you define a proficient user of ‘international English’ in the first model?
    4. In what ways do you think we could determine what is included in the common core (comprehensible features of English common to all varieties)? Are there any features of an English you are familiar with that you would place in one of these circles?
    5. Categorizing speakers as ‘native’ and ‘non-native’, and deciding whether proficiency or expertise is more relevant today, is clearly problematic. Can you suggest any improvements to these models?
    6. What are your views on ‘interference from the L2’? In what ways is his model an attempt to go ‘beyond’ Kachru’s Three Circle Model in relation to ELT?

    Extra activity 3

    Further exercises

    For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

    Chapter 2 – Language change and variation

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    Variation in English

    Read the following quotes taken from McArthur (1998, p. xiii):

    • ‘English spoken; American understood’ (The Daily Chronicle, London, 10 June 1908).
    • ‘English and French spoken; Australian understood’ (a notice in Turkey, quoted in O’Hogue’s Trooper Bluegum at The Dardanelles, London, 1916).

    These comments were made in the early years of the twentieth century, a time marked by the worldwide spread not only of English but also of an increasingly prestigious ‘standard’ English. As a result, many people ‘were sensitive to any perceived failure – individual or collective – to live up to that standard’ (McArthur, 1998, p. xiii).

    Discussion questions

    Reflect on the speech behaviour in a context you are familiar with.

    • Do people speak with different dialects and accents?
    • Do people speak noticeably differently in different areas? Identify sounds or patterns in a specific dialect.
    • Draw a map of a country or region you are familiar with and circle any distinct dialectal regions.
    • Are any of those you have identified regarded as prestigious?
    • Has there been any standardization movement in your own language?
    • Do you think prestige and prejudice lead to language change in any way?
    • What about English in your context? Do people strive to live up to the ‘standard’? How is variation from the ‘standard’ perceived?

    Extra activity 3

    Swift’s proposal for language standardization

    In 1712, Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, wrote a document entitled A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue in the form of a letter to the Earl of Oxford, advocating reform of the English language because it was plainly less refined than the languages of Italy, Spain, and France.

    Swift argued that the reason for English’s impurity was a history of heavy and uncontrolled influence from foreign forces. He referred to Elizabethan times as the pinnacle of English language purity, after which it was corrupted by speakers, writers, and poets who adapted the language to suit their needs, and allowed foreign and fabricated words to contaminate the language.

    Discussion questions

    1. What do you think of Swift’s proposal?
    2. This chapter of the book (p. 45) stated that Milroy’s (2007) view that there is ‘usually a tradition of popular complaint about language, bewailing the low quality of general usage and claiming that the language is degenerating’ still rings true today. In what way are complaints like Swift’s still in popular discourse today?
    3. How is linguistic diversity viewed in a context you are familiar with? Have there been any attempts at standardization?

    Note: Swift’s letter is readily available in the public domain, including here: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/swift/jonathan/s97p/index.html

    Further exercises

    For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

    Chapter 3 – English as a global language: issues and attitudes

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    Audio/Video

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      Linguistic imperialism (1)

      Watch Suzanne Talhouk’s TED talk ‘Don’t kill your language’ at the following link: www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_talhouk_don_t_kill_your_language

      Discussion questions

      1. In what ways is speaking English perceived as a sign of being modern in a context you are familiar with?
      2. What do we lose when we leave behind our mother tongues?
      3. What do you think of Suzanne Talhouk’s case to love your own language, and to cherish what it can express that no other language can?

      Extra activity 3

      Linguistic imperialism (2)

      Watch Patricia Ryan’s TED talk ‘Don’t insist on English!’ at the following link: www.ted.com/talks/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english

      Discussion questions

      1. What do you think of her question about whether the world’s focus on English prevents the spread of great ideas in other languages? For instance, what if Einstein had to pass the TOEFL?
      2. In what ways is English used as a gatekeeper to education?
      3. In what ways is English used to both level inequality and to create inequality in access to education?

      Extra activity 4

      Linguistic imperialism (3)

      Watch the panel discussion at the British Council Signature Event ‘Linguistic imperialism: still alive and kicking?’ at the following link: http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2013/sessions/2013-04-10/british-council-signature-event-linguistic-imperialism-still-alive-and-kicking

      Discussion questions

      1. What is your reaction to the opinions raised in the video?
      2. How do these opinions differ from, or are they similar to, those expressed in Chapter 3 of the book?

