English in Contemporary German Society and English Medium-of-Instruction Programmes

Abstract

Cognisant of the importance of linking both global and local ideas about languages and their functions in any given society with connections between the English language and polities like the UK and US (Hult 2012, p. 234), this chapter provides the socio-political, -historical and linguistic backdrop to the development of English in contemporary German society. It frames both the inception and evolution of EMI programmes in HE, and presents important perspectives on the factors underlying the growth of English as a world language, its global symbolic capital and its presence in contemporary German society. This investigation serves as a prerequisite to the discussion of the three core themes of the monograph, explored in Chapters 4, 5 and 6. Section 1.1 acts as a precursor to Chapter 3 in its exploration of the global decline of German as a language of science and of English’s concomitant rise. This process has had a strong effect not only on the development and introduction of EMI programmes in Germany and Europe at large, but also on the macro-level issues of brain drain, gain and circulation, and German implicit language policy discussed in Chapters 5 and 6. Section 1.2 traces the historical development of English in German society and outlines its roles in various domains in contemporary Germany.