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With increasing numbers of scholars from around the world now engaged in international publishing to further their careers, many authors for whom English is not their first language worry about the acceptability of their language to journal editors. In this article we explore this issue by focusing on a key component of fluent academic writing: the high frequency fixed‐word collocations known as lexical bundles, strings which are 'glued together' and help characterize smooth production. Here we compare their use in the pre‐submission drafts of authors with different first languages with published papers in leading international journals. Our results suggest that language background certainly contributes to the differences between our EAL texts and published papers, but that seniority and discipline also significantly impact these language choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper offers a fundamental discussion of constituent parameters and relevant issues associated with the concepts of pluricentricity and epicentres. It proposes an explicit division into a weak reading, highlighting the co‐existence of national varieties of languages, and a strong one, focusing on influence exerted by some varieties on others. Parameters which constitute epicentres include size and speaker numbers, geographical proximity, intensity of mutual relations, directionality of influence, and attitudinal factors. Methodologically, a fully convincing documentation of epicentral influence would call for diachronic data from both varieties in question, an investigation of detailed usage conditions of forms compared, and a plausible account of the potential for contact – though for now this seems very difficult to achieve. It is suggested that the perspective taken should not only encompass standard varieties and that the weak version of pluricentricity has strong roots in language attitudes and perception rather than production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author presents a critique of the deconstructivist perspective on translanguaging, which doubts the ontology of discrete speech communities. This paper argues that such a position is inconsistent with a civil rights orientation on language education policy. The paper identifies three aspects of translanguaging – conceptual, pedagogical, and theoretical. It argues that one approach to translanguaging theory, which accepts the deconstructivist perspective on language ontology, is at odds with a civil rights orientation, the backbone of language education policy in the US. The author argues instead for a linguistically and sociolinguistically robust theory of translanguaging. [Correction added on 20 March 2020, after first online publication: Second and fourth sentences in this abstract section have been edited for consistency.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the roles the English language is expected to play in contemporary war‐torn Afghanistan. It identifies 12 roles – some functional, others aspirational. English has a role to play in the development of Afghanistan, albeit limited, and it is believed to provide a means of escape, both literally and metaphorically. On the other hand, in some sections of society, English is seen negatively. In other contexts, English is required to play a neutral role between the two national languages. Analysis of the way that English is used in aspirational contexts suggests a parallel with shamanistic language: it does not need to be understood but, for its audience, the intended beneficiaries, that does not make it any less effective as a symbolic language, at least in the short term. In the longer term, however, as promised benefits fail to appear, English may increasingly be perceived negatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of papers to be published in future issues of "World Englishes" is presented including "English in Sri Lanka: A Study of Attitudes," by Tobia Bernaisch, "Language Contact in the United Arab Emirates," by Ronald Boyle and "The Emergence of Eastern European English," by Elena Salakhian.

The article lists several forthcoming studies to be published in the journal "World Englishes," including "English in Macedonian Commercials," "Revisiting the Vowels of Brunei English," and "Singapore English: An Indexical Approach."

