Making EFL Students Aware of Politically Correct Language in the EFL Classroom

Abstract

Language is a universe criss-crossed by codes and Political Correctness (PC) is yet another one. This code has become so elaborate in the last decades in some English speaking societies these days often being a code impossible to break by the foreign language learner. The paper makes a review of PC, its roots, current state of affairs and its influence on foreign language learners, especially in cultures that are traditionally direct as the Bulgarian one. It will suggest tips for introducing it in the EFL environment and some classroom activities such as matching exercises, teaching with the PC Bed Time Stories series, paraphrasing, translating into students’ mother tongue and some others that can help students develop awareness of it. The paper ends concluding that even a foreign language is not just a tool of expressing one’s thoughts; it is also an instrument to shape these thoughts and as such PC language is a tool that can be employed to make EFL students more sensitive, more tolerant and more understanding.