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      Further exercises

      For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

      Chapter 4 – Variation in 'Native' Englishes

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      Audio/Video

      Extra activity 1

      Useful links

      This extra activity does not have discussion activities. Instead, it encourages you to use external resources to explore collections of Inner Circle Englishes.

      General links

      Maps of North American accents

      The following are links to maps of linguistic variation in North American Englishes, referred to on p. 80 of the book.

      News stories about maps created by Joshua Katz, which present variation in North American Englishes:

      A map created by Rick Aschmann, which also includes audio samples:

      Links regarding Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister

      Below are some links containing video samples relevant to Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister:

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      Case study: ‘Jafaican’ – a newspaper article on inner-city accents in the UK

      ‘Comedians might play the patois of multicultural Britain for laughs, but spoken English has been drawing on influences from other languages and dialects for centuries’ (Braier, 2013).

      This newspaper article discusses the fact that many English accents are often ridiculed in the media. It refers to the popular British sitcom, PhoneShop, where people try to adopt a Jamaican (or ‘Jafaican’) accent.

      Despite a trend in comedy to play on accents, the article points out that, ‘Linguistic experts agree that this speech pattern is fast becoming the genuine sound of modern urban Britain, the native tongue of black, white and brown youth. Let’s face it, middle-class kids are less likely to grow up cheek by jowl with their immigrant.’

      The article goes on to note that English has historically been influenced by other languages.

      Braier, R., ‘Jafaican it? No we’re not.’ The Guardian. Friday 30 August 2013: www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2013/aug/30/mind-your-language-jafaican

      Discussion questions

      1. Based on Chapter 2’s discussion of language contact and change, and the power of prestige attached to language, what do you see as the driving forces behind change in these inner-city accents?
      2. What parallels can be drawn between the events reported in this article and those events that shaped the Englishes that emerged in Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas?
      3. What do you see as the eventual outcome of young people growing up in London who are exposed to a mixture of second language English and local London English? Will this have a long-time effect?

      Extra activity 4

      Where the bloody hell are you?

      Calling the time half-eight is common for speakers in the UK, but not in Australia. To say someone sings good is acceptable for younger speakers in the USA, but not for older generations.

      Take a look at the advert for Australia found online at www.sowherethebloodyhellareyou.com/

      The British government has banned this advert in the UK. Watch the video again and try to guess why it has been banned.

      Discussion questions

      This article was banned in the UK due to the use of the word ‘bloody’ in the slogan.

      1. What do you think of the slogan in the Australian advert?
      2. Do you think British people are prudish?
      3. Do you know of any adverts that have been banned in your country?
      4. Do you feel comfortable using bad or foul words from English or other languages?

      Further exercises

      For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

      Chapter 5 – The 'New' Englishes

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      Audio/Video

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      Creativity in South Asian Englishes

      English has been adapted in various contexts of the Outer Circle in diverse ways. Kachru (1985, p. 20) uses the term ‘bilinguals’ creativity’ to describe ‘those creative linguistic processes which are the result of competence in two or more languages’. Creativity in writing showcases the pluricentricity of English today as these writers adapt the language and make it their own. Several writers of ‘New’ Englishes in various contexts have made names for themselves across the English-speaking world. Kachru (1997, p. 222–3, cited in Kachru and Nelson, 2006, p. 32) presents a list of world-class literary prize winners, which include the following:

      Nobel Prize in Literature

      • Wole Soyinka (Nigeria), 1986
      • Derek Walcott (Trinidad), 1992
      • V. S. Naipaul (Trinidad), 2001

      Neustadt Award

      • Raja Rao (India), 1988

      Man Booker Prize

      • Chinua Achebe (Nigeria), 1987
      • Michael Ondaatje (Sri Lanka), 1992
      • Ben Okri (Nigeria), 1991
      • Salman Rushdie (India), 1995
      • Arundhati Roy (India), 1997

      Discussion questions

      1. In what ways do these works exemplify the need to reconceptualize linguistic views of creativity?
      2. In what ways can such works be used to show how code-mixing, code-switching etc. can be normal, particularly for writers that are bicultural as well as bilingual?
      3. The phrase ‘The Empire Writes Back’ was used for the first time by Salman Rushdie in 1982 but was continued in a discussion by Ashcroft et al. (1989). The title was used again in a Time magazine cover story and feature article, detailing the success of ‘New’ English writers. In what ways can the development of post-colonial literature help the status of the ‘New’ Englishes? Does this growing body of post-colonial literature have any implications for the study of English literature?

