Standard English Varieties in a Secondary EFL Classroom

Abstract

[eng] This study deals with the presence of the two main Standard Varieties of English in the English classroom of a Secondary school in the context of the Balearic Islands. As part of the theoretical background of this work, in the literature review we will develop the concept of English as a Global Language, from its spread and distribution across the globe to the concept of English as a lingua franca, and the different issues and attitudes that the presence of a Global Language implies for its speakers. We will get an insight on English Standard and Standard Language Ideology, and subsequently, we will review the morphological, lexical, grammatical and phonological differences between the two main English varieties: British English and American English. To finish with, we will consider how Global Englishes affect the field of English Language Teaching, the issues and attitudes towards English varieties in students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in different contexts, and to what an extent EFL textbooks in Spain in the last decades pay attention to English varieties. Regarding our own particular study, we will develop a questionnaire to test the knowledge and attitudes of six groups of students from IES Arxiduc Lluís Salvador in Palma, one group per academic year, related to the distinction between Standard British and American English varieties. The test will involve a listening, a reading and a vocabulary exercise, followed by a brief survey intended to collect the students’ perceived difficulties and their own preferences about the two accents, their attitudes towards them, and whether their English variety of choice may or may not be motivated by social or cultural factors and their exposure to these varieties through entertainment media, such as films, series or Internet content.