The many faces of English in Nepal

The status of English in Nepal has changed in the last seven decades. Adopted first as a ‘foreign’ language, English, in recent years, has become an indispensable part of life for the Nepalese people. In fact, it is presently used as an additional language, second language and even primary language in many socio-economic and educational domains in Nepal. Even though English had been in use in Nepal for a long time, it was only adopted as a foreign language into the formal education system in the first half of the twentieth century, and it continues to have this status, despite the fact that scholars and users of the language claim that it is anything but foreign. Its current domination in all spheres of life makes the language indispensable and on a par with Nepali, currently the only official language for wider communication. As such, many advocate that English in Nepal deserves greater recognition than the term foreign language offers. The present article makes a socio-linguistic analysis of the English language situation in Nepal and, drawing from research and the available literature, it assesses to what extent the claim that it has many faces is justifiable. In view of the growing popularity and dominance of English, the article examines its role and status in the national language education policy, and points out what implications its changing status has on the national curriculum and pedagogic resources.