Constructing the Nation: Representation of National Identity in Pakistani English Language Textbooks

Language AND Social Identity Among Iraqi University Students

Cultural representation in ESP textbooks used in Vietnamese higher education: A comparative content analysis

This study examines how culture is represented in two internationally published English for Specific Purposes (ESP) textbooks used in Vietnamese higher education, Professional English in Use: Finance (Cambridge University Press) and English for Logistics (Oxford University Press). Drawing on Cortazzi and Jin’s [15] tripartite classification of source, target, and international cultures, together with Byram’s [3] model of intercultural communicative competence (ICC), the study analyses both the cultural references contained in the textbooks and the learning opportunities through which those references are pedagogically addressed. The findings reveal contrasting cultural profiles. Target-culture content, particularly Anglo-American institutions and professional practices, predominates in the finance textbook, whereas international-culture references are more frequent in the logistics textbook. Both materials nevertheless display an almost complete absence of Vietnamese cultural perspectives. The two books also differ pedagogically. Whereas the finance textbook relies primarily on vocabulary-focused exercises, the logistics textbook includes a greater number of communicative tasks and a wider range of international settings. Even so, neither provides systematic support for all five components of Byram’s ICC model, and opportunities to develop critical cultural awareness remain particularly limited. These findings suggest that internationally published ESP textbooks cannot, by themselves, fully address the intercultural demands facing Vietnamese graduates. Locally relevant supplementary materials and tasks are therefore required to connect professional English with Vietnamese institutional contexts and the culturally diverse interactions characteristic of regional and international workplaces.

THE INFLUENCE OF ENGLISH ON THE VIETNAMESE LANGUAGE IN THE ERA OF GLOBALISATION

This article examines the influence of English on Vietnamese in the context of globalisation, with particular attention to lexical borrowing, code-switching, digital discourse, and language attitudes. Grounded in contact linguistics, sociolinguistic theory, and language ideology studies, the paper uses a qualitative design that combines naturalistic observation of public and digital language practices with a systematic review of recent scholarship on English-Vietnamese contact. The analysis shows that English influence is most visible in the lexical domain, especially in technology, education, business, and popular culture. English-Vietnamese code-switching is also widespread in youth-oriented and digitally mediated communication, where it serves pragmatic functions such as emphasis, brevity, and topic framing, as well as social functions such as identity performance and in-group solidarity. Syntactic and phonological influences appear more limited and register-specific, although Englishinfluenced discourse markers, passive constructions, and loanword pronunciation patterns are increasingly noticeable among proficient bilingual users. The study further indicates that attitudes toward English influence remain ambivalent: younger speakers often treat bilingual hybridity as a sign of modernity and global identity, while purist concerns persist in public and institutional discourse. The paper concludes with implications for Vietnamese language policy and English education.

Sanskritized Hindi as a Medium of Instruction: Pedagogical Obstacles and Myth of Merit

Often, the medium of instruction in schools is considered to be caste- and class-neutral, especially when it comes to vernacular language. However, the caste and class orientation of language has not always been critically evaluated. This article traces how education shifted from community-driven pre-colonial schools to colonial administrative policies and look at how Sanskritized Hindi became the medium of schooling in India. The study details how organizations such as the Nagari Pracharini Sabha and the Arya Samaj and influential figures such as Acharya Ramchandra Shukla and Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi systematically purged the shared Hindi–Urdu continuum to create an elite linguistic standard. This constructed register was later institutionalized as a state ideology through Article 351 during the Constituent Assembly debates, displacing actual spoken mother tongues ( matrbhasa ) from the school curriculum. The article argues that this contemporary Sanskritized textbook language reflects the everyday life-world language of the upper caste and upper class. Consequently, students coming from the upper strata benefit more and understand the content better, while this language acts as a severe pedagogical obstacle for Dalit and working-class students. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that academic merit is an accumulation of different forms of capital like language, proving that merit is a naturalized myth.

The Cost of English

The role of language in education remains a contested terrain in postcolonial Africa, where the legacies of colonialism continue to shape national policies and classroom realities. In Nigeria, English functions as both the official language and the medium of instruction, particularly in primary schools, despite the country’s vast multilingual heritage. This paper interrogates the costs of privileging English in Nigerian primary education, examining its implications for learning outcomes, identity formation, and cultural continuity. Drawing on postcolonial language debates (Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Chinua Achebe, Ayo Bamgbose), sociolinguistic theory, and the Nigerian National Policy on Education, the study critically reviews policy documents, existing literature, and empirical reports from international organisations such as UNESCO and UNICEF. The analysis reveals a persistent gap in policy, which recommends mother-tongue instruction in the early years, and practice, where English dominates due to parental pressure, prestige, and lack of resources for indigenous languages. The paper argues that the dominance of English imposes significant costs: it undermines comprehension and learning, alienates learners from their linguistic and cultural identities, and reproduces structural inequities between social classes and regions. At the same time, it acknowledges the pragmatic role of English as a global lingua franca and a tool of socioeconomic mobility. By foregrounding the “cost” framework, this study contributes to the growing body of scholarship on language and education in Africa, presenting fresh insights into the intersection of policy, pedagogy, and identity in Nigeria. It concludes with recommendations for strengthening mother-tongue education toward inclusive and culturally rooted learning.

Global Englishes Orientation: A Content Analysis of China's Senior High School Textbooks

Since China is placing increasing emphasis on international engagement in education and English is functioning more widely as a lingua franca (ELF), this study examines the extent to which senior high school English textbooks reflect a Global Englishes (GE) orientation. Using qualitative content analysis, the textual, visual, and auditory elements of three textbooks officially approved by China’s Ministry of Education (MoE) were analyzed through the lens of the 2018 GE framework. The analysis focused on six dimensions: target interlocutors, ownership, norms, cultures, needs, and assessment criteria. The results show that all three textbooks exhibit aspects that are in line with a GE orientation, including representation of diverse English users, acknowledgment of global ownership of English, inclusion of lexical variation, pluralistic cultural representations, communicative assessment forms, and attention to global communication needs. However, native-speakerism remains influential. Although cultural content appears diverse and fluid, it often lacks sufficient depth to foster critical intercultural awareness. Overall, the results reveal both progress and continuing limitations in integrating GE principles into Chinese English language teaching (ELT). These findings highlight the need for more inclusive and pedagogically coherent resources to better prepare students for effective communication in global contexts.