Tema 4

Cátedra Integradora: Educational

systems and educational policies in the
teaching and learning process of
English as a foreign language

Unit 4: Context of English Learning

Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE Unidad de Educación a Distancia

Index Page

Unit 4: Context of English learning

4.1 Introduction to English-speaking countries 3

4.1.1 main English speaking countries 3

4.1.2 Over view of English-speaking countries 3

4.1.3 How was English spread around the world? 5

4.1.4 English and Globalization 9

4.2 English as a lingua franca 10

4.2.1 English as a Lingua Franca 10

Complementary resources 12

Bibliography 13

Self-assessment 14

Learning activities 16

Annex 18

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4.1 Introduction to English-speaking countries.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES
https://www.lingoda.com/en/english-speaking-countries

An official language is defined as a language used by the citizens of that

country during interactions with their government.

In 2015, there were 67 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign where English

was the official language and many countries have declared English as an
official language at the local or regional level. Most of the countries where
English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire. The
English language has approximately 400 million native speakers worldwide, it is
the single most popular second language.

MAIN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

It is a fact that the English language is most commonly associated with the two
largest English speaking counties: The United states and the United Kingdom.
It is believed that there are around 230 million native speakers in the United
States, making it the largest English-speaking country, while the United
Kingdom has around approximately 60 million native speakers.

Canada is considered the third largest English speaking country. Canada has
two official languages: English and French, but English is more spoken, about
20 million of native speakers. Australia is next in the list, with around 17 million
native speakers.

Some other countries around the world where English is considered as the first
language are the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand.
Combined, these three countries are believed to be home to around 13 million
people who speak English as their first language.

OVERVIEW OF ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

Below, there is a list of countries that have English as either the mother tongue
or as the official language. The countries have been sorted based on their
geographical location.

North America:

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➢ United States
➢ Canada

Europe:
➢ United Kingdom
➢ Republic of Ireland
➢ Malta

Caribbean:
➢ Jamaica
➢ Barbados
➢ Trinidad and Tobago
➢ Bahamas
➢ Guyana

Oceania:
➢ Australia
➢ New Zealand
➢ Papua New Guinea
➢ Fiji
➢ Samoa
➢ Tonga
➢ Solomon Islands
➢ Micronesia
➢ Vanuatu
➢ Kiribati
Asia:
➢ India
➢ Pakistan
➢ Singapore
➢ Philippines
➢ Sri Lanka
➢ Malaysia
Africa:
➢ South Africa
➢ Nigeria
➢ Cameroon
➢ Kenya
➢ Zimbabwe
➢ Ghana
➢ Rwanda

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➢ Sudan
➢ Botswana
➢ Ethiopia

HOW WAS ENGLISH SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD?

Due to the fact of development of the societies and the necessity of a universal
language for communication and trading, the British Empire helped to spread
English around the world during the 18th and 19th centuries.

This is why many of the countries where English is an official language were
former British colonies, including Canada, Australia, South Africa and the United
States. Later on, English was introduced in regions like India and parts of Africa,
where it continues to be widely spoken. Although Hindi is the most widely-
spoken language in India today, English became the official language and still
remains that condition in education, business and mainly in political affairs.

Throughout the 20th century, the United States emerged as a major political
superpower, especially in the years after World War II. Its influence, combined
with Hollywood films and the journalistic work of the British Broadcasting
Corporation, have contributed to make English an International language.

Video: English speaking countries.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hx0sEdPiK8

ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES

LIST OF ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES

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Here is the list of countries where English is spoken as an official language and
used by most of people.

Country Region Population

Antigua and Barbuda Caribbean 85,000
Australia Australia 22,374,370
Bahamas, The Caribbean 331,000
Barbados Caribbean 294,000
Belize Central America / Caribbean 288,000
Botswana Africa 1,882,000
Cameroon Africa
Canada North America 33,531,000
Dominica Caribbean 73,000
Eritrea Africa 5,224,000
Ethiopia Africa 82,101,998
Fiji Oceania 827,900
The Gambia Africa 1,709,000
Ghana Africa 23,478,000
Grenada Caribbean 106,000
Guyana South America / Caribbean 738,000
India Asia 1,143,540,000
Ireland Europe 4,581,269
Jamaica Caribbean 2,714,000
Kenya Africa 37,538,000
Kiribati Oceania 95,000
Kingdom of the Netherlands Caribbean (and Europe) 17,000,000
Lesotho Africa 2,008,000
Liberia Africa 3,750,000

