Sociolinguistic aspects of the functioning of English in post-1989 Poland

The fall of communism fully opened Poland to the processes and phenomena operating in ever globalizing world. In line with global trends, English in post-socialist Poland has been steadily growing in importance. By employing a holistic integrative approach utilizing relevant theoretical, descriptive, and empirical insights, the author builds up a comprehensive picture of the sociolinguistic functioning of English in post-1989 Poland. In order to supplement his integration and analysis of the state-of-the-art knowledge, the author devises an original investigation probing into the perceived power of English. The result is the first such comprehensive and insightful analysis of English in a post-socialist country.

Krzysztof Przygo?ski received his PhD at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Pozna? and works currently at Pozna? University College of Business where he teaches EFL courses and lectures in linguistics. His main research interests include, among others, language and education, language planning and policy, World Englishes, and sociolinguistics.

Contents: The formation of the power bases of English – The spread of English in post-socialist Poland – Englishization and Americanization of the Polish language and culture – The stratificational function of English – Language planning and policy – Sociolinguistic aspects of English language teaching – Attitudes towards English, its status, diffusion, and impact – The (perceived) power of English – A theoretical analysis. Inhaltsverzeichnis