scholarly journals Kachru’s Three Concentric Circles Model of English Language: An Overview of Criticism & the Place of Kuwait in it

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Al-Mutairi
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
English Language ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Concentric Circles ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk

This paper attempts to examine in a descriptive way the pioneering model of “World Englishes” proposed by Kachru in the mid-1980s that allocates the presence of English into three concentric circles: The Inner Circle, the Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle. The Inner Circle presents the countries where English is used as a native language and as a first language among people. These countries include the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The Outer Circle includes countries that have old historical British colonial relations and where English is commonly used in social life or the government sectors. Most of the countries that belong to this circle are former colonies of the British Empire, such as India, Malaysia, Singapore, Ghana, Kenya, and others. The usage of English in these countries is similar to what is known as English as a second language. The third circle, The Expanding Circle, includes countries that introduce English as a foreign language in schools and universities, mostly for communicating in English with the Inner and Outer Circles. Such countries include Turkey, Saudi Arabia, The Emirates, Japan, China, Korea, and others. Since its first introduction in 1985, Kachru's Three Concentric Circles Model of English Language has occasioned a great debate. Many linguists considered it one of the most influential models for understanding the use of English in different countries. Some, on the other hand, including Kachru himself, criticized the model for its oversimplification and the unclear membership to the circles. In addition to an overview of criticism on Kachru's model based on different studies, this paper tries to locate the place of ELT in Kuwait among the three circles.

scholarly journals A Comparative study on English language teaching to young learners around the world

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 114-118
Author(s):  
Cansu Orsel ◽  
Fatih Yavuz
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
The World ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Inner Circle

Usage of the English language as Lingua Franca has caused an increasing demand on the English Language Teaching (ELT) in early childhood and according to Braj Kachru’s Three Circles Model of World Englishes as the Inner Circle, the Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle the approaches to the Young Learners dramatically differs. Besides the features of English as a global language and the nature of early language learning, this paper also focuses on the comparison of the three different examples from the Three Circles Model of World Englishes. They are compared in terms of techniques that are used and the approaches to the Young Learners. The examples taken are from the official websites of the three countries from the Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle; respectively, New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development, and the Turkish Board of Education and Instruction. Keywords: Young Learners, The World Englishes, Lingua Franca, Braj Kachru, English Language Teaching (ELT).

scholarly journals Verb Complementation in News Headlines by the Inner, Outer, and Expanding Circles

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-59
Author(s):  
Jess Mendoza ◽  
Cecilia Genuino ◽  
Maria Elizabeth De Luna
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
Verb Phrases ◽  
The World ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Concentric Circles ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Ditransitive Verbs ◽  
News Headlines

The English language has survived the pangs of giving birth to its variations commonly called as World Englishes. Though there are many “Englishes” in the globe today, they do have similarities and differences which are manifested in the different styles employed by writers around the world. In this regard, the study aimed to analyze the structure of verb phrases in news headlines of the different countries in Kachru’s three concentric circles leading to the identification of types of verbs used. This is done to give fresher ideas into the style of headline writing by understanding what types of verbs are used by the writers from the inner, outer, and expanding circles. Using Brinton, L and Brinton, D’s (2010) structure of verb complementation, the researchers analyzed five news headlines per circle which served as their corpus in identifying the complements present in the verb phrases. This, furthermore, led to the following results: a) inner and outer circles mostly use monotransitive verbs, b) outer circle is characterized by its use of copulative verbs, inner circle by its usage of intransitive verb, and the expanding circle by its usage of prepositional and ditransitive verbs c) expanding and inner circles use diprepositional verbs while outer circle does not, d) the expanding and outer circles both use complex transitive, e) the expanding circle exhibits the characteristics of both inner and outer circles, and f) the circles overlap each other.

scholarly journals Impacts of World Englishes on local standardized language proficiency testing in the Expanding Circle

English Today ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Qiusi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Proficiency Testing ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
The World ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Concentric Circles ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Changing Demographics

The world Englishes (WEs) paradigm describes the spread of English in three concentric circles (Kachru, 1985) – the Inner Circle (e.g., the USA, UK, and Australia), the Outer Circle (e.g. India, Philippines, and Singapore), and the Expanding Circle (e.g. China, Indonesia, and Thailand). With Englishization and nativization outside the Inner Circle and the changing demographics of English users (e.g. non-native speakers [NNSs] considerably outnumber the native speakers [NSs] in the Inner Circle [Crystal, 1995; Graddol, 1999], the WEs research strongly advocates to recognize the NNS varieties. Until today, the WEs paradigm has not only posed challenges to, but also encouraged changes in, the language testing (LT) profession that has been traditionally relying on the Inner Circle standard (e.g., Kachru, 1985; Lowenberg, 2002; Davies, Hamp–Lyons & Kemp, 2003; Hu, 2012; Brown, 2014).