      Extra activity 4

      English in Singapore

      As introduced in Chapter 5, the ‘Speak Good English Movement’ started in 2000 to promote the use of ‘standard’ English, due to fears that Singlish, which is seen as inferior, is unintelligible to outsiders. This campaign aims to ‘encourage Singaporeans to speak grammatically correct English that is universally understood’, and it has workshops, seminars, and games for children to promote ‘standard’ English usage.

      Use the links below to access websites and videos related to this movement.

      Discussion questions

      • What is your opinion on the ‘Speak Good English Movement’ ?
      • Are you aware of any similar movements in other contexts?
      • What is your opinion on Seargeant’s comment that ‘the logic behind the policy is flawed’ (2012, p. 110)?

      Further exercises

      For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

      Chapter 6 – English in global contexts

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      Audio/Video

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            Li Yang’s ‘Crazy English’ enterprise – China’s Elvis

            The demand for English in China is exemplified with the success of Li Yang’s ‘Crazy English’ enterprise. This mass education campaign, started in the late 1990s, involves large crowds filling sports stadiums, repeating and chanting phrases and slogans loudly. The approach integrates patriotic messages and a strong self-development component.

            A 2008 article in the New Yorker called Li Yang ‘China’s Elvis of English’. Li Yang uses his own success story to motivate learners, attracting people from all over the country. He believes that reading English as loudly as possible every day is the key to improving proficiency, and helped him pass the College English Test. In 2007, he claimed that his public lectures had attracted 30 or 40 million participants (Chen, 2007, cited in Gao, 2012). He was also chosen to be an ambassador at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

            Gao (2012, p. 362) notes how Li Yang skilfully drew on Chinese cultural traditions and the nation’s pursuit of modernization to present himself as a successful learner of English and promote the learning of English as a patriotic enterprise. He transforms learning English as a quest for personal gain, such as social mobility, into a goal for the collective good.

            Discussion questions

            1. In what ways do you think it is possible to promote a Chinese identity and English proficiency side by side?
            2. Why do you think so many Chinese learners of English are attracted to this method?
            3. Why do you think Li Yang shows learning English as a patriotic enterprise?
            4. Mauranen (2006, p. 147) notes that, if we want to understand the use of English in today’s world, ‘ELF must be one of the central concerns in this line of research’. In what ways can ELF research contribute to an understanding of English use in China?

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            English in Greece

            Listen to the interview with Hara Paggaiou, a Greek pre-service English teacher talking about English in Greece.

            Discussion questions

            1. Hara refers to the fact that English learners in Greece have to learn the language and that there is no choice. What is your opinion on this?
            2. She also notes that English proficiency is a prerequisite for a job and that employers demand certificates such as a First Certificate. What large-scale tests are popular in a context that you are familiar with?
            3. Hara makes some negative comments on the approach to English language instruction in Greece. What is your opinion on this? In what ways can the classroom better reflect real-life usage of the language?
            4. What comments does she make with regards to appropriate models for learning English? What is your opinion on this?
            5. What comments does she make with regards to the use of ‘Greeklish’? Do you think that the global spread of English poses a threat to other languages?

            Extra activity 6

            English in English villages

            Watch the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvo1EiwbEhk about the ‘English villages’ in Korea that aim to create an English immersion environment.

            Discussion questions

            1. What is your opinion on these English villages? Are you familiar with any others in other countries?
            2. Park (2009, p. 95) notes that, ‘English in Korea, with more than one hundred years of educational history, is more than just another foreign language; it is a language with a common set of English rules and expressions with uniquely Korean nuances. What is your opinion on this? Is it more than a ‘foreign’ language?

            Further exercises

            For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

            Chapter 7 – English as a lingua franca

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            Audio/Video

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              Attitudes towards the use of English as an official working language

              Watch the Japanese Cup Noodle TV commercial about the announcement that the company will change their official working language to English on YouTube at the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9SIVzjZhlk

              Discussion questions

              1. The commercial opens with the CEO of Nissin announcing that their company will change their official language to English. Does this raise any issues about categorizing countries such as Japan in the Expanding Circle or as EFL countries?
              2. This commercial jokes about the possible attitudes of a typical worker in a Japanese company. Many ‘died’ on that day as they had only achieved level three on their Eiken English proficiency tests. However, a few met the onslaught with a heroic counter of, ‘Fain sankyu end u?’ What is your opinion on introducing English as a company language in places where it has no official status?
              3. Why are attitudes worth researching? Are there any factors that influence attitudes? How could you research the attitudes of such employees? Would your results have any implications for teaching English/business English?