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Malawi Africa 13,925,000

Malta Europe 412,600
Marshall Islands Oceania 59,000
Mauritius Africa / Indian Ocean 1,262,000
Federated States of Micronesia Oceania 111,000
Namibia Africa 2,074,000
Nauru Oceania 10,000
New Zealand Oceania 4,294,350
Nigeria Africa 148,093,000
Pakistan Asia 165,449,000
Palau Oceania 20,000
Papua New Guinea Oceania 6,331,000
Philippines Asia 90,457,200
Rwanda Africa 9,725,000
Saint Kitts and Nevis Caribbean 50,000
Saint Lucia Caribbean 165,000
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Caribbean 120,000
Samoa Oceania 188,359
Seychelles Africa / Indian Ocean 87,000
Sierra Leone Africa 5,866,000
Singapore Asia 4,839,400
Solomon Islands Oceania 506,992
South Africa Africa 47,850,700
South Sudan Africa 8,260,490
Sudan Africa 31,894,000
Swaziland Africa 1,141,000
Tanzania Africa 40,454,000

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Tonga Oceania 100,000

Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean 1,333,000
Tuvalu Oceania 11,000
The United Kingdom Europe 61,612,300
The United States North America 309,442,000
Uganda Africa 30,884,000
Vanuatu Oceania 226,000
Zambia Africa 11,922,000
Zimbabwe Africa 13,349,000

Source: https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/reading-english-speaking-
countries.php

Source:
https://www.google.com/search?q=english+speaking+countries+map&tbm=isch&source=univ&s
a=X&ved=2ahUKEwib0La9x4HkAhUOjVkKHby2C7wQsAR6BAgHEAE&biw=1600&bih=789#im
grc=fVeiD1IgYYft_M:

ENGLISH AND GLOBALIZATION

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The phenomena of globalization brought positive and negative aspects for the
human being around the world. According to (McLuhan, 1959), English has
contributed considerably with benefits for human beings who inhabit the petite
global village. This positive aspect was seen in people with dissimilar histories,
races, cultural background in an epoch when not all inhabitants could reach
education.

Some international organizations such as: World Wild Animal Fund (WWAF),
United Nation (UN), World Health Association (WHA), and World Trade
Organization (WTO), were set up and every global citizens must have been
permitted to be part of them these organizations have brought up seedy
channels of international communication, conciliation and collaboration. Then it
could be said that globalization brings benefits or influences for human beings
worldwide.

Through the status of globalization, the communication in English became

essential because it is a way for universal contact. In order to update the
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum, English teachers are taking
worldwide perspectives into consideration when they write it.

Based on the theories of global educators, “A student does not need to travel
outside U. S. borders to meet people or understand the issues of the global
village.” (Durtka, Dye, Freund, Judy, Harris, Kline, LeBreck, Reimbold,
Tabachnick, Tantala, Wagler, 2002, p. 5) A scholar can gain knowledge of the
world in his/her own classroom near home.

What's more, nowadays educators are aware of designing a curriculum related

to global issues in every subject. (Durtka, Dye, Freund, Judy, Harris, Kline,
LeBreck, Reimbold, Tabachnick, Tantala, Wagler, 2002).

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvFDCx9-Wsc&feature=youtu.be

WHAT IS A LINGUA FRANCA?

According to (Worldatlas web page) a lingua franca is the term used to describe
a language systematically used to enable effective communication between
people with different native languages. It has been used throughout human
history and was used for different purposes such as: business, diplomatic
purposes, studies, researches among others.

One of the most important characteristic of a Lingua Franca is the fact that is
not considered a dialect neither a formal or informal language spoken in a
geographical, cultural or linguist boundaries of the communities.

4.2 ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA.

According to Norquist , R. (2019), the term English as a lingua franca (ELF)

refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a common
means of communication (or contact language) for speakers of different native
languages.

In the same way, Jenkins, J. (2009) A British linguist points out that ELF is not a
new phenomenon. English, she says, "has served as a lingua franca in the past,
and continues to do so nowadays, in many countries”. It is true because English
has become the language spoken by the majority of people around the world.

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This picture shows all nations that speak English as the language of
communication, technology, science and basically trading which means Lingua
Franca.

Source:
https://www.google.com/search?biw=1600&bih=789&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=zrtTXfvSDsWE5wKiiId
A&q=english+is+a+lingua+franca&oq=english+is+a+lingua+franca&gs_l=img.3..0i24.5176.5176
..6285...0.0..0.129.129.0j1......0....1..gws-wiz-
img.5XRu0zCuoOo&ved=0ahUKEwj78b7j7oHkAhVFwlkKHSLEAQgQ4dUDCAY&uact=5#imgrc
=v_CILRpY4CnMrM:

Video: Lingua Franca. Taken from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ZdC6wZnks

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Complementary resources
An Introduction to English Teaching A Textbook for English Educators
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED534554.pdf

English speaking countries

www.spssnina.edu.sk/orange/01an.ppt

Bibliography
Durtka, S., Dye, A., Freund, J., Harris, J., Kline, J., LeBreck, C., ... & Wagler, M.
(2002). Planning Curriculum in International Education. Publications Sales,
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Drawer 179, Milwaukee, WI 53293-
0179.

