English in Mainland Europe – A Dutch Perspective

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to set out in some detail the position of English as a foreign language (henceforth: EFL) in mainland Europe. To achieve my purpose I shall first outline the evolution of EFL in continental Europe (section 1). This historical perspective is indispensable, as the past is necessary to understand the present and read the future. In my historical outline I will demonstrate that, in many respects, there is an unbroken line of development in foreign-language teaching, both in eastern and western Europe, despite the interlude of 45 years before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Though the focus of my attention will be on state schools, I shall also glance at EFL in the private sector. After that I shall look at the position of EFL in the Europe of today (sections 2.1 and 2.2). Then I will look at what sets the European EFL classroom apart from other language classrooms (section 2.3). Finally, I will take a look at EFL in the country that I know best: the Netherlands (section 3).

Foreign Language Competence in Content and Language Integrated Courses~!2008-03-28~!2008-05-27~!2008-06-11~!

“…The findings of research carried out in northern and central European contexts cannot necessarily be extrapolated to southern European contexts, as the situation in the north is far removed from that of Spain. For instance, in Finland [43] or the Netherlands [44] all citizens are exposed to English on a daily basis, especially through television; in Sweden [45] there is real concern about the ever growing presence of English which has even forced the government to develop legislation to protect the Swedish language; or in Belgium [46] Flemish children already know 400 English words before first being exposed to English at school. In the Basque Country in particular and in Spain in general, English is not used for internal communication (unlike in the case in the aforementioned EU member states) and its role is mainly limited to international contacts.…”

English as an International Language in Non-Native Settings in an Era of Globalization

“…What these and many other implied speculations have heretofore lacked is empirical evidence in general and evidence about attitudes toward English as international language in particular. (For further information on attitudes toward English among different nations, see, e.g., Berns 1988; Pride and Liu 1988;Pennington and Yue 1994;Shim 1994;Iwasaki 1994;Yong and Campbell 1995;van Essen 1997;Pulcini 1997;and Spolsky and Shhamy 1999. ) …”

Issues of ideology in English language education worldwide: an overview

“…In Europe, the continent as a whole as well as individual European countries have been the site of various studies and discussions on issues such as the status of English, the role of English in linguistic imperialism, and language-related transcultural policies in countries such as Finland (Hyrkstedt and Kalaja, 1998), Italy (Pulcini, 1997), The Netherlands (van Essen, 1997), Sweden (Hult, 2012), and Russia (Yuzefovich, 2005), as well as among the Former Yugoslav Diaspora (Kovacevic, 2004). Perhaps most comprehensively, the edited volume by Anderman and Rogers (2005) In and Out of English: For Better, for Worse?…”