Edwin Thumboo's poem Language as Power, written for Larry and Braj (L&B) provides the central theme for this paper written in remembrance of Larry. The poem is a composition in two movements, engaging readers aesthetically and spiritually. The poem's first movement is more like a hymn, celebrating the power of the Word. The second movement explores the impact of the phenomenon known as world Englishes. The paper concludes with two personal notes: the first explaining how the meaning‐making potential of language – what Halliday calls 'grammatical energy' – is employed by the poet to immortalize L & B; and the second, how our encounters with Larry's every good endeavor have enriched our lives and made us better human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines an innovative corpus‐based method for establishing word class using as a case study the verbal status of the locative copula in Cameroon Pidgin English. The corpus‐based methodology outlined here uses a combination of distributional, sociolinguistic, and frequency analysis to establish that the Cameroon Pidgin English locative copula, deiy, is a verb and in doing so outlines a blueprint for establishing word class in under described languages. Pidgin creole languages are often under described and identifying the word class of multifunctional words can be particularly challenging. The methodology presented here can resolve such ambiguity by basing the classification on the language in which the word occurs rather than on typological generalisations. This corpus‐based methodology has wide ranging applicability and could be especially useful in establishing word class in lesser described world English varieties and pidgin creole languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns English‐medium instruction (EMI) and begins with an overview of issues relating to EMI initiatives in higher education as documented in the literature. Following this, the case of a Japanese university's attempt to introduce EMI into the curriculum of a newly setup liberal arts faculty is discussed. Conclusions about challenges that can follow policy initiatives to introduce EMI are drawn from this discussion. Outcomes and implications of different ways of understanding and/or conceptualizing the role of English in higher education and EMI are examined critically. The issues surfaced have implications for EMI policy making and implementation, bearing in mind the negotiations that need to take place given the workings of opposing forces: (1) those which reify homogenizing discourses about language, power and education; versus (2) those which accommodate the contextually particularized aspects of teaching and learning and the characteristically heterogeneous and intersectional nature of teacher and learner subjectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores contact reconceptualizations of English Aunty as an address term in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this multiethnic and multilingual city, Aunty is used in local discourses to address older females across different languages and regardless of whether Addressee is related to the Addresser. Moreover, usage of Aunty is extensive, covering a range of social roles, identities, and interpersonal relations that reflect acculturations to a context where diverse traditional cultural norms, multilanguage mixing, and modernity effects, are simultaneously salient. Using the Cultural Linguistics framework (Sharifian, 2017a, 2017b), it is demonstrated that long‐established Malaysian cultural priorities, race (ethnicity) and modern as status (modernity values) can help account for the potential range of usages of Malaysian Aunty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper seeks to contribute to the current discussion of world Englishes by revealing the seamless English language incorporation in the linguascape of the popular music scene of post-socialist Mongolia, a context that has been rarely addressed in previous research. Drawing on sets of linguistic (n)ethnographic data, the paper argues that the role of English in the mixed language practices of young musicians should be understood as 'translocal language', which makes its meaning through the contact of transnational linguistic flows and resources embedded within the idea of 'linguascape'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely acknowledged that advertisers employ primarily two types of persuasion strategies—rational vs. emotional—to persuade consumers to buy their products. While a rational appeal is driven by information processing by the conscious mind, in contrast, an emotional appeal is propelled by the unconscious mind or gut‐feeling(s), which has its own rewards and risks. The main goals of this paper are two‐fold: (1) to present a mechanism of encoding and decoding emotions rooted in the language; and (2) to identify linguistic markers and strategies of an emotional ad. In addition to imagery, the role of language in emotional advertising is undisputed. A linguistic analysis of monolingual as well as bilingual/multilingual ads is performed to show how language regulates desired emotional effects, identities, and appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the 'liberation linguistics' perspective that Professor Kachru championed achieved two important aims: (i) it explored the creative manipulation of multilinguals' repertoire in the late‐modern contexts of mobility and complexity; and (ii) it brought into focus the sociolinguistic inequalities engendered by a politics of conformity. Braj Kachru's teaching consistently highlighted the heterogeneity and multifunctionality of language, together with the meaning potential of variation, and his work continues to provide inspiration for the ongoing development of the field, and the 'gloriously impure' alchemy of English that he has bequeathed to us all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Traditional theoretical frameworks for world Englishes (WEs) such as Moag's (1982) and Kachru's (1985) have not explicitly noted a role for lexical semantics. Schneider's (2007) dynamic model, however, explicitly defines specific phases of WE development in terms of lexical semantics, and Brutt‐Griffler's (2002) model emphasizes semantic change. This paper fills a gap in the literature by presenting corpus studies into the concrete senses of the highly frequent, highly polysemous transitive verbs make and give, in the International Corpus of English (ICE) components representing Singapore, Hong Kong, and Great Britain. Via onomasiological corpus methods, I show that register differentiation for the alternation between Germanic, monosyllabic forms make and give and their Latinate, polysyllabic alternates is not as extensive in ICE‐HK as in ICE‐SIN and ICE‐GB. I interpret these findings in relation to the models of Brutt‐Griffler (2002), Schneider (2007), and Kachru (1985). