The Future of English:
Global Perspectives

Research summary

Contents
Foreword 		3
Introduction 		4
Recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders 		6
Research methodology 		7Phase 1: Evaluating Graddol’s 2006 trends 		8
Phase 2: Stress-testing 16 projected trends through roundtable discussions
Phase 3: Building an evidence-based research and engagement framework 		9
Key findings from the global roundtable discussions
10
Discussion of the eight thematic questions
14
About the authors
18

Foreword

English is the global language of trade. It is theworldwide lingua franca favoured everywhere fromacademia to social media, medicine to aviation,
popular culture to technology. But will this always
be the case?
What about current trends in favour of supportingand promoting indigenous languages? What about the
impact of digital innovation? Will instant-translation
apps render language learning redundant? Or will thedigital divide between those with access to technology
and those without entrench generational poverty?
The Future of English is a major research programme
co-ordinated by the British Council. It provides a voice
for stakeholders throughout the world and is shaping
the agenda for further discussion, research and planning
into the use of English, as well as approaches to English
language teaching and learning, throughout the world.

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3.

Introduction

The Future of English: Global Perspectives is the output from the endof Phase 2 of a three-phase research project. The book is the mostrecent publication in ongoing work by the British Council thatassesses and analyses the role of English throughout the world.
In 1997 the British Council published The Future of English?, followedin 2006 by English Next, both written by David Graddol. In English
Next Graddol identified 14 trends that he felt represented the
direction of travel for English over the following 15 years. This book,in particular, was a seminal text and acted as a primary source ofreference for education stakeholders (including teachers, researchersand policymakers) interested in understanding how the positionof the English language may change in the coming years.
In 2020, Mike Solly, Head of English Research and Insight at
the British Council’s Research Insight Unit, presented Graddol’s
hypotheses at a conference and explored initial evidence of thetrends. Solly’s work sparked interest, and it quickly became clearthat it was worthy of much deeper and wider investigation.
As a result, the Future of English project was commissioned.
The starting point for the project was to continue Solly’s work toevaluate Graddol’s predictions. Phase 1 involved analysis of Graddol’s
predictions. Phase 2 stress-tested this work and sought the insightsof stakeholders through the lens of their own contexts at roundtables
throughout the world.
Based on data from global roundtable discussions with policymakers
and influencers, the book The Future of English: Global Perspectives
is an exploration of global insights into the uses of English for social,educational and professional purposes. Like Graddol’s 2006 work,
The Future of English: Global Perspectives will be an importantresource for everyone involved in English language education.
In addition to presenting valuable data, it sees the importance ofongoing research in this dynamic and evolving field. To that end it
is additionally a springboard into the next stage of the programme,
which features ongoing research into how English is used and studied
today and what these trends can tell us about the role of English
as a global language in the future.
English belongs to whoever uses it, in whatever form, to interact
successfully in any given context. This has implications for any
language policies that may attempt to control it. For example, English
language learning policies that place great emphasis on spelling andgrammar at the expense of speaking and listening skills may be failingto equip today’s learners with the needs of the modern world. Likewise
policies that seek to de-emphasise English altogether. After all, if there
is a high demand for English in the workplace, then English will be thelanguage that people will want to learn. This research is designed toempower policymakers and stakeholders to help them understandthe landscape of English use today and to help them plan andprepare for the needs of learners tomorrow.

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strong English policy is important to enable people to
Recommendations • Acommunicate
via the global lingua franca and potentially gain 		
access to economic security and social mobility.
for policymakers
and stakeholders • Supporting multilingualism is important for the preservationand promotion of cultural richness. Implementing languagein education policies is complex. It requires social consensus
and careful consideration and planning in order to benefit
learners and communities.

