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Kachru's Concentric Circles

Kachru proposed the Three Circles Model to describe the spread and use of English around the world. The model includes the Inner Circle (countries where English is the primary language), Outer Circle (countries where English has special status), and Expanding Circle (countries where English is learned as a foreign language). The Inner Circle countries establish linguistic norms, the Outer Circle develops these norms, and the Expanding Circle relies on the norms of the other two circles. The model categorizes countries based on their historical and current relationship with the English language.

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854 views2 pages

Kachru's Concentric Circles

Kachru proposed the Three Circles Model to describe the spread and use of English around the world. The model includes the Inner Circle (countries where English is the primary language), Outer Circle (countries where English has special status), and Expanding Circle (countries where English is learned as a foreign language). The Inner Circle countries establish linguistic norms, the Outer Circle develops these norms, and the Expanding Circle relies on the norms of the other two circles. The model categorizes countries based on their historical and current relationship with the English language.

Uploaded by

Quin Clef
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Kachru’s Three Concentric Circles Model

Braj Kachru was a professor of Linguistics who coined the term “World English” in 1985. The
term “World Englishes” refers to the fact that the English language has been used as a global
means of communication in numerous dialects worldwide. It also refers to the movement
towards an 'international standard' of the English language.

Since the start of the linguistic study of the spread of English there have been a few models
concerning how English has become a global language. Nonetheless, for many sociolinguists,
Kachru’s Circles of English is recognized as the most dominant.

Kachru proposed his “Three Circles of English Model” which is comprised of the Inner Circle,
the Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle (see Figure 1) to describe the spread of the English
language around the world. These circles signify “the type of spread, the pattern of acquisition,
and the functional domains in which English language is used across cultures and languages”
(Kachru, 1985, p.12).

Figure 1. Kachru’s Three Concentric Circles Model (1985)


A. The Inner Circle 

The Inner Circle presents the countries where English is the primary language and is used in
daily life and government institutions, such as the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand.

According to Kachru, the speakers of the inner circle are the ones responsible for providing
linguistic norms. That is to say inner circle countries are “norm-providing”.

B. The Outer Circle 

The outer circle is comprised of countries where English is not spoken natively but is still
maintained as an important language for communication (e.g. as an official 'second' language or
as the nation's official language for business and commerce) largely due to historical reasons.
These countries include: India, Nigeria, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore,
and Africa.

According to Kachru, the speakers of the outer circle are the ones responsible developing the
standards and linguistic norms put forth by the countries of the inner circle. That is to say outer
circle countries are “norm-developing”.

C. The Expanding Circle 

Unlike the other two circles, expanding circle is not characterized by historical or political events.
Instead, this category has emerged due to the expanding influence of the English language
throughout the world.

English is learned by many across the globe as a means of manipulating their chances of social
mobility. As a result, in countries like China, for example, there are many people who can speak
English as their second language. Therefore, when they meet someone else who is native to
another language, but also has English as a second language, they can use English as a
medium of “international communication”. Thus, English is a lingua franca.

The countries belonging to this circle includes: China, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Taiwan, Germany,
Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Kachru labelled the expanding circle as “norm-dependent”, meaning they rely on standards
set by those in the inner circle and developed by the outer circle.

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