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Politeness is a phenomenon that has received a great deal of attention, especially with reference to varieties of English. Although societal norms vary somewhat across cultural contexts, most varieties of English seem to show a preference for polite and face‐conscious routines and for indirect and somewhat circumlocutionary forms of speech. Singapore Colloquial English (SCE) has received rather little attention in terms of politeness research. This paper explores politeness in the Singaporean cultural context and found that, while conventionalized indirectness is practiced in Singapore Standard English, SCE shows a strong preference for a conventionalized lack of explicit politeness and for systematic conversational brevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: The paper examines how pre‐teen Muslim boys and girls from the same classroom and the same madrasah are faced with differing curricula when the time comes for their annual camp. The choice of activities and corresponding narratives within each camp foregrounds the processual nature of identity construction. This article undertakes a linguistic and semiotic analysis of discoursal narratives in the two camps, which take place a week apart, so as to uncover ideological frameworks in the construction of religious identities. A comparative survey of organizational, curriculum and linguistic practices then focuses on how boys and girls are socialized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the historical presence of foreign languages in Lebanon, focusing on language contact from the eighteenth century to date. Through sociolinguistic profiling, the paper describes the users and uses of English, as well as Lebanese attitudes towards English. The article begins by offering a general overview of the country, its languages and cultures, and its ethnic and religious groups. It presents a description of users of English along with a characterization of how the interpersonal, instrumental, regulative, and innovative functions of the language are manifested, while the final section of the article discusses attitudes to English in Lebanese society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds to calls to (i) approach varieties of English as a native (ENL), second (ESL) and foreign (EFL) language in an integrated fashion, and (ii) widen the scope of world Englishes analyses to the Expanding Circle. It describes the development of the Corpus of 'Dutch English', the first Expanding Circle corpus incorporating all text types in the written components of the ICE corpora. This corpus has implications for the description of English in the Netherlands in particular and for the investigation of ESL and EFL varieties in general. The paper then reports on a case study of the progressive aspect in this corpus compared to several ENL and ESL varieties. The results show no strict divide between the ESL varieties and the Corpus of Dutch English, which in fact displayed characteristics of both EFL and ESL. These findings provide further evidence in favour of an ESL-EFL continuum rather than a strict divide between varietal types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The categories 'ESL' and 'EFL' should not be seen as discrete as traditionally assumed but as located on a continuum. Since the traditional categorization as either foreign or second-language English strongly depends on the historical and sociopolitical development of a territory, with postcolonial speech communities normally ascribed ESL status and non-postcolonial speech communities being treated as EFL, recent research has made first attempts for an integrative analysis of such Englishes. Based on the framework of Schneider's Dynamic Model, the paper at hand introduces the model of Extra- and Intra-territorial Forces (EIF model) to meet the aim of a joint approach to those Englishes which have so far mostly been treated independently of each other. Its practical application is demonstrated in reference to the development of English in Namibia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This paper studies the Indian English use of clause-final focus particles also and only in sentences such as 'He doesn't listen only' (ICE-IND) in order to see if this use has spread to Singapore, Philippine or Hong Kong English. The data for these Asian varieties was obtained from the International Corpus of English and the British and American varieties were added for point of reference. Although the main focus of this quantitative study is on the syntactic analysis of the data, some semantic aspects are also discussed. The results suggest that the Indian English way of placing focus particles in a clause-final position could be a local innovation which has today spread to Singapore, Philippine and possibly to Hong Kong English. In addition, the data was analysed for all subcategories of ICE, which reveals that the frequencies for this use correlate positively with the level of informality of the speech situation in all four Asian varieties, whereas the results for British English suggest the opposite. Thus, the results indicate that clause-final focus particles have acquired some additional uses, especially in spoken Indian English, and that these features have