The Status and Role of English as a Language of Administration in Bhutan

Abstract

English as a language of the world has reached into the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan from the time of the colonisation of India by the British and this paper examined the status and role of English as a language of administration in the country. English in Bhutan is regarded as EFL while Nepal and Bangladesh has the status of L2. Therefore, why not the status of English in Bhutan is L2 as the country lies in the same geographical zone- sharing boarders with India and Nepal. The results presented in this paper accounts with various views and opinions given by 104 respondents from different organisations. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and the study found out that English in Bhutan has the status of L2 by having adopted it as a language of administration, education, media, businesses, etc. The findings revealed that English is used more than the national language Dzongkha with more than (80%) of the tasks being performed in English in various domains. The study also showed 100% English usage in banking, communication outside the country and 90-100% in e-communication, confirming the fact that English is used as a language of administration. Interestingly, this study reported that English language is preferred in the families as a language of convenience.