Abstract

In Chile, educational policies have strengthened the learning of English, however, the same efforts have not been made to maintain the native indigenous languages. The objective of this study is to explore how Mapuche high school students, value the fact that they are taught English as a subject in the national curriculum, and not having the access to formal education in their native language. In this qualitative study 16 Mapuche youngsters participated. Data was collected through in-depth interviews. The students' discourse was analysed using the Appraisal Framework (Martin y White 2005). The main outcomes indicate that the students positively value English as a communicative tool that will help them perform in their future work environments. However, they recognize that the Mapuche culture and language are not valued in the same way as it is for English culture and language.