• English as a medium of education can provide powerful learning 		
opportunities, particularly in higher education where a significant 		
amount of research material may only be published in English. 		
However, studies have shown that teaching basic education and 		primary years in a language other than the students’ mother 		tongue can impair or delay learning. Careful considerations
must be taken about where and when English as a medium
of education is adopted, as well as ensuring subject teachers
have support in improving their own English skills.
• English is used in different ways in different contexts throughout 		
the world, including different Englishes. Policymakers that
understand how English is used in their locality are in a position
to enable communication to flourish in the way that is mostappropriate for their contexts.
• It is unlikely that technology will replace the need for teachers
in the foreseeable future. For those with access to technology,
artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to enhance teaching, 		
learning and assessment. However, alternative solutions need
to be found for the many learners who do not have access totechnology. Teacher preparation and continuing professional
development need to include training in the effective use oftechnology for the classroom.
• Greater collaboration between public- and private-sector English 		language teaching and learning provision has the potential to help 		
both sectors improve and should be encouraged and enabled.
• Language education systems should continually review the 			approach to assessing English proficiency to make sureassessment practices stay relevant for today’s study, workand social interactions.
• Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused a surge in digitalisationin education and provided access to language education for many 		
more people, closing the digital divide will require massive
investment in infrastructure and training to improve social mobility 		and ensure that connectivity issues do not unfairly disadvantage 		certain groups.
• Policymakers need to continually engage with stakeholders
nationally, regionally and globally, to understand the role ofEnglish today and the trends of English tomorrow to ensure
policies and approaches meet the needs of people everywhere. 		
This includes engaging with employers, to ensure young people 		are equipped with the language skills employers require to enter 		the world of work. To achieve this aim, all parties should work
together to ensure assessment practices for employment areappropriate and relevant.

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Research
methodology

The overarching aims of the Future of English research
programme are to:• provide insights on trends that will define the role of English
as a global language over the coming decades• inform language policy and education reform interventions• lay out a research agenda capable of generating evidence
and data to inform those policy decisions and evaluate
their impact.
To meet these objectives, the programme has been plannedin three phases, with findings from each phase informing the next.
The overall design integrated multiple methods of datacollection and analysis.

Broader
project
reach

(i)

(h)
Phase 1

Futureresearch
agendaPhase 3

(a)

(b)

(f)

(g)

Graddol’s
14 trends

16
projected
trends8 thematicquestions

Initialresearch
agendaFoE
Fundedresearch
outputs

(c)

(d)

(e)

(i)

Phase 2The Future of English: Global Perspectives

7.

Phase 1:
Evaluating
Graddol’s
2006 trends

Aim
To present an initial evidence-based account of the accuracy of the
14 trends identified by David Graddol in his 2006 book, English Next,
and, drawing upon this, to identify some proposed future directions
for global English over the next ten years.
Project teamA small research team was created, headed by Dr Sarah Rich.
Dr Rich was recruited from outside the British Council in order to limit
any possible organisational bias (positive or negative) in interpretingthe emerging evidence. She was supported by an academic lead,
Mike Solly, and a project manager, Mina Patel, (both British Council
employees).
Approach
A mixed-methods approach was taken for Phase 1. Initial informationand data were gathered through desk research based on Graddol’s
14 trends. This was supplemented by a survey of English language
educators. To generate an evidence base for each trend, data
was sourced in a number of ways.
OutputBased on the findings of the Phase 1 research, Graddol’s 14 trends
were updated to 16 projected trends by the British Council researchteam. These were designed to form the basis of the roundtablediscussions in Phase 2 of the research project.

Phase 2:Stress-testing
16 projected trends
through roundtablediscussions

Aim
To appraise the projections identified by Rich’s research during
Phase 1 of the project and elicit the opinions of a specific groupof stakeholders on the future of English in their own contexts.
Project participants
The participants included 92 policymakers and influencers fromall over the world, along with British Council silent observers for eachroundtable, who added their observations to the dataset througha debriefing process.
Approach
The 14 roundtables took place online using Microsoft Teams asa digital forum and aimed to elicit regional and national oversightof English language trends and policy.
In this phase of the project we partnered with Trajectory, a company
that specialises in futures methodology and data analytics, to design
the discussion guides used to steer the roundtables, the note-takerguides used to document the sessions, and the initial analysisof the discussions.
Findings
The roundtable discussions produced two rich and interestingdatasets: the notes taken at each roundtable discussion and thenotes from the debrief meetings. Analysis of these resulted in theidentification of eight thematic questions. The publication, The Futureof English: Global Perspectives, written by Mina Patel, Mike Sollyand Steve Copeland and edited by Professor Barry O’Sullivan andProfessor Yan Jin, is the first publication for the programme. The book
begins the conversation about the future of English, explores theseeight thematic questions and is an invitation for further investigation
into the dynamic world of English language education.

