English is used as an intranational and international language, rather than as a native language only (B.B. Kachur, 1985). The author’s well known representation of three concentric circles of English is the following:
The expanding circle is related to
- A countries and regions where English is the native language of the majority of the population.
- B countries where English is a dominant foreign language used in limited domains but is beginning to become or has become a lingua franca.
- C countries where English has had a long history of use and where local L2 varieties have developed and become codified through extensive use.
- D countries where English is a dominant language for reading and writing for the majority of the population.