Evaluating the effect of tourism on English Language Acquisition: a study of the workers in the Market of Santa Catalina

Abstract

[eng] In Mallorca, Spain, tourism has become one of the main drivers for the economic sustainability of the island. Tourism involves linguistic and cultural diversity in the territory, something that also influences the island’s residents. However, there is little research on how the interaction between Mallorca’s residents and English-speaking tourists or those using English as a lingua franca can be beneficial. Some interactions happen in commercial areas where workers spend hours exposed to English Input. This was illustrated by evaluating the Market of Santa Catalina in Mallorca (Balearic Island, Spain), paying exclusive attention to the workers of Santa Catalina who have never attended extracurricular classes in English. This research allows us to evaluate both the workers and the environment in which they are exposed for their English learning. The perceptions and expectations obtained by 40 participants contrasted with the 4 transcribed recordings, which explored how the work environment in the Market of Santa Catalina in Mallorca, Spain, influences the acquisition of English among its workers. The analysis of this evidence helps us understand the need to improve the linguistic abilities of the workers in these environments to bridge language barriers.