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Phase 3:
Building anevidence-based
research andengagement
framework

Aim
Phase 3 has two key aims:• to disseminate the research findings and engage with stakeholders 		
globally to further explore the area
• to establish and implement an evidence-based researchand data collection agenda.
Approach and planned output
Phase 3 takes the outputs from the previous phases and uses
them as a foundation for implementing a long-term programmeof activity, including supporting an evolving research agenda todrive data collection in collaboration with and from an expanding
range of stakeholders.
The Future of English publication
The publication of the book is a springboard into a longer-term,
dynamically evolving field of study around the future of English.
Participation in conferences and public forums
The aim is to engage with stakeholders and to help shape a global
field of study with experts around the future of English.
Future of English Research Forum
This will be an annual event to share the findings of research fundedin the 2022–2025 round of the Future of English Research Grants.
The Future of English Research Grant Scheme 2022–2025
This funds projects contributing to the development of the Futureof English research agenda. Of the 13 proposals received fromUK universities, four were chosen for funding. These comprise four
principal investigators working with 26 co-investigators in morethan 40 countries, as well as two full-time PhD studentships.
Position papers produced by the British Council
These will target relevant themes to identify areas of transformationand the steps needed to achieve change to deliver results forstakeholders, with a particular focus on education policy and practice.
Research releases and updates
There will be a regular programme of published findings generated
by the long-term research, dissemination and engagement activities.

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Key findings
from the global
roundtablediscussions

The book presents perspectives on the future of English fromaround the world. Summaries from each of the regional roundtables
provide a high-level overview of the regional roundtable discussions
and are loosely structured to reflect the following four main areas:• the role or status of English• English as a cultural object• English in the learning system• specific learning system issues.
One roundtable was organised in every region, apart from East Asia,
the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and South Asia. These three
regions hosted three roundtables each, to accommodate the diversity
represented in these regions and because of their size; for example,
we felt that India and China warranted roundtables of their own.
The summaries aggregate this information from the roundtables topresent an overview of potential trends and drivers for the countries
and territories represented. It is important to note that at this stage
the findings presented in the individual summaries were broad andinterim. The project was still under way, and the overall data from all
the roundtables was yet to be aggregated and analysed together.
Americas
Delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the USA• English is seen as the key to higher education, better
employment and higher salaries.
• Technology is important for learners, although there is a digital 		
divide between rich and poor, rural and urban.
• The region is vast, with differing needs across geographiesand borders.
• The diverse region ranges from bilingual education policies(Colombia) to a shortage of English teachers (Mexico and partsof Brazil).
EuropeDelegates from Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain.
• Demand for English will remain strong; it will continue to be the 		global lingua franca for now.
• The way people use English is changing, with social media inparticular altering the balance between formal and informal
language and learning.
• Europe is a multilingual continent, where English is used asa tool to support communication.
• Global corporations could disrupt language learning withartificial intelligence.

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Wider Europe
Delegates from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey.
• English language learning is likely to experience growth,particularly for prospects in the global job market.
• Multilingualism is seen as important for individual, societal
and national economic success, although care needs to betaken around issues of national culture and identities.
• Technology is necessary for business and employment successand important for teaching, learning and assessment, although 		
issues relating to the digital divide will need to be addressed.
• A customised approach to learning is increasingly in demand.
The Maghreb
Delegates from Libya, Morocco and Tunisia• There is a strong demand to learn English across the region,
driven by the opportunities it provides to access employment
and higher education.
• English is taught in primary schools in both public andprivate systems.
• Young people in Morocco, in particular, would like to see
English replace French, although the roundtable agreed English 		
should not prevail at the expense of other languages.
• Technology is increasingly important in language learning;both teachers and technology are here to stay.
The Gulf
Delegates from Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar• English is regarded as a second language or lingua franca
rather than a foreign language in many areas, driven by
education and employment opportunities.
• Arabic use and education are important for the promotionof cultural identity.
• More flexible and informal ways of learning flourished during
the pandemic. Public schools should review provision to better 		
respond to education and employment landscapes.
• There is an increasing need for teachers to become more
proficient in the use of technology.
Egypt and the Levant
Delegates from Yemen, Egypt, Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian
Territories, Iraq, Syria and Jordan• English is growing in the region, but its status varies in the
countries represented.
• The diversity of English teaching provision needs to be supported
to ensure quality in both the public and private sectors.
• Technology is both an enabler and a disrupter. Attention needs
to be paid to this in the near future to ensure equity of accessand opportunities.

