English in Asian Universities

Perspectives on the spread of English in the Asian region vary greatly, from the purely descriptive to the ideologically oppositional, from the linguistic to the political. This chapter presents an overview of the current status and functions of the spread of English in Asian higher education, based largely on a review of the literature, but also informed by authors’ own empirical research on this topic in Singapore and in a range of other settings across the Asian region. It discusses English-medium instructions (EMI) in higher education in Outer Circle contexts of South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asia (Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore), East Asia (Hong Kong), Southeast Asian Expanding Circle societies (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam), and East Asian Expanding Circle societies (China, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea). The chapter discusses the role of English as an international academic lingua franca and the impact of international rankings in promoting EMI education.