Chapter 5: Critical Sociolinguistics and Commodification: Studying English as a Foreign Language in Mexico

In Mexico, learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is often seen as a gateway to educational advancement, opportunities to travel abroad, and job progression (British Council, 2015). As a result, adult students will invest significant amounts of time and money in learning English. Whilst acquiring an additional language undoubtedly brings social, cultural, and educational benefits, foreign language proficiency may not automatically lead to the economic and financial prosperity that is often touted. I argue that learner aspirations are often encouraged through EFL commodification (Fairclough, 1992, p. 2010) as courses are often neatly packaged into a convenient number of levels to be studied intensively over a short period of time and that on their completion learners are purportedly able to pass international examinations with ease and apply for enviable jobs. In this paper, I critically examine learners’ goals and objectives in studying English as a foreign language and attempt to match their aspirations with more down-to-earth realities in the Mexican context, specifically in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Mexico’s second largest conurbation.