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Key findings
from the global
roundtablediscussions

Sub-Saharan Africa
Delegates from Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa
and Sudan• English is the go-to language across the region for successin education, employment and communication.
• The region is linguistically and culturally rich and complex.
• There are moves away from colonial languages in some areas,
with increasing recognition of the importance of local languages, 		although English largely retains a place at the table.
• English as a medium of education is growing across the region.
Pakistan
English is thriving within a linguistically diverse nation, with economic
potential driving its growth.
• Education systems need to evolve and adapt. Current language 		
provision in state schools needs increased policy coherence.
• Technology is empowering and enabling teaching and learning,and has the potential to reach many more people than traditional 		in-person teacher models.
India
English is regarded as vital for employment and economic success.
• English as a medium of education is increasing in both public
and private schools.
• Technology has a central role in English language learning.
• Private sector provision is growing rapidly, largely because
the public sector is not seen to be as good.
Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka
The potential to access good jobs and good universities is a key
driver behind the popularity of English learning in the region.
• Technology is key for education, although there are concerns
over equality of access.
• Demand for English is strong, but the importance of local
languages is also recognised.
ASEAN
Delegates from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
and Vietnam• Emphasis in teaching will move away from grammar and spelling 		and towards using English for communication in different contexts.
• English will remain the global lingua franca. Mandarin will grow,but will not compete with English in the near future.
• English as a medium of education will grow and will require
an expansion of teacher training.
• Technology will enable learning beyond the classroom, and theuse of AI could see a step-change in language use, learningand assessment.

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ChinaEducation, technology and, in particular, employment are driving
continued interest in English.
• English is seen as a channel for sharing information about China,
its people and its culture.
• Technology has an important role to play in English language
learning, but issues of access and equity need to be addressed.
• Stakeholder opinions about the relevance of English will play
an increasingly important role in the future of English in China.
North-East Asia
Delegates from South Korea, Japan and Taiwan• There is a wide spectrum of approaches to English acrosseach country and territory.
• Despite these differing approaches, English as a medium
of education will continue to be significant across the region.
• Unequal access to digital learning and the potential offeredby AI are important issues for local educators and policymakers.
• Approaches to assessment and testing vary across the region, 		
although the roundtable was unanimous in sharing concerns
about current online testing practices.
English Language Advisory Group (ELAG)
The ELAG advises the British Council’s English and Exams and theEnglish Programmes leadership teams. It is a forum for advice, visionand strategy and has no decision-making or executive powers.
• English is important for access to opportunities and information, 		
but its role may be changing.
• Multilingualism is important for individual, societal and national 		economic success, although care needs to be taken aroundissues of national culture and identities.
• Technology is central for business and employment, and isimportant for teaching, language and assessment. Issues relating
to the digital divide will need to be addressed.
• Learners are increasingly looking for more individualised
learning programmes.
• English will be included among other languages as partof wider foreign language policies.

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Discussion of theeight thematicquestions

Analysis of the findings that came out of the 14 roundtables weredistilled into eight thematic questions. While these thematic questions
do not provide a definitive view of the future direction of English, they
do help us create a framework for our ongoing research and provide
insight into global stakeholder opinion and experience.
Theme 1:
Will English remain the world’s most sought-after language?
English is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is theglobal language of communication and is likely to retain this position
for the next decade and beyond.
The desire to learn English is driven primarily by the potential it
offers to secure better jobs and economic security. Its position asa sought-after language is further strengthened by the importantrole it plays in technology (including computer programming), higher
education (with much research only published in English) and social
media communications.
Theme 2:
What role will English play in our multilingual reality?
We live in a richly diverse multilingual world. English will continue
to play an important role, increasingly doing so alongside otherlanguages to provide rich linguistic opportunities for learners allover the world. In multilingual contexts, people rarely need to use
two languages at the same level in the same way and may use
English as a common form of communication, without the needfor mother-tongue fluency.
There is change in the air as users of non-dominant languages growmore confident and demand recognition. In order to better support
multilingualism, teachers will need training to deliver a curriculumthat supports the simultaneous use of multiple languages in theclassroom to aid learning.
Theme 3:What is the future of English as a medium of education?
The perception among policymakers and parents in many partsof the world is that English as a medium of education can enhancelearners’ grasp of English and their ability to employ it acrossa variety of subjects and contexts. In many regions, university courses
are taught in English. This can be in order to attract more overseas
students and also because much research literature is only publishedin English. In these regions, English as a medium of education
is growing, especially in the private sector and particularly where
there is a perception that good English equals good jobs.
However, providing educational content in English when it isan additional language can present a range of challenges anddisadvantages to learners and teachers. Using English in placeof the mother tongue in primary education can impair learning,
limit educational attainment and prove a barrier to inclusive andequitable quality education. What’s more, subject teachers who may
not have a strong grasp of English may struggle to communicate
and teach more complex concepts. For these reasons English
as a medium of education has been rejected as a policy in several
regions, especially for basic education.

