Sometimes size really does matter, in issues relating to English as in other things. Sheer vastness and numbers inevitably draw our attention, especially at the present time, to linguistic and many other matters in China, and in this issue (as in others in recent times) we continue to pay close attention to both the vastness and the numbers. Certainly, in ET – as elsewhere in print and on screen – matters relating to such a rising world player are of key concern, and notably in ET76, we continue the debate on issues that are fundamental to the world's way of acknowledging linguistic dynamism, statistics, and (in effect) clout.

THIS ARTICLE discusses present trends in the use of English in Finland, paying attention to the specific sociohistorical character of the country with its long history of Finnish-Swedish bilingualism. It has been argued that the other Nordic countries are developing from EFL to ESL countries; is Finland heading the same way? If so, at what stage is the process? We shall first give a brief overview of the theoretical background and of the historical development of the language situation in Finland. The present state of the use of English is outlined next, with the focus on education and on areas where the danger of domain loss is most imminent. At the end we discuss the ongoing changes in terms of the identity-forming function of language and the present diffusion in which the national language does not necessarily play a traditional role.

An investigation into the current status of English teaching and learning in Macedonia. The focus of this study will be on the spread of English there, within the domain of foreign language education, and it is guided by the following research questions:

1. What is the most dominant foreign language taught and learned in R. Macedonia?

2. How is English teaching implemented in the Macedonian educational system?

3. What are some of the current resources for the teaching and learning of English?

In the article, I discuss the implementation of English in the public and private schools and universities, alongside instruction in such other languages as French, German, and Russian.

English as the global (if not the universal) language reflects a hegemony of the past as well as of the present: both a continuation of the British Empire (and thus demonized as a former colonial language) and, as the preferred language of international business and capitalist development throughout the world, resented as a powerful neo-colonial language. Yet, as this study seeks to show, English is capable of acting against its own imperialisms, to undermine its own hegemony.

A GREAT DEAL has been said and written about various approaches to the successful methodology for teaching English as a second language in China. Entire professional journals are devoted to the subject, such as Teaching English In China and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. But no matter how much is written, and no matter what teaching method is employed, the bottom line is that the average Chinese student learns to communicate orally in ‘Chinglish’: that is, in Mandarin sprinkled with English words and phrases or in English with a Mandarin-induced syntax.

AS ECONOMICS and trade turn the world into “a global village”, English is playing an increasingly important role in China as a lingua franca for such matters as business, information, international travel, the Internet, cultural entertainment, and the environment, all of which have brought great changes in every aspect of our lives. Native English speakers are regarded as linguistically privileged, but such non-native English-speakers as the Chinese, in order to overcome their disadvantage, are launching campaigns to enable themselves to use English more accurately and fluently. ‘Communicative competence’ has become the chief goal of English language learning and teaching. This essay seeks to analyse the great changes that are taking place educationally in China, especially in ELT, emphasizing the importance of communicative language teaching (CLT), teacher training, reform of the examination system, and raising people's awareness of new challenges in education and life.

SINCE ITS introduction in the 18th century, English in China has gone through three stages: partial colonization and Chinese Pidgin English (CPE); a Chinese-influenced variety often called Chinglish; and a more recent indigenization that has resulted in a variety known as both Chinese English and, more recently (with a subtle change of emphasis), China English. This paper discusses these stages and calls for more attention to be paid to the nativization of English in China in the 21st century.

INFORMATION technology has had a profound impact on many aspects of life over the last twenty-odd years. One linguistic area where computers have made important inroads is the compiling of dictionaries. Until the 1980s, such works were still put together, more or less, along the same paper-and-ink lines as when Dr Johnson was at work in the 18th century, although methods of work and levels of reliability had improved. In the last two decades, however, there have been numerous IT-led developments, revolutions and evolutions in lexicography, mostly to the benefit of dictionary users, though some more recent developments are perhaps debatable. [All searches described in this article were made with Google, and only pages in English were requested.]

Neville thought of showing Kate's letter to Miss Mellerby, but when he read it a second time he made up his mind that he would keep it to himself. The letter was all very well, and as regarded the expressions towards himself, just what it should be. But he felt that it was not such a letter as Miss Mellerby would have written herself… He was a little ashamed of his Kate, and he thought that Miss Mellerby might perceive her ignorance if he shewed that letter.Anthony Trollope, An Eye for an EyeI am proud of my remedial students' writing. There are often moments and occasionally entire essays where the student, amused or moved and communicating her feelings, moves me to laughter or tears.

ON MY OFFICE wall I have a Japanese Sumo Wrestling Calendar, a gift from a kind student. The name of the calendar is in kanji followed by the word CALENDAR in gold capitals and the year in numerals, 2003, in red. The numbers of the months are also in red and the same size. The names of the months are in English in a smaller font, January, February, … The names of the days of the week are in kanji. The character for Sunday and the date numbers of Sundays and holidays are in red, the other days and dates in black numerals. Of course, careful design has gone into the calendar, but one is struck by the plethora of visual communication systems involved.

IN MAY 2003 there was a notice on the World Wide Web announcing the “32st Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest”. The announcement began: The 32st Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest will be hosted by the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) …Not long before that I had noticed an advertisement for the “33nd Annual New Jersey Irish Festival”, also on the Web. Such unexpected forms of the ordinal numerals naturally arouse one's curiosity.