The Expansion of the English Language Across Turkey: Threat or Opportunity?

Year 2013, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 159 - 171, 30.12.2013

Ali Karaka

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and report on the spread of the English language across Turkey, and how people from different camps in the country show reactions to its current place. In this sense, with an eye to projecting how a welcoming atmosphere has chronologically occurred in Turkey for English to gain importance as an inescapable phenomenon, brief information on the country profile is given to the reader before the main discussion. To achieve the purpose of the paper, the discussions within the main body of the paper are grounded on the conceptual framework of language spread and its two sub-divisions: planned and unplanned language spread. The current place of English in Turkey is described based on four main domains and their sub-domains. These domains include the presence of English in scientific research and communication, in the workplace, in cultural products and the media and finally in education. For each specific domain, a small amount of space is allowed to cite people’s reactions to the omnipresence of English, including both their concerns and positive remarks regarding the issue. The paper concludes that the spread of English in Turkey creates dilemmas among people and for the state, and no easy solution is seen in the immediate future in regard to the expansion of English

Keywords

English, language spread, planned spread, unplanned spread, Turkey

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