The status and functions of English in contemporary Lebanon

Bibliographic Data

ID18969722
AuthorsHadi Banat (0000-0002-7546-7997, The University of Massachusetts Boston USA, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume40
Issue2
Pages268-279
Publication date2021-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Englishes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0883-2919 • E-ISSN: 1467-971X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/weng.12513
OpenAlexW3030598886
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited12

This paper is a descriptive case study of the status and functions of English in contemporary Lebanon. It consults archival research (primary and secondary sources), firsthand observations, and governmental artifacts for data collection purposes. I use such data to portray the spread of English in various domains of use and build an evidence‐based argument about the relationship between policy making/implementation and its effects on local users for practicing agency in promoting the status of English. The paper includes a sociohistorical overview of the Lebanese context and discusses findings in relation to the uses of English, the role of educational institutions in enforcing language policies, and users’ interactions with language policy and planning. The sociolinguistic profiling of English in Lebanon facilitates a unique analysis of a multifaceted argument in favor of linguistic pragmatism over linguistic colonialism for institutionalizing the uses and functions of English in an Arabic speaking country

Arabic · Colonialism · Language assessment · Language policy · Linguistics · Modern language · Pedagogy · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Computer Science · Gender Studies in Language · History · Law · Multilingual Education and Policy · Second Language Learning and Teaching