Abstract
Despite relatively lesser number of native speakers, English carries an enormous symbolic capital in Pakistan. Therefore, it seems necessary to see how young Pakistanis envision the role of English in their individual and collective lives. This study aims to explore the attitudes of a sample of Pakistani learners towards the expanding national and global roles of English in the contemporary world. In addition, the study also investigates the socio-cultural and contextual factors that shape their views about English language. The study is qualitative in nature. Twenty semi-structured interviews of Pakistani undergraduate EFL learners were conducted to get an in-depth data about their linguistic attitudes. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that Pakistani learners, overall, reveal an ambivalent attitude towards English and its culture. However, they seem to have internalized the socio-educational roles of English in their lives. The findings also indicate the symbolic capital and linguistic imperialism of English as participants consider its knowledge necessary for socio-economic uplift in the contemporary world including Pakistan. Policy makers and academicians can use the findings of this study to analyse the possible effects of English on the roles of local languages, especially, in Pakistani educational settings
Muhammad Islam. (2018) The Symbolic Capital and Expanding Roles of English: A Study of L2 attitudes in a Pakistani EFL Context, Bulletin of Education & Research, Volume 40, Issue 1.
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