Jenkins, J. (2009). English as a lingua franca: Interpretations and

attitudes. World Englishes, 28(2), 200-207.

Lambani, M. N., & Maluleke, M. J. (2019). The competence of first-year level

university students in the use of English irregular simple past tense. Gender and
Behaviour, 17(2), 12944-12952.

McLuhan, M. (1959). Myth and mass media. Daedalus, 88(2), 339-348.

Presentation of English-speaking cultures: upper secondary school textbooks of

English in the 1980s and in the 2010s. Taken from
https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/38046/1/urn%3anbn%3afi%3ajyu-
201206161881.pdf

Wallerstein, I. (1979). The capitalist world-economy (Vol. 2). Cambridge

University Press.

Video: English speaking countries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hx0sEdPiK8

Video: What is Lingua Franca?

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ZdC6wZnks

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Self-assessment
Answer these questions
1. What is Lingua Franca?
a) Language spoken between groups of people who speak different
languages in order to establish communication
b) Language spoken in the classroom in order to establish
communication
c) Language spoken in a region for specific purposes

2. Has Lingua Franca been used for throughout human history for different
purposes?
a) Yes, It does
b) Yes, It has
c) Yes, It is

3. Why has English become the language spoken by the majority of people
around the world?
a) Because English is used just in sports
b) Because English is used just trading
c) Because English is used for many different purposes around the
world

4. What are the two largest English speaking counties in the world?
a) The United states and the United Kingdom
b) The United states and France
c) The United states and Spain

5. What are some other notable countries around the world where English
is the primary language?
a) The Republic of Ireland, Portugal and Brazil
b) The Republic of Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand
c) The Republic of Ireland, Argentina and Ecuador

6. What countries do mostly speak English in North America?

a) Washington DC and Quebec
b) Ontario and Ohio
c) United States and Canada

7. When was English spread around the world?

a) During the 18th and 19th centuries
b) During the 20th century
c) During the 21st century

8. What was the effect of globalization in the world?

a) Globalization helped people make more and more allowance

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b) Globalization helped people get more naturally perspectives of

economy, health, education, industry and politics
c) Globalization helped people to settle in a definite region

9. What was the contribution of globalization in education?

a) It contributed in the curriculum to accommodate the social order for
children in schools
b) It contributed in the curriculum to endure new international social
order for adult learners
c) It contributed in the curriculum to accommodate international social
order, particularly for adult English learners in university

10. What are educators doing in the curriculum nowadays?

a) They are designing a curriculum related to all subject matters
including global cultures and global connections
b) They are designing new subject matters including old global
connections
c) They are designing a curriculum with the same contents as before

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Learning Activities 4.1

On line asynchronous class: Power point presentation, to explain the countries
where English is spoken around the world.

I. Academic Forum.
o Do you think English is still considered as a Universal Language?.
o What do you understand as a Lingua Franca?

You are free to use complementary information and your own sources as well.

Instructions
1.- Read and watch the articles and videos as a source of information to go
through this activity.

• Presentation of English-speaking cultures: upper secondary school

textbooks of English in the 1980s and in the 2010s.

Taken from
• https://jyx.jyu.fi/bitstream/handle/123456789/38046/1/urn%3anbn%3afi%
3ajyu-201206161881.pdf

• English as a Lingua Franca: interpretations and attitudes

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227663650_English_as_a_Ling
ua_Franca_interpretations_and_attitudes

• Video: English speaking countries

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hx0sEdPiK8

• Video: What is Lingua Franca?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9ZdC6wZnks

2.- Take some notes to answer the questions

3.- post your job in the academic forum.

Date to hand in the activity

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November 19th, 2019

Format
As document of word

Name of the file

Full name

Criteria of evaluation
Rubric (attached document)

Maximum Length
One single paragraph for each question. Be concise in your responses.

Instructions
• Use academic language.
• You have to cite by using APA Style, sixth edition:
https://www.um.es/documents/378246/2964900/Normas+APA+Sexta+E
dici%C3%B3n.pdf/27f8511d-95b6-4096-8d3e-f8492f61c6dc
• Your participations will be graded by using a rubric.
• Show respect while participating

Best regards
Your tutor

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Annex
Rubric for Academic Forum

Taken from: http://blogs.elon.edu/technology/files/2012/02/EvaluatingForumResponses1.pdf

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