This document discusses language policies and influences related to English. It begins by defining language policy and examining English as a medium of communication, including its role in international organizations like the UN and as a lingua franca. It then explores English as a medium of instruction and the language policies around education in countries like the Philippines, which implemented policies over time to promote Spanish, English and Filipino in response to colonial influences. In the Philippines specifically, current policies aim to establish Filipino and English competence through bilingual education programs.

1. Language Policies and Socio-political Inclinations and Influences
Mohammad Nassef D. Ali
III – BA English Language Studies

2. CONTENT
• Language Policy
• English as a Medium of Communication
- United Nations (UN) Official Languages
- English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)
- Classifications of Englishes
• English as a Medium of Instruction
- Language Policy in Education
- English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
• Language Policies in the Philippines

3. LANGUAGE POLICY
What is Language Policy?
- It is a body of ideas, laws, regulations, rules and practices intended to
achieve the planned language change in the societies, group or system
(Kaplan and Baldauf,1997).
- It is a complex sociocultural process [and as] modes of human interaction,
negotiation, and production mediated by relations of power. (McCarty, 2011).
- It can be categorized into three components (Spolsky, 2004): a speech
community’s (1) language practices, (2) language beliefs or ideology, and (3)
any specific efforts to modify or influence that practice by any kind of
language intervention, planning, or management.

4. LANGUAGE POLICY
What is Language Policy?
- What government does officially – through legislation, court decisions,
executive action, or other means – to (a) determine how languages are used
in public contexts, (b) cultivate language skills needed to meet national
priorities, or (c) establish the rights of individuals or groups to learn, use, and
maintain languages (Crawford, 2000).
- An officially mandated set of rules for language use and form within a nation-
state (Spolsky, 2004).

5. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
COMMUNICATION
United Nations (UN) Official Languages
- The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization that aims to
increase political and economic cooperation among its current 193 member
countries. It is the world's largest and most familiar international organization.
The current official and working languages of the United Nations are: (1)
Arabic, (2) Chinese, (3) English, (4) French, (5) Russian, and (6) Spanish.
- Official languages are the languages in which all official United Nations
documents are made available. Working languages are used for internal
communications among staff. English and French are the working languages
of the Secretariat. Some of the other official languages may also be working
languages in the Regional Commissions.

6. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
COMMUNICATION
English as a Lingua Franca (EFL)
- The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning,
and use of English as a common means of communication (or contact
language) for speakers of different native languages (Nordquist, 2020).
- The phenomenon of ELF, in other words English used among speakers who
have different first language backgrounds, has existed since the British
began to colonize parts of Asia and Africa in the late 16th century. However, it
is only during the past thirty years that ELF has spread to the rest of the
world, seen a dramatic rise in its number of users, and attained its current
global status (Jenkins & Baker, 2013).

7. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
COMMUNICATION
English as a Lingua Franca (EFL)
- Greek and Latin each served a similar role as a lingua franca from around 500 BCE
until the Middle Ages in the territories of the Greek and Roman Empires. During the
Middle Ages, the lingua franca was Greek in the parts of Europe, the Middle East
and Northern Africa where the Byzantine Empire held power, and it was Latin in the
rest of Europe.
- Over time, Latin lost its importance as a lingua franca in Europe and other
languages took over. In other parts of the world, there are other languages that
have served and continue to serve as a lingua franca.
- What is unique about English is that it is a truly global lingua franca – the language
most widely spoken throughout the world. In fact, the vast majority of English
speakers are not 'native' speakers.

8. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
COMMUNICATION
Classifications of Englishes
1. English as a native language (ENL): spoken in countries where English is the primary language of the great
majority of the population (ex. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States).
2. English as a second language (ESL): spoken in countries where English is an important and usually official
language, but not the main language of the country. These countries are typically ex-colonies of the United
Kingdom or the United States (ex. Nigeria, India, Malaysia and the Philippines).
3. English as a foreign language (EFL): spoken in countries where English is not actually used or spoken very
much in the normal course of daily life. In these countries, English is typically learned at school, but students
have little opportunity to use English outside the classroom and therefore little motivation to learn English (ex.
China, Indonesia, and Japan).

9. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
COMMUNICATION
Classifications of Englishes
Braj Kachru’s Three Circles Model
1. Inner Circle: norm-providing countries (ex. U.K., U.S.A, and Australia).
1. Outer Circle: norm-developing countries (ex. India, Nigeria, and the
Philippines).
1. Expanding Circle: norm-dependent countries (ex. China, Russia, and
Japan).

10. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
COMMUNICATION
Why English?
The renowned linguist, David Crystal, suggests that “a language becomes a
global language because of the power of the people who speak it.” The ‘power’
of English was largely due to political and military factors, most notably the
expansion of the British Empire. Later the role of English as the language of
the scientific, industrial, financial and economic revolutions further increased
its influence.

11. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
INSTRUCTION
Language Policy in Education
- At the center of the education system is the language policy in education
which dictates the language used in disseminating knowledge at varied
levels.
- Language education policy includes decisions about which languages are to
be used as a medium of instruction and/or taught in schools, as well as
analysis of these policies within their social, ethnic, religious, political, cultural
and economic contexts.
- Providing children with instruction in a language they use and understand
has the potential to significantly improve student reading outcomes and help
students develop the literacy skills they need to be successful in school and
life.

12. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
INSTRUCTION
English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
- English as a medium of instruction, or EMI, refers to the teaching and
learning of content or academic subjects in the English language in situations
where English is not the majority language (Shrestha, 2022).
- It is the use of English to teach academic subjects in educational institutions
in countries where English is not used as a first language (Dearden, 2014).
- It is “an instructional model of teaching non-English academic subjects
through the medium of English in educational settings where English is not
the mother tongue of most students, which aims to facilitate the learning of
content knowledge [and] English skills” (Sah, 2020).

13. ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF
INSTRUCTION
Importance of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)
- It will improve the quality of English learning (Huong & Van, 2010).
- There is increasing demand for the English language in the global market
(Coleman, 2006).
- English plays a vital role in “increasing employability, facilitating international
mobility (migration, tourism, studying abroad), unlocking development
opportunity and accessing crucial information and acting as an impartial
language” (Coleman, 2011).
- It is a means of acquiring the linguistic capital, often believed in providing
access to the global economy; and, therefore, a liberating tool for
socioeconomically minoritized groups (Sah, 2020).
- It is a solid foundation for accomplishing ESL and EFL students’ academic
and professional goals (Wang & Cai, 2014).

14. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Spanish Colonization
- The Ordinance in 1768 asked the establishment of schools and prohibited
any other language than Spanish in schools. It stated that official jobs could
be given to those speaking Spanish as an incentive to learning of Spanish.
- The Education Act in 1863 prescribed that Spanish was to be the sole
medium of instruction in order to facilitate the need to learn Spanish, so that
literacy in Spanish appeared to be the major purpose of the curriculum. To
this end, the decree provided that natives who could not speak, read and
write Spanish five years after its issuance were not to be permitted to hold
salaried government positions. This was the major motivation to induce the
Filipinos to study the language.

15. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Education under the Americans
- After the Spanish-American War, the US Government sent the Thomasites to
the Philippines. They made it a point to teach English to the Filipinos.
Education under the Commonwealth
- There was an organized effort to develop a common national language in
compliance with the mandate of the 1935 constitution.
- To help counteract the American cultural influence among the Filipinos,
President Quezon greatly encouraged the revival of native culture as well as
desirable Filipino values (Code of Ethics).

16. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Education under the Japanese
- Nippongo and Japanese Culture were aggressively propagated. They were
offered as compulsory courses in schools and were included in civil service
tests.
- The Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Imperial Forces ordered the
prohibition of the use of English and the Filipino people’s reliance upon
Western nations particularly the United States and Great Britain.
- The Filipino language bloomed. It was used as the official language of the
country in teaching Philippine History and Character Education (Executive
Order No. 10 signed by Pres. Laurel).

17. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Article XIV, Sec. 6 and 7 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the
Philippines
- It provided the legal basis for the various language policies that are being
implemented in the country
- It resolved the issue on what the national language is, since the 1935 and
1973 Philippine Charters were not clear about this.
The Philippine Bilingual Education Policy (BEP)
- Bilingual education in the Philippines was officially established.
- It aims at the achievement of competence in both Filipino and English at the
national level.
- Regional languages shall be used as auxiliary languages in Grades I and II.

18. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
The Goals of the Bilingual Education Policy:
1. enhanced learning through two languages to achieve quality education as
called for by the 1987 Constitution;
2. the propagation of Filipino as a language of literacy;
3. the development of Filipino as a linguistic symbol of national unity and
identity;
4. the cultivation and elaboration of Filipino as a language of scholarly
discourse, that is to say its continuing intellectualization; and
5. the maintenance of English as an international language for the Philippines
and as a non-exclusive language of science and technology.

19. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Executive Order No. 335
- It was signed by then Pres. Corazon Aquino on August 25, 1988.
- It enjoined all departments, bureaus, offices, agencies, or instrumentalities of
the government to take such steps that are necessary for the purpose of
using the Filipino language in official transactions, communications, and
correspondence.
- It was issued on the belief that it will result to a greater understanding and
appreciation of government programs, projects and activities throughout the
country, thereby serving as an instrument of unity and peace for national
progress.

20. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
The Language Policy of the Commission on Higher Education
- According to its guidelines, language courses, whether Filipino or English,
should be taught in that language.
- At the discretion of the HEI, Literature subjects may be taught in Filipino,
English or any other language as long as there are enough instructional
materials for the same and both students and instructors/professors are
competent in the language. Courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences
should preferably be taught in Filipino.

21. LANGUAGE POLICIES IN THE
PHILIPPINES
K-12 program and the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB
MLE)
- The K-12 program sought to build proficiency through language via MTB
MLE, introduced in 2012. The mother tongue or first language refers to
languages or dialects first learned by a child and with which the child
identifies with.
- From Kindergarten to Grade 3, Mother Tongue is the medium of instruction.
- From Grade 1 onwards, Filipino and English will be taught as subject areas.
- From Grades 4 to 6, English and Filipino will be introduced as media of
instruction
- In Junior High School and Senior High School, English and Filipino will
become the primary languages of instruction.

22. REFERENCES
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WATCHING!
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