English as a lingua franca and its impact on Spanish language and society: Evidence from different settings

Abstract

This paper, which is composed of two main sections, deals with the impact of English and Anglo-American culture on Spanish language and society. In the first part, an analysis of the presence of English in Spanish shop windows to greet Christmas is provided. In the second one, it examines the Spanish educational system and workplace, and discusses the extent to which the process of globalisation may have 'negative' effects on the linguistic, and, probably, cultural identity of speakers whose native language is not English. English has become the lingua franca of communication across the globe, but what kind of English should be used? It deals with the importance of focusing on the effectiveness of communication, rather than on the imitation of native models.