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Theme 4:
How will teachers remain relevant in future English language
learning systems?
Artificial intelligence, machine learning and auto-translate innovations
have the potential to turn our language-learning systems andprocesses upside down. However, although such tools have thepotential to enhance communication, most of the roundtable experts
felt that there was still a need for language learning to enable direct
human contact without the interruption or divide that the digitalintervention can impose.
The roundtable view was that it is unlikely that technology will replace
the need for teachers in the foreseeable future. Although artificial
intelligence has the potential to disrupt and change the way English
is taught, teachers will remain vital for teaching and learning.
However, teacher training and continuing professional development
do need to include training in technology.
Theme 5:
Public and private English language provision:
who has the answers?
Public-sector provision of English language teaching is inadequate
in many countries, in many instances featuring inappropriate oroutdated curricula. Around 260 million children around the world
do not have access to basic education. Greater collaboration
between public and private providers could help improve this.
It’s possible that the private sector could fill the gaps in public-sector
language education provision and increase opportunities for young
people. However, private provision is not accessible to all and can beof variable quality. Some private provision is also driven by parental
perceptions, such as the growth of English as a medium of education
in basic education systems, despite studies showing that primaryeducation in mother-tongue languages is more appropriate.
Theme 6:Can English language assessment meet stakeholders’changing needs?
Language education systems should continually review theapproach to assessing English proficiency to make sure assessment
practices stay relevant for today’s study, work and social interactions.
Much of the desire from young people to learn English is driven
the potential it offers for better job prospects. However, employers
require language skills such as speaking and listening that many
tests do not assess. In addition, different contexts require different
language skills. Some of these issues may be addressed by the
introduction of AI into the language assessment arena, although
this also gives rise to concerns over security and usability.

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Discussion of theeight thematicquestions

Theme 7:
Can technology narrow the equity gap in English
language education?
Technology has the potential to help greater numbers of students
access language learning. The Covid-19 pandemic saw a massive
increase in the numbers of students accessing learning online.
This can be enormously empowering and has made English more
affordable and accessible compared to the expense of in-person
learning for many students.
However, technology also risks widening the divide between people
who have access to technology and those who do not. In somecases, this is a clear divide between rich and poor and risks
entrenching poverty where learners are not able to afford thetechnology needed to improve their education and employment
opportunities. In other cases, the divide is drawn along connectivity
lines. This is often a rural–urban division, where internet (and evenradio or TV) access is not available in more rural areas and is notalways confined to learners themselves. Technology can revolutionise
teaching. But many teachers around the world don’t have access todigital technology. This can limit their teaching opportunities and may
impact the life chances of their students.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused a surge in digitalisation in
education, closing the digital divide will require massive investment
in infrastructure and training.
Theme 8:
To what extent is employment driving the future of English?
English is the lingua franca of global trade. Many international
businesses use English as their official language of communication.
Language proficiency can have a positive impact on employability,
as well as on social and international mobility, and is without questiona key driver behind the desire to learn English for many people.
Globalisation and tourism also mean that English is needed not justby professionals in higher positions but also in low-skilled jobs suchas retail, travel and tourism.
Requirements set by employers are partly shaping English language
syllabuses. English is increasingly seen as a communication tool where
speaking and listening skills are as important as more formal grammar
and vocabulary. In this context, the agenda can be strongly driven by
employers. As noted in the China roundtable, if there is a high demandfor English in the workplace, then English will be the language thatpeople will want to learn.

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About theauthors

The Future of English: Global Perspectives was written by Mina Patel,
Mike Solly and Steve Copeland and edited by Professor
Barry O’Sullivan and Professor Yan Jin.
Mina Patel is a researcher with the Assessment Research Group at
the British Council. She is currently a PhD student with CRELLA at the
University of Bedfordshire, UK.
Mike Solly is Head of English Research In the Research and Policy
Insight Unit at the British Council.
Steve Copeland is Research and Insight Lead for the English
Programmes team at the British Council.
Professor Barry O’Sullivan OBE FAcSS FAALA is the British
Council’s Head of Assessment Research & Development. In 2019 he
was awarded an OBE by the government of the UK for his contribution
to language testing.
Professor Yan Jin is a professor of linguistics and applied
linguistics at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. She received
the ILTA/Cambridge Distinguished Achievement Award in 2021.

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Download your free copyof The Future of English:
Global Perspectives ebook here!

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