              Extra activity 3

              Culture and ELF

              Listen to the interview with Dr Will Baker on intercultural awareness (ICA). Make notes and then answer the discussion questions.

              Discussion questions

              1. Dr Baker notes that cultural awareness (CA) has emerged over the last few decades as a significant part of conceptualizing the cultural dimension to language teaching. To what extent do you think L2 users need to understand L2 communication as a cultural process, and be aware of their own culturally based communicative behaviour and that of others?
              2. What does he say about CA being rooted in a national conception of culture and language, and why is this problematic in relation to ELF?
              3. In what ways is intercultural awareness (ICA) an alternative ‘non-essentialist’ view of culture and language?
              4. What does he mean by the fluid and dynamic relationship between language and culture?

              Extra activity 4

              International intelligibility (1)

              Watch the video of Robin Walker available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qoh07EovCsE. Make notes and then prepare your own questions for a group discussion.

              Extra activity 5

              International intelligibility (2)

              Listen to the BBC radio programme on ELF, available at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013q210, which includes interviews with Prof Jennifer Jenkins and Prof Andy Kirkpatrick. Take notes and prepare some questions for a group discussion.

              Extra activity 6

              Further exercises

              For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

              Chapter 8 – Attitudes to English varieties and English as a lingua franca

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              Audio/Video

                Extra activity 1

                The portrayal of English in popular textbooks

                Many popular ELT textbooks portray the native English speaker as the ‘ideal’ speaker and the target interlocutor. Furthermore, in countries around the world, many bookstores are full of titles that perpetuate this myth.

                For example, in Japan many book titles emphasize the need to ‘overcome’ Japanese-style English, e.g.:

                1. Farewell to Japanese English (Hisama, 1995)
                2. Common Mistakes of Japanese English Speakers (Kobayashi, 1998)
                3. A Native English Speaker Would Say it This Way (Williamson and Katsuki, 2005)
                4. How Your English Sounds to Native Speakers (Thayne and Koike, 2008).

                Many of these focus on pronunciation and pragmatic ‘errors’ that are seen to be ‘unnatural’ to native English speakers. One introduction states:

                This book aims to transform your ‘JapEng’ into ‘native speaker English’ by correcting those grammatically correct but ambiguous phrases and bookish expressions that sometimes sound negative to native speakers of English.

                (Tada and Vogt, 2004, p. iii)

                Others encourage students to spend time memorizing expressions such as, ‘I got it for free’ not ‘I got it service’ (Kobayashi, 1998, p. 46), ‘My sister works in an office’ not ‘My sister is an office lady’ (Kobayashi, 1998, p. 8), and ‘I go to my office every day’ not ‘I go to my company every day’ (Kobayashi, 1998, p. 148).

                Discussion questions

                1. What is your reaction to these book titles? Do you know of any examples from other contexts?
                2. What impression of English do these books give to readers?
                3. To what extent do you think the example phrases above would cause a miscommunication? What do you think about the following examples:
                1. he is high tension (‘he is excitable’)
                2. doraibaa (‘screwdriver’)
                3. raibu-hausu (‘live house’)
                4. baaten (‘bartender’)?
                1. To what extent should native English speakers also learn how to accommodate to non-native English speakers (perhaps through a book called ‘How Your English Sounds to Non-native English Speakers’)?

                Extra activity 2

                Case study

                The following is a real case taken from Golombek and Jordan (2005, p. 519).

                Shao-mei is a 29 year old MATESOL student from Taiwan. In her schooling in Taiwan, she studied both English and German but focused on English. Shao-mei describes her English language education as typical of Taiwan. She was groomed for tests and, until she attended university, she rarely had courses emphasising oral communication. Her exposure to aspects of pronunciation consisted of an initial phonetics course in the ninth grade, when English language instruction began, a cram-school course on pronunciation, and a phonetics course in university that covered the vowel and consonant sounds of English. Despite Shao-mei’s extensive education in English, her sense of herself as a legitimate speaker of English was, ultimately, contradictory. She explained that many L2 speakers she knows ‘don’t think their English is good enough’. She described this lack of confidence in detail in a reaction paper:

                ’When I talk with my classmates or friends graduating from English department, we feel strongly that our English is never sufficient. There are always new vocabularies, idioms and slang ... Thus, some of us feel unconfident of ourselves and dare not to tell others that we were once English majors because we are incompetent to speak English fluently.’

