The role and status of English in Turkish higher education

Abstract

Kachru’s (1992) Eccentric Circles framework has been very influential in understanding and explaining trends in the unprecedented spread of English around the world. However, so far the research within the World Englishes paradigm has focused mostly on Inner and Outer Circle countries and their English varieties (Seidlhofer, 2009), rather than Expanding Circle countries. While Expanding Circle countries in Asia (e.g. Chang, 2006) or parts of the European Union (e.g. Coleman, 2006) have been gaining increasing attention in recent years, Expanding Circle countries like Turkey have not been examined to the same degree. Notable exceptions include Doğançay-Aktuna (1998), Büyükkantarcı (2004), and Selvi (2011), which we summarize below. As in many Expanding Circle countries, the spread of English has not been equally distributed in all domains of life in Turkey. For example, little is known in the field regarding English in the higher education context compared with other domains, such as language policy, business, or media, both in Turkey and in other Expanding Circle countries. We address this issue through this study

The use of English in movies in Turkey

“…Similarly, these linguistic differences can make dubbing more challenging, as Ross (1995) has shown for translation of dialogues from English to Italian. Moreover, it is worth noting that English is the medium of instruction in only about one-fifth of undergraduate programs in Turkey (Arik & Arik, 2014). Nor is English education as successful as planned (see British Council Report, 2015).…”

“…According to Kachru's (1992) concentric circles framework, the use of English across countries can be grouped into three circles: an inner circle in which English is the native language, e.g., the UK; an outer circle in which English serves certain functions due to colonization, e.g., India; and an expanding circle in which English is taught as a foreign language, e.g., Turkey. Although many studies have examined the role of English in higher education in Turkey (e.g., Arik & Arik, 2014; Karakaş, 2016), the use of English in the media has not been explored to the same extent. The present study addresses the use of English in movies in theaters in Turkey.…”

ELT Student Teacher Identity Construction: Exploring Teacher Roles and Domains of Expertise

“…Although English is not an official language of Turkey, there is a high level of demand for graduates of ELT programs in the country. At the tertiary level alone in 2013, for instance, it was stated that there were 164 universities in Turkey with more than 75% of their programs taught in English (Ölçme, Seçme ve Yerleştirme Merkezi, 2013), and 18.5% of all bachelor degree programs were reported to be carried out in English (Arık & Arık, 2014). In the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), student teachers of ELT complete 240 ECTS in 4 academic years.…”

A critical look at the phenomenon of 'a mixed-up use of turkish and english' in english-medium instruction universities in turkey

“…The exact number of EMI programs and courses are unknown, as universities keep changing the language of their programs from Turkish to English and at times, give up on English and switch back to Turkish. However, a recent study estimates that more than 20% of all undergraduate courses are delivered through different modes of EMI, mostly partially (Arik & Arik, 2014). This figure does not include EMI programs and courses at the post-graduate level, though, so the actual number of programs across all levels is probably much higher.…”