Which English Should We Stand For? Voices from Lecturers in Thai Multicultural Universities

RELC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 003368822110546
Author(s):  
Yusop Boonsuk
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Linguistic Conventions ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Thai English ◽  
University Lecturers ◽  
Rapid Transformation

The rapid transformation of English linguistic landscapes has introduced the world to newly emerging English varieties or World Englishes, which are not typically employed in the Inner Circle. To address the defying phenomenon, this qualitative study explored the perceptions of Thai university lecturers on World Englishes, Thai English and the feasibility of implementing World Englishes and Thai English in the classrooms. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 15 English lecturers in 5 universities across the Thai regions. Analyzed by content analysis, findings revealed that the participants demonstrated mixed perceptions. While most of the participants viewed British and American Englishes as representations of standard English varieties and questioned the legitimacy of World Englishes and Thai English, others reportedly recognized and accepted the existence of World Englishes and considered Thai English as a tool to convey Thai identities and cultures. The findings also indicated that most participants outright disapproved of World Englishes and Thai English in teaching practices, and these varieties were substantially marginalized and devalued. However, to prepare learners for realistic use of English and increase their awareness of World Englishes and Thai English, the remaining participants suggested that English language teaching should embrace flexible linguistic conventions that allow spaces for Inner Circle, Outer Circle and Expanding Circle Englishes.

Selling English: advertising and the discourses of ELT

English Today ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK PEGRUM
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
The Us ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Way

FOR SOME time, a growing chorus of voices has been expressing concern over the way in which English is promoted by English-speaking countries, primarily the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (cf. Phillipson 1992, Pennycook 1994 & 1998, Canagarajah 1999, Skutnabb-Kangas 2000). Identified by Kachru (1985) as the ‘inner circle’ countries, these make vast profits from linguistic sales to ‘outer circle’ countries such as Singapore and India – despite the fact that the latter have largely developed their own Englishes – and even more so to the ‘expanding circle’ of countries which require access to the default international lingua franca.

scholarly journals Looking under Kachru's (1982, 1985) three circles model of World Englishes: the hidden reality and current challenges

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Robert Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Cultural Rights ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Language Studies ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Dominant Ideologies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Inner Circle

This paper examines the pioneering model of World Englishes formulated by Kachru in the early 1980s that allocates the presence of English into three concentric circles: first of all, the inner circle (Great Britain, the USA) where the language functions as an L1 (or native language); secondly, the outer circle (India, Nigeria) where the language was forced upon the subjugated people by Britain; thirdly, the expanding circle (China, Brazil) where English is studied as a foreign language. Researchers in the area of language studies tend to put too much store in Kachru's model expecting it to expose the different circles: (i) the proficiency level of the speakers, (ii) the variation that exists in the different dialects of the language, and (iii) how the many users appropriate the language to perform their daily routine. Pung (2009) suggests "going beyond" the three circle model with his proposal of a Conical Model of English (CME), while Park and Wee (2009, p.402) state that models have no "magical efficacy in challenging dominant ideologies of English" and that change in the world is not brought about by models but my people. Based on Park and Lee's caution with regard to models, and in lieu of Pung's "going beyond" the well-known Kachruvian model, the thrust of this article is to look specifically under the inner circle, that is, the supposed "native speaker domain". It will be argued in this paper that the circles function as a palimpsest erasing and ignoring what happened in the past linguistically, historically and culturally before the appearance of English in the spaces that the language occupies at the present time in the inner, outer, and expanding circles. An examination of days gone-by, with a focus on Kachru's inner circle, can present a mirror to examine: (i) bilingual (multilingual) biases, (ii) migration of peoples and treatment of immigrants, (iii) respect (or lack of) for the linguistic and cultural rights of minorities, and (iv) the hegemony of English in relation to other languages - issues that concern us today and will continue to do so in the coming years.

scholarly journals The Emergence of an “Intersecting Circle” in Kachru’s Three Concentric Circles of World Englishes: A Case of Ethno-linguistic Neutrality in Central Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Peter Ochefu Okpeh ◽  
James Udaa
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Linguistic Identity ◽  
Childhood Exposure ◽  
English Usage ◽  
Concentric Circles ◽  
Inner Circle