now spread to other English varieties spoken in Southeast Asia. The paper suggests that the cause for this can be found from the centuries-old role that India has had as a cultural force in the Southeast Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: This paper offers an insight into variation in subject-verb concord in Ghanaian English. An analysis of authentic data demonstrates that grammatical concord occurs variably in the written language of Ghanaians in the mesolectal through the acrolectal range of educated Ghanaian English. Moreover, the paper shows that the variation is not peculiar to any educational group and that the groups set up in the study differ only in the frequency of occurrence of forms of subject-verb concord. Several types of non-standard subject-verb concord are identified, and each subtype is described and exemplified, and the frequency of occurrence indicated. One type of non-standard usage is confirmed in a questionnaire administered to similar groups of subjects. Finally, the paper discusses factors that may have influenced the variable occurrence of subject-verb concord in the writing of Ghanaians in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first briefly reviews the concept of intelligibility as it has been employed in both English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and world Englishes (WE) research. It then examines the findings of the Lingua Franca Core (LFC), a list of phonological features that empirical research has shown to be important for safeguarding mutual intelligibility between non-native speakers of English. The main point of the paper is to analyse these findings and demonstrate that many of them can be explained if three perspectives (linguistic, psycholinguistic and historical-variationist) are taken. This demonstration aims to increase the explanatory power of the concept of intelligibility by providing some theoretical background. An implication for ELF research is that at the phonological level, internationally intelligible speakers have a large number of features in common, regardless of whether they are non-native speakers or native speakers. An implication for WE research is that taking a variety-based, rather than a features-based, view of phonological variation and its connection with intelligibility is likely to be unhelpful, as intelligibility depends to some extent on the phonological features of individual speakers, rather than on the varieties per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been recently argued that the particles in Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) constitute a grammatical category that actively draws new members to it. Drawing on distributional and collocational evidence, this paper establishes that CSE has a new particle, ya. The paper then proceeds to analyse the discourse pragmatic function of the particle. It shows that a speaker uses the particle ya to (weakly) boost the illocutionary force of a statement, and to also signal that this is a statement that the speaker considers to be uncontroversial in nature. The paper then closes by discussing some observations – from the perspective of grammaticalization and sociolinguistic studies – that are consistent with the relative newness of this particle. Regarding grammaticalization, the paper shows that the particle ya is actually more grammaticalized than affirmative yes/ya. It is by comparison more expressive of the speaker's belief-state or attitude. Regarding sociolinguistics, the paper observes that users of the particle ya seem to be mainly females who are in their late thirties or younger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to study the strategies used by Cameroonians and Nigerians to cope with the notorious complexity of English word stress. Stress placement is similar among these two groups, but differs significantly from what obtains in traditional native English speech, received pronunciation (RP), for example. Some of the stress placement strategies used by Cameroonians and Nigerians, for some words, are the same as those used by RP speakers, while others are parallel and/or completely innovative. In fact, the strategies can be seen as the speakers’ behaviour with regard to a number of internalized rules or constraints. The constraints identified include the backward stress (BWS) and antepenultimate stress (APS) constraints, the reverse forward stress constraint (FWS) more characteristic of CamE/NigE, noun-verb alternation (NVA), final obstruent verbal stress (FOVS), affix stress property (ASP), and many more. For example, in CamE/NigE, the observance of BWS and APS accounts for the stress pattern of ˈassassin, ˈlieutenant, ˈopponent, ˈumbrella; the observance of FWS accounts for carˈton, matˈtress, saˈlad, petˈty; NVA accounts for ˈapplause, ˈextent, ˈsuccess; FOVS accounts for embarˈrass, interˈpret, (verb) kidˈnap; the observance of ASP (which RP violates in this particular case) accounts for spiˈritual. In fact, the paper shows that, in a large number of words, (CamE/NigE) stress placement results from competition between several constraints, in which the winning constraint is often different from what obtains in RP. The approach used in the analyses is eclectic, but draws substantially on generative phonology and somewhat on optimality theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how contact between English and Chinese has resulted in the incorporation of Chinese borrowings into the lexicon of Malaysian English (ME). Using a corpus-based approach, this study analyses a comprehensive range of borrowed features extracted from the Malaysian English Newspaper Corpus (MEN Corpus). Based on the contexts of these features, the specific processes that shape the patterns of changes in ME are deduced. Haugen's analysis of lexical borrowing is employed in the description of the linguistic changes. It is proposed that the preservation of traditional Chinese culture and practices by a multilingual society that maintains a local variety of English has created the stimulus for this type of contact phenomenon. Borrowers are