Application
Let’s take a look at the English in a specific
country, one that I made up, called “ABC.”
The country of ABC belongs to Kachru’s
Which circle is your country in? Description
Inner circle 1. English is used as the primary language.
2. English did not spread to the country from another
country.
3. English is used by speakers to fulfill all four language
functions.
Outer circle 1. English is not the mother tongue of a majority of
citizens, and there could be several choices of
language to use.
2. English spread to the country from an inner circle
country.
3. English is used by speakers to fulfill language
functions, but not all the language functions are
fulfilled by all the speakers.
Expanding circle 1. English is used as a foreign language.
2. English spread to the country by either inner circle
speakers or outer circle speakers.
3. English used by speakers in this circle does not fulfill
all four of the language functions.
Table 1. Concentric circles
Function Definition
Instrumental function Used as the primary language in education
Regulative function Used to regulate conduct, such as to conduct official
government business or legal business
Interpersonal function Used between speakers to communicate
Imaginative/innovative function Used to create literature, songs, or advertisements for
general consumption
Table 2. Functional allocation of English
6 2 0 1 4
N u m b e r
2
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E n g l i s h
T
e a c h i n g
F o r u m
(1992a) expanding circle based on how Eng
-
lish arrived in the country and the functions
of English there. Let’s say that ABC mer
-
chants used English for trade as early as the
seventeenth century. To expand their market,
these traders expanded their use of English.
Around the late nineteenth century, universi
-
ties began to include English as a course of
study. Scholars wanted English in order to
access medical and scientific research. After
a time, as more tourists and business people
traveled to ABC, English was introduced at
the school level in order to produce wellrounded
students who could interact with
these other nationalities. In the late twenti
-
eth century, tourist travel to ABC increased,
as did the number of organizations and com
-
panies that used English as the medium of
communication. This brought more English
speakers to the sidewalks, restaurants, and
shops of ABC, interacting every day with
ABC citizens.
Currently, English use in ABC fulfills three
of Kachru’s (1992b) functions: the instrumen
-
tal, the interpersonal, and the imaginative/
innovative. Regarding the instrumental func
-
tion, English is still taught in universities and
high schools in ABC and recently has been
added to the curriculum of elementary schools
because the Ministry of Education believes
English is of such value that ABC’s citizens
should begin learning it at a younger age.
However, English is not used to teach all the
subjects in schools, so it is only beginning to
fulfill an instrumental function. English fulfills
the interpersonal function in that some workers
use English in their workplaces. Because many
of ABC’s companies have overseas branches,
English is the language used to communicate
through email, phone calls, and conference/
meeting agendas and minutes. Furthermore,
English can be heard on the streets as citi
-
zens speak with other nationalities, who also
speak English with still other nationalities.
Finally, English fulfills the imaginative/innova
-
tive function, as approximately 50 percent of
the songs played on certain radio stations are
in English. That 50 percent includes not only
music imported from inner circle and outer
circle countries, but also songs sung in English
by ABC’s popular singers. Finally, many com
-
panies use English words and phrases in their
advertising and on packaging to make their
products more appealing to the consumer