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Figure 5: Use of English in shopsigns in TokeShak CharThe second area in which the research was carried out was Shak Char, a Unionunder Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh. ShakChar is 14 kilometres away from Lakshmipur Sadar Upazila and 198 kilometresfrom Dhaka. It has a population of 50,349 (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2001).Its proximity to the River Meghna and its geographical position make it vulnerableto natural disasters such as cyclones and floods: in 1991, 2007 and 2009 it wasseverely affected by major cyclones in the area, and is regularly affected byflooding.Shak Char is socio-economically behind Toke in many respects. Agriculture is thebasis of the economy, and farming is thus the major occupation. The main cropsare rice, betel nut, betel leaf, coconut, bananas and seasonal vegetables. Otheroccupations include potters, blacksmiths, fishermen, bus drivers, and Imams(priests), and there are fewer white collar work opportunities than in Toke.Shak Char is characterised by underdevelopment, a lack of infrastructure and poorhealth and sanitation facilities. The only major establishments with a presencethere are the Union Parishad Office and a few NGO offices; there are no banks orother financial organisations. The roads are mostly made of mud, and except forsome three-wheeler auto-rickshaws there are no public transportation facilities(see Figure 6). Most of the houses are made of coconut leaves, betel nut leaves,bamboo and clay. NGOs such as BRAC, Grameen Bank and Proshika work toeradicate poverty by providing microcredit loans to the local people. Unlike Toke,there are very few mobile phone/computer shops, and people are less exposed tonew technologies.Figure 6: Street view of the roadto Shak Char190 | Attitudes English Bangladesh