The perceived value of english: the case of tunisian university students

1.0. Introduction

The aim of this chapter is to provide a review of the various themes related to the value of English in the world and in Tunisia. It is composed of four sections; the first tracks the aspects of the emergence of English worldwide, the second deals with the explanations of this spread, the third tackles the perspectives to such emergence, and the fourth covers the status of English in Tunisia throughout modern history (from independence until 2007).

1.1. Aspects of English spread worldwide

This section is going to provide a historical overview that covers the major periods of the development of English to be the first language of world communication based on accounts provided by authors such as Graddol (1997) and Crystal (2003). Such a status is going to be the main concern of the second sub-section that is entitled `the status of English around the world'. The description of the emergence of English will follow the framework of the sociolinguistics of World Englishes provided by Braj Kachru (1985) and specifically his classification of English use around the world into three concentric circles.

1.1.1. Landmarks in the history of English

The period between the 11^th and the mid 15^th century witnessed in its beginning the Norman Conquest to England, which meant the period of confrontation between English and French. It was also a period of language contact, which resulted in the borrowing of words from French especially reinforced with making French the official language in England (Graddol, 1997). Graddol (1997) suggests that during this period educated people in England had to learn three languages, which are Latin, French, and

English. It could be remarked that during this period French and Latin were still dominant over English.

Between mid 15^th and mid 18^th century, however, some revolutionary events concerning the emergence of English took place. These events were marked by the use of English in trade, scientific writings as a result of the industrialisation of Britain. The movement of English beyond the borders of Britain; first to America as part of immigration to North America and second India as a result of British imperial expansion was also crucial in the emergence of English. Moreover, the increase in the importance of printing and the beginning of teaching English in Holland and France as a foreign language helped the process of English spread (ibid). It could be said that at this point of time English started the process of dissemination as a world language.

Other important events in the path of English happened in the period between mid 18^th and mid 19^th century. Graddol (1997) in his book The future of English? stated among these events standardisation of the language that was facilitated by the compilation and publication of dictionaries and the achievements resulting from the industrial revolution that transformed Britain into a technological and internationalised nation leading to the advent of the use of English in advertising, media, in telecommunication, and more and more in education. In addition to its use in the fields mentioned above, it became the language of world organisations and diplomacy (Crystal, 2003), which paved the way for another important phase in the process of the emergence of English (Graddol, 1997). It will soon replace French as the language of diplomacy and international communication (ibid). The second half of the 20^th century brought more importance and spread to English as major radio channels and television, entertainment activities, and the internet adopted it (ibid).

Researchers, such as Crystal (2003) and Graddol (1997), provided the reasons for the spread of English in the 20^th century and linked it mainly to the impact of the

British Empire and the rising political power of the United States of America in the world after the Second World War. These issues are going to be discussed in the second section of this chapter when dealing with the explanations for the spread of English.

Scrutinising the process of the development of English, it could be said that the value of English has witnessed a gradual rise in terms of importance in the world, which resulted in being the language of the 21^st century.