Dünyada Küreselleşme ve Dil Eğitimi: Modernliğin Dili Olarak İngilizce ve Gelene

Today English is the language of books, newspapers, airports, and air traffic control, international business and academic conferences, science and technology, diplomacy, sport, international competitions, pop music and advertising. In the world today the number of people who speak English as a first language is between 320 and 380 million and the number of people who speak it as a second language is 300 – 500 million. Nearly one billion people speak English as a foreign language. However, we are not aware of the hegemony of English as a global language. Although English is seen as a key for countries’ success, it also contributes to the inequalities and injustice all around the world. In addition to this, English contributes to the loss of or the marginalisation of indigineous languages in different parts of the world. In this sense, this study aims to provide a critical stance on the issue of globalisation and language education in the world. The study is in three parts. In the first the aim is to deal with the issue from a mainstream stance, examining how English is perceived from a mainstream angle and why it is seen as necessary for development and international communication. The second critically deals with the global status of English with relevant examples from different parts of the world. The aim of this part is to show how English language contributes to the loss of or sidelining of languages with the own language policies of governments in different parts of the world and also in Turkey. Finally, the last part presents possible challenges that Turkish authorities and scholars may face with the introduction of a critical stance and its feasibility in ELT in Turkey.