Global Englishes in Language Education
Summary
Global Englishes in language education encompasses the study and teaching of English as a pluricentric, international means of communication rather than a single standard variety. This field recognises the multiplicity of English norms around the world and seeks pedagogical approaches that validate diverse accents, dialects and communicative practices. Recent scholarship emphasises critical awareness of power dynamics in language use, challenges the supremacy of native-speaker models and promotes curricula that equip learners to navigate intercultural encounters. Innovations span bottom-up curriculum design, translanguaging and digital technologies, all underpinned by partnerships between researchers and practitioners. The ultimate aim is to prepare both teachers and students for inclusive, intelligible and context-sensitive use of English in global settings.
Research from Nature Portfolio
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Global Englishes in Language Education publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in global englishes in language education across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Global Englishes: The scholarly and pedagogical framework recognising multiple legitimate varieties of English used worldwide.
World Englishes: The study of regional and national forms of English, including their development, norms and sociocultural contexts.
English as a Lingua Franca (ELF): Use of English as a common language among speakers of different first languages, prioritising intelligibility over adherence to native norms.
Native-speakerism: The ideology that privileges native-speaker varieties as inherently superior models for teaching and assessment.
References
- The impact of Global Englishes classroom-based innovation on school-aged language learners' perceptions of English: An exercise in practitioner and researcher partnership. System (2024).
- Prospective English language teachers' understandings of global English language teaching. European Journal of Education (2024).
- Enhancing Pre‐Service Teachers' Global Englishes Awareness with Technology: A Focus on AI Chatbots in 3D Metaverse Environments. TESOL Quarterly (2024).
- Global Englishes Language Teaching: Bottom‐up Curriculum Implementation. TESOL Quarterly (2019).
- Global Englishes and translanguaging in textbook design and curriculum development for universities in the Greater Bay Area of China. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education (2022).
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