Full title: World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching
Author: Andy Kirkpatrick
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Reviewed by: Eric Roth
Do the English in England speak the same English as the Americans, the Jamaicans, the South Africans, the
Australians, the Irish, and the Indians? Do they even speak the same English as they did 100 years ago before radio, television, and the internet? Should there be a global standard for all English speakers? Linguist Andy Kirkpatrick raises these and many other provocative questions in his exceptionally documented book “World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching” published by Cambridge
University Press. What does it mean if a majority of English speakers are actually English as a second language
speakers? Can we actually assert that one version of English is more correct, formal, or proper than other forms?
Are native speakers of English really the best English teachers for English language learners in developing
countries?
The enclosed audio CD might be the best, brief introduction to the subject as you hear a wide diversity of voices
and accents tell stories and read poems in …. English? Or is it Englishes? That’s the essential question that this
scholarly primer on sociolinguistics poses. For instance, as an American English teacher, I had little problem
understanding the woman from Charlotte, North Carolina who vividly described her childhood picking cotton or the
Downeast Maine woman who switches accents and vocabulary depending on her audience. Yet I struggled – really
struggled- to comprehend Africans, Caribbean Islanders, and Irish on this CD. If the goal is international
communication, than many folks on the CD fail to communicate with English as an International language standard.
Yet Kirkpatrick systematically argues that English is spoken in particular contexts to specific audiences. What is
proper, Kirkpatrick contends, depends more on circumstances and purposes than arbitrary absolute standards with
neo-colonial overtones. As a result Kirkpatrick, who teaches at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, finds notions
of “correctness” of pronunciation, vocabulary, spelling, and even grammatical functions quite problematic and
limited.
Divided into three parts (Framework, Variation and Varieties, and Implications), World Englishes provides detailed
case studies of the spread and use of English in Britain, the United States, Australia, the Caribbean, Africa, and
South-East Asia. He also has a fascinating chapter titled “Emerging Englishes: Hong Kong and China” where he
speculates on possible future directions of the world’s latest lingua franca. Often surprising, these concise
historical overviews highlight the political aspects of speaking English. As a result, Kirkpatrick suggests that
English be looked from an “identity-communication continuum.” The author emphatically places greater importance on the right of individuals to speak their own version of English over the communication needs of listeners.
“English operates as a lingua franca at a number of different level, including local, national, regional, and
internationally” notes Kirkpatrick. When second language speakers focus on their audiences, the author convincingly
demonstrates many speakers often change their register, grammar, and cultural references (code-switching) for
international audiences (rather than fellow nationals in English). They speak, the author contends, a different
English – and that’s okay. Further, Kirkpatrick examines the evidence that English is a language killer, worries
about the prioritizing of English over local languages, and notes that non-native English speakers face additional
hurdles to publishing scholarly articles in English. Yet Kirkpatrick eventually concludes that “local demand for
English is at least as powerful a cause for its spread any imperial or post-imperial imposition on its unwilling
speakers.” (p.183)
What are the classroom applications of this Global Englishes analysis? First, the author notes that the vast
majority of English language learners will never actually work or live in an English speaking country. Therefore,
he finds the advantages of upholding an “impossible” ideal of standardized English to be limited and a challenge to
local, well-trained teachers. Further, he favors the hiring and promotion of local English teachers over native
speaking English teachers. “Bilingual students benefit from and respect bilingual teachers” (p.187) to counter the
prejudice against local model of World English. International English teachers from Australia, the United States,
Canada, and the United Kingdom need not apply!
Was I persuaded that World Englishes is a healthier concept than International English for an emerging 21st global culture? No, not really. But I’m grateful that I had the chance to read this scholarly work, learn about many social environments where English is taught, and reflect on the needs of English teachers working in developing nations.
For better or for worse, World Englishes makes a powerful case for a politically correct, and increasingly
influential, perspective. English language teachers, immigration activists, linguistics, and standardized test
creators will certainly find the 257-page book fascinating. English teachers fond of grammar exercises, however,
might well be offended- perhaps even horrified- by his tolerance for alternative word order. This critically
acclaimed book, however, deserves to be widely read and debated by both English teaching professionals and language policy experts.
Reviewed by Eric Roth | March 2009
Eric H. Roth teaches English at the University of Southern California to international students, and occasionally
writes book reviews and articles for TEFL.net. He is also the co-author of the ESL conversation textbook Compelling
Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics.
http://edition.tefl.net/reviews/applied-linguistics/world-englishes/
More downloadable resources on World Eglishes