There is evidence that contemporary Nigeria is drifting towards a society of monolingual English users a component of which could be defined as lacking in ethno-linguistic identity. This trend is found among a generation of young Nigerian urban dwellers (between the age bracket of (12 and 25) who can neither communicate in their parents’ native language(s) nor indeed in any other Nigerian indigenous language; their only medium of communication is English. Although based on their childhood exposure to the English language and their relative competence in it, English can be described as their ‘‘mother tongue’’ but the fact that they are not native speakers given the socio-geographical circumstances of their birth excludes them from Kachru’s (1988) Inner Circle classification of native speakers. Consequently, these Nigerians are left without a clearly defined ethno-linguistic affiliation. This paper interrogates this emerging sociolinguistic phenomenon in especially Central Nigeria, with the aim of stimulating scholarly consciousness on the ethno-linguistic identity of this category of Nigerians, and its implications for English usage among them. The submission of the paper is that another circle, “the intersecting circle”, be created for them since they bestride both the inner circle in having English as their “mother tongue” and yet they are not native speakers of the language

scholarly journals World Englishes and learner lexicography: View from the Expanding Circle

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-721
Author(s):  
Galina N. Lovtsevich ◽  
Alexander A. Sokolov
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Northeast Asia ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
Regional Culture ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Expanding Circle ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
Cultural Functions ◽  
Northeast Asian

This article analyzes a World Englishes paradigm shift in four monolingual English-language learners dictionaries designed to meet the reference needs of people learning English as a non-native language in the Expanding Circle. The study investigates the question of how modern learners dictionaries reflect the current global status of English. The dictionary focus on educational learner needs exclusively seems to ignore the todays range and depth of the socio-cultural functions of global English. The authors examine the dictionaries coverage of non-Inner Circle varieties of English and, in particular, analyze culture-loaded borrowings from Northeast Asian countries (China, Japan, Korea, and Russia) where English is widely used for intercultural communication. The particular interest is in the way the dictionaries define such entries and represent non-English cultures and identities of their speakers from the Expanding Circle through borrowings. Analysis of the wordlists of learners dictionaries reveals an ethnocentric approach in compiling the dictionaries. This is manifested both in the patchy coverage of non-Inner Circle varieties of English in the dictionaries and in the inexplicable selections of borrowings to be included. Words associated with the Northeast Asian countries tend to be selected arbitrarily and according to Western rather than regional culture priorities. Anglocentricity is also evident in the definitions of the headwords related to Northeast Asia. The majority of the borrowings are defined in British or American terms without any perspective of the culture from which the words arise. The authors conclude that the representation of non-English cultures in learners dictionaries is ideological and ethnocentric and therefore cannot meet the challenges of the globalized world.

scholarly journals The Variations in Verb-Preposition Combinations in the GloWbE Corpus and Its Usage in Informal Englishes

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-41
Author(s):  
Kazi Amzad Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Web Data ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
The Usa ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Inner Circle ◽  
General Section

This paper is based on the Corpus of Global Web-based English (GloWbE) which was compiled by Mark Davies in 2013. The GloWbE corpus consists of web data from 20 different English speaking countries. This research is constructed on the GloWbE corpus to investigate the variations in certain verb-preposition combinations in informal Englishes. As the corpus is divided into two sections, such as – general and blog, this study is based on the blog section to compare web data from two inner circle countries such as The USA and Great Britain and two outer circle countries such as – India and Bangladesh. The reason for selecting the blog is that, in the GloWbE corpus, blog section consists of informal data, whereas general section consists of formal data. It is to be noted that the inner circle countries use English as their native tongue, whereas the outer circle countries use English as their second or foreign language. This paper argues that, the verb-preposition combinations or prepositional verbs vary in their frequency and meaning in the aforementioned countries and this paper investigates the following five prepositional verbs from The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language proposed by Huddleston and Pullum in 2002– come up with, look out for, put up with, stand up to, and get along with in the GloWbE corpus to prove that the frequency and meaning of these phrases varies from country to country based on social, cultural and political contexts as seen in the results. The investigation specifically shows the trends of the above five prepositional verbs in the four countries.

Parliamentary Oversight of Independent Regulatory Authorities in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-501
Author(s):  
Surendra Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Policy ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Regulatory Environment ◽  
Regulatory Authorities ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Parliamentary Oversight

Independent regulatory authorities have become an important component of the governance landscape in India and elsewhere. Some regulators have achieved useful outcomes in India. However, the creation of independent sectoral regulators in India has not been accompanied by critical reflection on their role, or attention to the political, legal and institutional contexts within which they operate. Lessons can be learnt from mature regulatory policy countries, such as the USA, the UK and Australia, that the regulatory environment needs to be constantly evaluated to make sure it is keeping pace with the changing technology, business environment and consumer needs and demands. Despite the number of bodies in India that are involved or responsible for regulatory reform, there is one function that seems to be missing and that is of a central oversight function. Most countries have an explicit whole of government regulatory policy and an oversight body, sometimes more than one, that is/are responsible for embedding some of the systemic tools across different parts of the government machinery.

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