The status and functions of English in contemporary Lebanon. Issue 2 (26th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Banat, Hadi
• Other Names: ELYAS TARIQ guestEditor.; MAHBOOB AHMAR guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: World Englishes. Volume 40:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 268
• Page End: 279
• Publication Date: 2020-05-26
• Subjects: English language -- Foreign countries -- Periodicals; English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- Periodicals; English language -- Variation -- Periodicals; Intercultural communication -- Periodicals; 428.2407
• DOI: 10.1111/weng.12513
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0883-2919

Abstract

Abstract: 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.