La comunicación oral del inglés en Españainfluencia de los aspectos educativos y mediáticos en el éxito del aprendizaje

Abstract

T he fact that the Spanish cannot hold an everyday conversation in English comes as no surprise, but it remains a matter for urgent redress. Although recent research shows that English is the most widely spoken language in the European Union as a whole, and that it is considered a lingua franca (Crystal, 2003), less than 30% of the Spanish population are able to communicate in said language (European Commission 2005; 2006). This situation may negatively affect the EUEU�s consolidation process since there is a clear imbalance in the opportunities for student and work mobility. This article tackles this issue and analyses the factors that contribute towards success in learning English, through grouping these factors into those that are linguistic, educational, social, and media-based. In the absence of empirical studies, official reports, scientific literature and professional observation are drawn upon to develop and sustain the argumentation. Although definite conclusions cannot be reached, educational and media factors have been identified as strong influences on foreign language success.