A Recurring Decimal: English in Language Policy and Planning

One reality of language policy discourse in the world today is that it inevitably gravitates toward English. This is regardless of whether such discourse relates to any of Kachru's categories of Inner, Outer and Expanding Circles. My metaphor for this ubiquitous presence is a recurring decimal . The prominence that a language has in language policy may be due to a number of factors such as population, prestige, status, functionality, nationalism, etc. English shares all these factors in different countries, and may, in fact, have more than one of the factors in the same country. The recurrence of English in language policy is often presented as an outcome of deliberate choice. To maintain this position is to fail to “problematize the notion of choice” (Pennycook, 1994), since it is well known that there are historical, economic and bureaucratic constraints to language decisions. The resulting hegemony of English may be seen as beneficial from the perspective of its communicative and instrumental functions, particularly in the contexts of a “shrinking world,” which globalization represents. However, in Outer Circle countries, where English is largely acquired though formal education, its detrimental effects can be seen in social stratification, exclusion, and problems associated with education and literacy, status of languages other than English, and language rights. These problems inevitably invite attention to the broader issues of English in the context of educational failure and overall language policy.