English language cultures in Bulgaria: a linguistic sibling rivalry?

Abstract

In the Bulgarian educational context, a complex matrix of power relations governs English language education. A triangle of international and intercultural relationships has developed. As a result of complex processes of negotiation between Bulgaria, the US, and the UK, distinct English language cultures have evolved. Yet, few studies have systematically investigated language as aid in the changing political and economic milieu of central and eastern Europe of the 1990s. In the face of this void within academic literature, this article addresses the question of how Bulgaria fits into the emerging picture of Core and Periphery English-speaking countries.

Volume 10 Issue 1

“…The changes with regard to language education at the secondary level in Bulgaria in terms of government policies, setting up of new schools, introducing English on a mass scale (from grade 1 of the primary level) have been documented extensively in scholarly publications (Thomas and Georgieva 2002;O'Reily 1998). For the purposes of the present paper, it is sufficient to note two trends.…”

English in Macedonia

“…English has been increasingly used in Bulgaria, which is the closest to R. Macedonia (O'Reilly, 1998). Two varieties of inner circle English are currently competing for more dominant influence in Bulgaria.…”

English in Poland

“…An increasing amount of literature has become available regarding the learning and use of English in various European contexts (e.g., Berns, 1995;Cenoz and Jessner, 2000;Phillipson and Skutnab-Kangas, 1997;Van Essen, 1997), including works related to English in central and eastern Europe (e.g., Dushku, 1998;Fonzari, 1999;McCallen, 1991;O'Reilly, 1998;Petzold and Berns, 2000;Schleppegrell, 1991). However, there has been relatively little discussion of the role of the English language in Poland, and the English learned and spoken there remains a relatively ''lesser known'' world English.…”