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The Construction of English

Culture, Consumerism and Promotion in the ELT Global Coursebook

  • Book
  • © 2010

Overview

Authors:
  1. John Gray

    1. University of East London, UK

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Introduction

    • John Gray
    Pages 1-20

  3. Culture and English Language Teaching

    • John Gray
    Pages 21-36

  4. Describing and Analyzing ELT Coursebooks

    • John Gray
    Pages 37-54

  5. Representational Repertoires 1: Streamline Connections and Building Strategies

    • John Gray
    Pages 55-82

  6. Representational Repertoires 2: The New Cambridge English Course 2 and The New Edition New Headway Intermediate

    • John Gray
    Pages 83-111

  7. Production and Regulation of Content

    • John Gray
    Pages 112-138

  8. Consumption of Content

    • John Gray
    Pages 139-173

  9. Future Directions

    • John Gray
    Pages 174-191

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 192-218
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Keywords

About this book

This book takes the view that ELT global coursebooks, in addition to being curriculum artefacts, are also highly wrought cultural artefacts which seek to make English mean in highly selective ways and it argues that the textual construction (and imaging) of English parallels the processes of commodity promotion more generally.

Reviews

"[T]he book makes illuminating reading for authors, potential authors, editors, and perhaps teachers on MA courses. The discussions of the place and potential impact of visuals within coursebook materials are of particular interest." - ELT Journal

"John Gray's The Construction of English is an original and engaging addition to the existing literature. Necessarily complex, his theoretically eclectic approach, which skillfully melds together perspectives from the areas of cultural studies, applied linguistics and globalization studies, remains accessible throughout to readers new to such fields. This work should rightly be seen as a significant contribution to a growing literature in critical linguistics...[it] will prove a profitable read for scholars from the diverse range of disciplines from which it draws upon, and is therefore highly recommended." - Discourse & Society

"This book will inform current and potential 'consumers' of UK-published English textbooks of the books' historical development, their content features and the potential risks of stereotyping. Finally, the teachers' comments on bestseller textbooks should be utilized by those in the publishing industry in the revision of author guidelines and the production of new textbooks." - Applied Linguistics

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of East London, UK

    John Gray

About the author

John Gray is Senior Lecturer in TESOL Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, UK. He is interested in language and globalization, the cultural and political aspects of the global spread of English, ELT materials analysis and English language teacher education. His previous publications include The Construction of English , and Neoliberalism and Applied Linguistics (co-author).

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