Earls, Clive W.
(2013)
Setting the Catherine wheel in motion: An exploration of “Englishization” in the German higher education system.
Language Problems & Language Planning, 37 (2).
pp. 125-150.
ISSN 0272-2690
Abstract
In today’s world, internationalisation is the key to survival for higher education institutions (HEIs). Many argue that English has become the most used language worldwide, the international language of wider communication in a variety of domains ranging from the professional to everyday life. Consequently, non-English speaking countries have entered into a process of introducing English-medium higher education as a means of overcoming any competitive disadvantage associated with their particular linguistic situation. As a result, an ideology has emerged amongst HEIs in non-English-speaking countries that internationalisation is synonymous with the introduction of English-medium degree programmes. This development has implications for the position of national languages in their higher education systems, and consequently as international languages of communication. It is, therefore, necessary to investigate the extent to which the adoption of such language-in-education reforms may potentially act as an impetus to a wider language shift in the countries comprising Kachru’s “expanding circle.” This paper explores the current process of “Englishization” within the German higher education system. By means of Strubell’s “Catherine Wheel” conceptual model, a potential language shift from German to English is postulated and its ramifications for German’s status and role as an international language are discussed.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Catherine wheel; Englishization; German higher education system; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures > German |
| Item ID: |
5493 |
| Depositing User: |
Dr. Clive Earls
|
| Date Deposited: |
14 Oct 2014 15:43 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Language Problems & Language Planning |
| Publisher: |
John Benjamins Publishing |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Funders: |
Irish Social Sciences Platform |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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