Dreams and Realities: Developing Countries and the English Language

British Council Signature Event:The role of English in developing countries, 17.35-18.35, Saturday 16th April

In this session, the editor and contributors of a brand-new book "Dreams and Realities: Developing Countries and the English Language" gave a short presentation about the book. It is mainly about language policy  & planning and the role of English in developing countries.

I do not want to give detailed information about the content, but below I'm listing the suggestions for further research in this field for the researchers interested in English as a Lingua Franca and Global Issues:

    * There should be more research in the complexity of language planning.
    * We still need more concrete evidence in which contexts English is useful in developing countries
    * There should be projects to minimise inequality in childrens' access to English and improve their proficiency.
    * There is a need for the improvement of teaching English as a subject.
    * "ELT in Development" should be recognised as a branch and promoted.

Actually, the last point is interesting. Once I heard this, I said to myself "oh, be prepared! A new area in ELT is coming!" It is very exciting, in fact.

Toward the end of the panel, there was a hot debate about the role of English in developing countries and its effect on minority/indigenous languages.

The attendees discussed whether the threat for minority/indigenous languages came from English or official and/or national language.It is a very controversial issue that depends on the context, but it ws clear that the attendees agreed on the fact that the teachers should be involved in decision-making process and they should promote intercultural communication while respecting lingustic and cultural diversity.

Special thanks go to British Council for giving away the book to all of the audience and making a valuable contribution to language policy debate!