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All Englishes Are Equal (But Some Are More Equal Than Others)

Year 2013, Volume: 30 Issue: 1, 1 - 9, 03.09.2015

Abstract

This paper reports on the use of English as a medium of instruction in a multilingual context. While most students are either from the Expanding Circle or from the Outer Circle, most lecturers are from the Expanding Circle. Very few (if any) are from the Inner Circle. The case study focuses on the students’ written English. It finds that students who write ‘native-like’ English have a clear advantage. Students from the Outer Circle who use localized varieties of English face particular problems of intelligibility. The paper argues that English may not be the ‘common language’ it is often believed to be, and that it may introduce new inequalities

References

  • Bayyurt, Y. (2012). Proposing a model for English language education in the Turkish sociocultural context. In Y. Bayyurt & Y. Bektaş-Çetinkaya (Eds.), Research perspectives on teaching and learning English in Turkey: Policies and practices (pp. 301-312). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
  • Blommaert, J. (2010). The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Edwards, A. (2010). Dutch English: Tolerable, taboo, or about time too? English Today, 101, 26(1), 19-24.
  • Ferguson, C.A. (1981). Foreword. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The other tongue: English across cultures (p. xii-xvii). Urbana: University of Illinois.
  • Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a lingua franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Jenkins, J. (2009). English as a lingua franca: interpretations and attitudes. World Englishes, 28(2), 200–207.
  • Kachru, B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In R. Quirk & H. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures (pp. 11-36). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Kachru, B. (2005). Asian Englishes. Beyond the canon. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
  • Kortmann, B., & Lunkenheimer, K. (Eds.) (2011). The Electronic World Atlas of Varieties of English [eWAVE]. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. http://www.ewave-atlas.org/
  • Rajadurai, J. (2005). Revisiting the concentric circles: Conceptual and sociolinguistic considerations. Asian EFL Journal, 7(4), 111-130.
  • Schmied, J. (2009). East African Englishes. In B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C. L. Nelson (Eds.) The handbook of World Englishes (pp.188-201), Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Schneider, E.W. (2010). Developmental patterns of English: Similar or different? In A. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of World Englishes (pp. 372-384). London: Routledge.
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • van Splunder, F. (2013). Whose language is it anyway? ELF and the absence of the native speaker. In Y. Bayyurt & S. Akcan (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca, 24-26 May 2012 (pp. 386-393), Istanbul: Boğaziçi University.
  • Widdowson, H.G. (1994). The ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly, 28(2), 377-89.

All Englishes Are Equal (But Some Are More Equal Than Others)

Year 2013, Volume: 30 Issue: 1, 1 - 9, 03.09.2015

Abstract

This paper reports on the use of English as a medium of instruction in a multilingual context. While most students are either from the Expanding Circle or from the Outer Circle, most lecturers are from the Expanding Circle. Very few (if any) are from the Inner Circle. The case study focuses on the students’ written English. It finds that students who write ‘native-like’ English have a clear advantage. Students from the Outer Circle who use localized varieties of English face particular problems of intelligibility. The paper argues that English may not be the ‘common language’ it is often believed to be, and that it may introduce new inequalities.

References

  • Bayyurt, Y. (2012). Proposing a model for English language education in the Turkish sociocultural context. In Y. Bayyurt & Y. Bektaş-Çetinkaya (Eds.), Research perspectives on teaching and learning English in Turkey: Policies and practices (pp. 301-312). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
  • Blommaert, J. (2010). The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Edwards, A. (2010). Dutch English: Tolerable, taboo, or about time too? English Today, 101, 26(1), 19-24.
  • Ferguson, C.A. (1981). Foreword. In B. B. Kachru (Ed.), The other tongue: English across cultures (p. xii-xvii). Urbana: University of Illinois.
  • Jenkins, J. (2007). English as a lingua franca: Attitude and identity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Jenkins, J. (2009). English as a lingua franca: interpretations and attitudes. World Englishes, 28(2), 200–207.
  • Kachru, B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In R. Quirk & H. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures (pp. 11-36). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Kachru, B. (2005). Asian Englishes. Beyond the canon. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
  • Kortmann, B., & Lunkenheimer, K. (Eds.) (2011). The Electronic World Atlas of Varieties of English [eWAVE]. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. http://www.ewave-atlas.org/
  • Rajadurai, J. (2005). Revisiting the concentric circles: Conceptual and sociolinguistic considerations. Asian EFL Journal, 7(4), 111-130.
  • Schmied, J. (2009). East African Englishes. In B. B. Kachru, Y. Kachru, & C. L. Nelson (Eds.) The handbook of World Englishes (pp.188-201), Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Schneider, E.W. (2010). Developmental patterns of English: Similar or different? In A. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of World Englishes (pp. 372-384). London: Routledge.
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • van Splunder, F. (2013). Whose language is it anyway? ELF and the absence of the native speaker. In Y. Bayyurt & S. Akcan (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca, 24-26 May 2012 (pp. 386-393), Istanbul: Boğaziçi University.
  • Widdowson, H.G. (1994). The ownership of English. TESOL Quarterly, 28(2), 377-89.
There are 15 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Original Articles
Authors

Frank Van Splunder This is me

Publication Date September 3, 2015
Published in Issue Year 2013 Volume: 30 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Van Splunder, F. (2015). All Englishes Are Equal (But Some Are More Equal Than Others). Bogazici University Journal of Education, 30(1), 1-9.