Revisiting Linguistic Imperialism: Policies and Teacher Discourses on ELT in Korea

Phillipson’s theory of linguistic imperialism puts forward how English language teaching (ELT) is shaped by political and sociocultural forces, calling for a critical review of mainstream theories and methodology prevailing in ELT in nonnative contexts. This study examines the relevance of the theory of linguistic imperialism in explaining Korean context of ELT by reviewing education policies and pedagogical practices operating within the nation. The study primarily reviewed theoretical assumptions underlying ELT policies in the nation focusing on the major changes in government policy on English education. The study also examined two-group participants’ (college instructors and graduate students) perspectives on linguistic imperialism and ELT practices in Korea as a review of the potential representations of the imposition of such global ideology on local ELT. The study shows that global discourse of linguistic imperialism reveals considerable relevance to ELT in Korea via standard language ideology and native speaker model. Center-driven theories impose significant influence on Korean ELT through political ideals and social perceptions where communicative competence is promoted as the primary social goal. The analysis of the participants discourses suggests that linguistic imperialism is still a valid construct in their perception. Standard language ideology consistently lingers in both groups’ mind; yet the native speaker model as the best ELT method is virtually denied. Conflicting views on the Center-driven theories are discussed.