                Discussion questions

                1. Shao-Mei appears to feel that people who speak a second language must use its native speakers as a yardstick for intelligibility. Do you agree with this?
                2. Should English learners try to decrease their local accent to make communication more successful?
                3. How does the view of Shao-Mei and her classmates fit with the movements in Global Englishes that you have been exposed to thus far in this book?

                Further exercises

                For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

                Chapter 9 – English language teaching

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                Audio/Video

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                        The world’s English mania

                        Watch Jay Walker’s TED talk at the following link: www.ted.com/talks/jay_walker_on_the_world_s_english_mania.html. Make notes and then prepare your own discussion questions for your group.

                        Extra activity 3

                        Crazy English

                        Watch the video of Li Yang’s Crazy English technique and read the article at the following link: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8757375/What-is-Crazy-English-and-who-is-Li-Yang.html

                        Discussion questions

                        1. School English education is often criticized in places like China for failing to improve the communicative proficiency of students.
                          1. What is your opinion on this?
                          2. What teaching methods are popular in a context you are familiar with?
                          3. Is Crazy English a good alternative?
                        2. What is your opinion on rote-learning for English?
                        3. Why do you think the Crazy English empire is growing, and why might Li Yang have been chosen as an Ambassador for the Olympic games?
                        4. Li claims that shouting helped him learn English more easily. What do you think?

                        Extra activity 4

                        ELT in Palestine

                        Listen to Ibtihal Ramadan talk about ELT in Palestine and take notes.

                        Discussion questions

                        1. What does Ibtihal Ramadan say about the difference between government policy and actual teaching practice? Is this similar in a teaching context you are familiar with?
                        2. Ibtihal refers to teacher training as a possible factor influencing the implementation of communicative language teaching. In what ways do you think the GELT proposals outlined in Chapter 9 could be addressed in a teaching context you are familiar with?
                        3. What does she say in relation to the use of English in the classroom?
                        4. What does she say about the exposure to British and American English in Palestine?

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                        Further exercises

                        For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.

                        Chapter 10 – The future of English as a global language

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                        Audio/Video

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                          Call-centre English

                          Watch the music video on YouTube for the song Call Center by Cambio, a Philippine pop band, at the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4yhEQ63xtE

                          Discussion questions

                          1. What does this song tell you about the working hours of call centre agents in places like the Philippines?
                          2. What is your opinion on the phrase, ‘I get paid for my American accent’?

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                          Internationalization

                          Watch the video on globalization and a university education (available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/pesl/browse/results/law/givingab042/), take notes, and prepare your own discussion questions.

                          Extra activity 5

                          Case study: The era of the BRICs

                          The following information is taken from Graddol, D. (2006), English Next: Why Global English May Mean the End to English as a Foreign Language, published by The British Council, with updated statistics from a variety of online sources.

                          BRIC is an acronym for the nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China, and is used in the business and financial sectors to describe a new era of world economic superpowers. It is expected that the BRICs will be, in the near future, what the G6 (Italy, France, UK, Germany, Japan and the US) were in 2003. In 2003, the worth of the BRICs constituted 15% of the G6 nations, but, by 2025, it is expected that they will constitute half the projected worth of G6, and will eclipse the six-member group by 2040.

                          The languages of the BRICs are, also, making headway into global media, such as the Internet. Chinese, for example, doubled its online presence from 2000 to 2005, and demand for learning Chinese as a foreign language has skyrocketed in recent years, with overseas students taking the Chinese proficiency test rising from 10,000 in 2000 to almost 40,000 in 2005. China also ranks 6th in the world in terms of the number of international students it attracts. It was projected that, from 2010, demand for Hindi, Russian and Portuguese would also increase.

                          However, the rise of the BRICs does not necessarily mean the demise of the English language. India has been keen to exploit its post-colonial past in leveraging business, by using their highly proficient English speaking population to attract service-oriented industries, such as outsourcing of call centres and technical support, which are dependent on language ability. China, also, has invested much in English language education. The BRICs have a bright future on the global stage.

                          Discussion questions

                          1. How will the growth of the BRICs affect the use of English as the world’s lingua franca?
                          2. Will the growth of other economies, and the decline of UK and US economic power, topple English from the top of its hierarchy?
                          3. Do you think shifts in power and prestige attached to ENL Englishes will wane?

                          Further exercises

                          For further exercises related to this chapter, please click on the links below.