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The educational role and status of English in Brazil
Author(s) -
Bohn Hilario I.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/1467-971x.00285
Subject(s) - status quo , foreign language , obstacle , context (archaeology) , language assessment , sociology , language policy , language education , pedagogy , political science , language industry , linguistics , comprehension approach , geography , philosophy , archaeology , law
The teaching of English in Brazil is part of the larger project of foreign language education in general. In the context of growing use of and demand for English as an international language along with recognition of a growing need for the maintenance of local identities associated with local languages, Brazilian language teachers are faced with the challenge of making the classroom more responsive to the social reality. An obstacle to change in pedagogy is the lack of a local and national foreign language teaching policy. This paper explores historical and national scenarios that contribute to the status quo, considers the role of English in the Brazilian pedagogical and linguistic landscape, and puts forward proposals for language teaching professionals to take into account in the process of articulating a national foreign language education that does justice to the learners, their first languages, and the languages being taught.