The cultural politics of English as a global language in Taiwan

This thesis explores how English is perceived in Taiwan and what impact it has on society and culture by drawing on three kinds of data: (i) analysis of policy and documents, (ii) critical discourse analysis of textual data, and (iii) interviews with respondents from different levels of the education system. It aims to provide an indepth study of the role and cultural politics of English in Taiwan. Rather than offering a general and quantitative picture of global English, this research concentrates on qualitative and contextual data. It focuses on issues which arise when English is given an important role in national policy and when English instruction is introduced into Taiwan's elementary education system. By analysing governmental documents, educational publications and media texts, this research identifies a number of ideological assumptions about English in Taiwan and argues that the ideology of English in Taiwan is based on a strong association between English, globalization and economic competitiveness. It also reflects, to an extent, the underlying uncertainty and anxiety regarding Taiwanese's politico-economic future. Furthermore, in the investigation of perceptions of English in Taiwan, informants' responses corresponded somewhat with ideological assumptions embedded in discourses on English. English is highly approved of in areas related to national and personal economic well-being, while the prevalence of English also leads to concern about local languages and cultures. This research suggests that the overall impact of English is considered more positive than negative. Moreover, since the necessity of English is assumed by Taiwanese society, the main concern is thus how to adapt global English effectively without undermining local languages and cultures. Taiwan can be regarded as a typical case among East Asian countries in terms of the socio-economic and educational impact ofEnglish, while the ideological assumptions and perceptions of global English reflect Taiwan's unique cultural, economic and political status in the world.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo