An Analysis of Global Englishes Aspects in English Textbooks at the lower-secondary level in Thai EFL context

Abstract

Global Englishes is a paradigm that includes concepts of world Englishes, English as a lingua franca (ELF) and English as an international language (EIL). It examines the global consequences of English's use as a world language. In many ways, the scope of Global Englishes extends the lens of World Englishes, ELF, and EIL to incorporate many peripheral issues associated with the global use of English, such as globalization, linguistic imperialism, education, language policy, and planning. The purposes of this study are (1) to investigate the aspects of target interlocutors, and (2) to investigate cultural depiction as reflected in three selected English textbooks which are currently used in lower secondary level (Grade 7) in Thailand. Three English textbooks are purposively selected as the samples of this study. Data is collected from the communication practices (e.g., conversation dialogues, emails, and letters) and the contents of the reading texts, passages, and articles in the textbooks. The Galloway's and Rose's (2018) GELT framework and Kachru's (1992) Three Circles Model are used to analyze data. The findings reveal that the textbooks mostly represent the target interlocutors from Native English users. Although the communication between English users from Non-Native English users is presented in all three selected English textbooks, the proportion of the communication between NE-NNE and NNE-NNE users is relatively limited. With regards to the aspect of cultural depiction, the findings reveal that various cultures from all three circles are represented in these textbooks. The findings suggest that the English textbooks that which are currently used in Thai EFL context are likely to rely on the traditional ELT in the aspect of the target interlocutors. However, the depiction of cultural aspects in the textbooks corresponds more to the GELT concept with regards to the promotion of learners from different cultures across circles.

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