What are the circles in Kachru's model?

• A. Inner, Outer and Expanding Circle
• B. First, Second and Third Circle
• C. Core, Periphery and Fringe
• D. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary

Answer: (A)

Kachru’s model uses three concentric circles to describe how English operates worldwide: the inner circle, the outer circle, and the expanding circle. The inner circle comprises countries where English is the first language for most people and where standard norms come from native speakers. The outer circle includes places with a long history of English use as a second language, where English is often an official or educational language and local varieties develop alongside native norms. The expanding circle covers nations where English is learned as a foreign language and used mainly for international communication, with no dominant native-speaker norm. This three-circle framework is the widely used way to describe global English varieties, unlike the other label options.