Broadening the boundaries of the Expanding Circle: English in Uzbekistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The sociopolitical and economic changes that have taken place in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and Central Asia since the downfall of the Soviet Union have greatly expanded the number of English users in Uzbekistan. In view of the increasing role of English in different domains, this paper aims to illustrate the role and functions of English with regard to its users and uses in this formerly Soviet country. The study used Kachru's (1985) framework of functional allocation of English within the sociocultural context of Uzbekistan as a framework to examine the instrumental, interpersonal and imaginative functions of English in this country. The findings of the study show that, while English has not achieved deep social penetration in Uzbekistan, its roles and functions in educational and social domains have been increasing rapidly due to the favorable attitudes of Uzbek people toward English and the unique role of English in the international arena.

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