Representations of foreign English teachers in Colombian newspapers: A critical discourse analysis

Abstract

In an effort to increase the English proficiency level of their citizens and thus become more competitive in the global economy, many Latin American countries have resorted to the importation of foreign English teachers (FETs) to support local English teachers (LETs) in schools. The phenomenon has been widely documented by the Colombian press, which exerts a strong influence on people’s opinions. This article reports the results of a case study which explored the representations of these FETs in three major Colombian newspapers published between 2010 and 2015 and the linguistic mechanisms employed to represent them this way. The study drew on critical linguistic theories and used Fairclough’s (1992) model for critical discourse analysis (CDA). The analysis reveals a systematic attempt on the part of the Colombian press to represent FETs as superior, which is achieved through the use of several mechanisms, such as stressing their foreignness and voluntariness; raising their status from inexperienced teachers to tutors, advisors and benefactors; making them the actors; and attributing them superpowers. It is concluded that by doing this, newspapers are contributing to the discrimination of local English teachers, perpetuating native-speakerism ideologies, and disregarding the enormous benefits of having LETs in the educational system, among other aspects.