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The Three Circles of World Englishes

braj kachru

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Kasandra Claire Naingue
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283 views

The Three Circles of World Englishes

braj kachru

Uploaded by

Kasandra Claire Naingue
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE THREE CIRCLES OF WORLD ENGLISHES

ACCORDING TO BRAJ KACHRU


The "Kachru's Three Circles of English" is a
framework developed by linguist Braj Kachru
This framework helps us understand how English
is spoken and used in different parts of the world.

Braj Kachru is an Indian – American linguist


Professor at the university of Illinios, was born on
May 15. 1953 and died on July 29. 2016 at the
Illinios , United States. He is also the founder of
the world englishes and made the three circle
model of English.
The three circles are:
Inner circle, outer circle and expanding circle.

INNER CIRCLE

The Inner Circle represents countries where English


is the native language, so when we say native it is
their traditional or their mother tongue language.

The inner circle represent countries such as United


Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand. In these countries, English is the primary
language of communication, government, education
and media. Native language is the language or dialect
first learned by an individual. The citizens of these
countries are typically considered as native English
speakers because the people here uses English as
their first language. Variaties of english spoken in the
inner circle are often referred to as "standard english".

Standard English refers to both an actual variety of language and an idealized norm of
English acceptable in many social situations. Standard English is the language used in
most public discourse and in the regular operation. The news media, the government,
the legal profession, and the teachers in schools and universities all view Standard
English as their proper mode of communication, and also in public speaking. Kachru
considers these countries as norm-providing, it means that norms of english are created
here

OUTER CIRCLE

The outer circle is comprised of countries that


where English is not spoken natively but is still
maintained as an important language for
communication (an official second language or as
the nation’s official language for business and
commerce) largely due to historical reasons.
These countries include: Nigeria, India,
Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia.

EXPANDING CIRCLE

The term "expanding circle" is often used in sociolinguistics to describe the outer circle
of English usage across the globe. It refers to the continuous growth and increasing
significance of English language.

The expanding circle includes regions where English is taught as a foreign language.
When we talk about foreign language, it is a language that is not an official language
nor typically spoken in a specific country. In these areas, English might not have any
official status or historical ties to English-speaking nations, but it's learned as a tool for
international communication, business, or educational purposes. In these circle ,
speakers have to follow the rules established by inner circle and developed by the outer
one. Countries that are classified in the expanding circle are Europe, China, Russia,
Japan, Egypt and Indonesia.

In this study the Kachru's Three Circles of English acknowledge that English is a global
language with a diverse range of users and uses. It recognizes that English is no longer
the sole domain of native speakers but serves as a means of communication and a tool
for various purposes in different parts of the world, leading to the development of
various localized varieties and contexts.

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