From Classroom to Marketplace: English as a Tool for Business, Monetization, and Global Careers in a Neoliberal Market

ABSTRACT Neoliberalism commercializes entities based on economic value, promoting their commodification in a neoliberal market. This study aims to explore the commodification of English in the local linguistic market where neoliberal market‐driven policies commercialize English and amplify its status as a success, economic asset, and source of mobility. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory of linguistic capital, the study uncovers how English is perceived and portrayed as a commodity in the linguistic market. This study employed a qualitative research design involving interviews with 19 participants and carried out document analysis of university web pages and language center advertisements. Data were analyzed through constructivist grounded theory, content analysis, and multimodal analysis, and triangulated for trustworthiness. The findings demonstrate how English is pursued to ease business growth, economic mobility, and foster an entrepreneurial mindset in different neoliberal markets. This study reflects how neoliberal ideologies shape language perception in developing countries and suggests a critical (re)assessment of language policies that prefer economic value over linguistic diversity and cultural preservation.