This TESOL publication begins with the history of English language in Panama, which stems from privateers, and dates back over 500 years. In 1572, Sir Francis Drake and his men, including the famous John Oxenham who five years later became the first English speaking person to navigate the Pacific Ocean anywhere in the Americas, were communicating in English on Panamanian soil.
Another English privateer, William Parker, and his men also operated on the isthmus; in 1601 they captured the Spanish colonial town of Porto Bello on Panama’s Atlantic coast. The next famous English privateer to set foot on Panamanian territory was Henry Morgan who after years of living along the Atlantic coast, crossed the Isthmus and stole the riches from Panama City in the year 1671.
Download this publication free: The History of English in Panama, by Winston Malcolm
Contents of Publication:
The Privateers as the first set of English speakers on the Isthmus
The first significant group of English speakers from the United States and the English Caribbean islands to reach the Isthmus
The Constructions of the Panama Canal as a stimulus for the use of English on the Isthmus
Growth of English Speaking Communities and Political Conflicts due to Language
World War II and the increased US presence to protect the Panama Canal
The Impact of the United States Military on the English Speaking
People of Caribbean Descent
Dialects of Panamanian English
A Social Revolution and its Political Impact on groups of Language Users
United States Soldiers Depart and Panamanian Fears About Extended English Use Disappears
The current crisis in the Teaching of English on the Isthmus
Questions
Assignments
Guide for Evaluating Answers to the Questions
Additional Information for Evaluating Answers to the Assignments
Recommended Readings