Foreign language planning in Saudi Arabia: beyond English

Towards Plurilingualism: The Future of Foreign Languages in Saudi Arabia

“…Digital media have enabled Saudis to connect easily with people from around the world and have influenced their language learning attitudes and motivations. This finding confirms those of other studies regarding the significant role of digital media in creating positive attitudes towards foreign language learning among Saudi learners from different age groups (Payne & Almansour, 2014;Author). Also, it shows that globalisation has contributed to the spread of the English language as well as other non-world languages.…”

“…According to Flyvbjerg (2006), if the findings of case studies are compared, then generalisation is possible. The findings of this case study were aligned with those of Payne & Almansour (2014) and Alnofaie (2016), who also explored the phenomenon of Saudi children learning uncommon foreign languages. These studies, along with the present study, highlight the linguistic move in the country among children and young people.…”

“…Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, Well-Acquainted. (Payne & Almansour, 2014;Alnofaie, 2016). The present paper is an extension of these studies.…”

“…They expand the narrow literature on foreign language learning in the Saudi context (Payne & Almansour, 2014;Alnofaie, 2016). This study calls for the establishment of a foreign language policy in the Saudi HE sector, a policy that values the teaching and learning of various foreign languages.…”

Gender Differences in Beliefs about English Language Policies (ELPs): The Case of Saudi Higher Education English Departments

“…In the Saudi context, not only is Arabic the only formal language used in the country, but Arabic is looked at as a holy language because it is the language of the Muslims' holy book (Quran) (Fishman, 2002;Liddicoat: 2012;Payne & Almansour, 2014) and the language used in Saudi's land for over a thousand years. Liddicoat (2012) suggested that several countries could adopt religious planning, in which a country treats a holy language with special attention and promotes its use whenever possible.…”