ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on language teaching as it operates within a society. It begins by thinking about aspects of what is called 'foreign language planning' – the decisions made by a society about language teaching. These decisions can be made at a governmental, local or institutional level. The chapter explains one issue related to language planning which is currently attracting much attention – the role of English as an International Language or, as it has become in its most recent incarnation, English as a Lingua Franca. It discusses the international context within which much language teaching takes place. Language planning is a large area which deals, on an 'official' level, with the language problems of a society. Stern mentions a number of language teaching situations that can illustrate the relevance of the factors in his model. The late 1970s was a time of some upheaval in the Netherlands' language teaching scene, as a result of some changes in educational policy.