conditioned not only by their need to expand the communicative and expressive powers of English but also by their need to integrate the borrowed features into the linguistic system of the English language. The outcomes of this phenomenon, as represented in the relatively formal genre of newspaper English, are mainly loanwords, compound blends and loan translations, although some inflected and derived forms based on these borrowings are also observed. This paper demonstrates the potential of corpus-based methods in the study of new Englishes from the perspective of contact linguistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of authentic or genuine interactions among Cameroon English speakers reveals that conversational routines in this variety of English differ a good deal from those obtained in other varieties of English, non-native varieties of English inclusive, and more specifically in native varieties of English. This paper looks at ‘thanking responders’ in Cameroon English speech. The examination of real conversational exchanges between many Cameroon English (CamE) speakers and myself between October 2002 and July 2003 demonstrates that speakers of English in Cameroon use a wide array of expressions to acknowledge thanking, ranging from no acknowledgements at all, namely absolute silence, to such expressions as thank you, thank you too, for nothing, mm, yes, all right, ok and so on which are not very common or attested in native varieties of English. In other words, these expressions which are widespread in Cameroon are not heard too often in other varieties of English while speakers acknowledge thanking. Pragmatically, it is suggested that these thanking responders in CamE somewhat reflect the cultural values of Cameroonians who, in addition to English, speak other African local languages in which thanking and thanking responders are not necessarily similar to those in English. From a pedagogical viewpoint, the paper proposes that the native English forms of this aspect of daily interaction be taught to CamE speakers in the event of cross-cultural communication and also strongly advocates that local or Cameroonian forms not be considered substandard but introduced in the school curriculum and accepted as appropriate for the local or regional variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has become the subject of considerable debate during the past few years. What emerges from much of the discussion, however, is that there seems to be a good deal of uncertainty as to what, precisely, ELF actually is, and how it relates to the much more firmly established field of world Englishes (WE). This paper therefore begins with an explanation of my own interpretation of both WE and ELF. It goes on to focus primarily on ELF. First, I examine two frequent and diametrically opposite reactions to ELF: one that it promotes monolithicity and denies pluricentricity, the other that it promotes too much diversity, lack of standards, and an approach in which ‘anything goes’. I then consider the attitudes implicit in the second of these positions, and, using data drawn from recent ELF research, go on to explore the possible effects of these attitudes on the identities of ELF speakers from Expanding Circle countries. The paper ends on an optimistic note, with evidence from participants in the European Union's Erasmus Programme 1 that demonstrates how first-hand experience of ELF communication seems to be raising their awareness of its communicative effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper begins with a discussion of the meaning of ‘interpretability’ and its uses in contemporary disciplines, including linguistics and the area of world Englishes. The term has been defined by Larry Smith and several other researchers in order to make explicit what is meant by ‘intelligibility’, ‘comprehensibility’, and ‘interpretability’ among varieties of English across the world. However, besides referring broadly to ‘context’, there has been little attempt to explicitly outline what elements of context play a role in interpretability. This paper is an initial attempt to define one set of contextual factors that plays a crucial role in interpretability – the set related to culture. Culture is defined in terms relevant to the purposes of the paper, and the cultural factors under focus are explicitly identified. Select examples from various Englishes are presented to show the relevance of such cultural factors for interpretability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests claims concerning the English as Lingua Franca (ELF) movement's position within the world Englishes paradigm. To do so, it considers the writings of Jennifer Jenkins, a leader in this movement, on what she calls “phonological intelligibility”, and the writings of Larry Smith, an established scholar on intelligibility in cross-cultural communication. The mutual intelligibility of Expanding Circle users of English is a primary concern to ELF researchers, and Jenkins has identified Smith's work as the foundation for her investigation of core phonological features to use in pronunciation teaching. The paper aims to determine the extent to which Jenkins' theoretical views on intelligibility correspond to Smith's concept of understanding as a central issue in international communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminology for identifying and describing what counts as a linguistic feature is identified as a problem that prevents an understanding of tense and aspect features in Black South African English (BSAE). In this paper, an alternative set of assumptions is proposed for linguistic analysis of new varieites. Grammar should not be regarded as aprioristic, but rather as emergent. The syntagmatic structure of language in context is highlighted as a more useful starting point for the identification of regularities in the description of a variety such as BSAE. After indicating a number of quantitative trends, a detailed qualitative analysis of three texts is undertaken. The analysis leads to the identification of a number of previously unidentified patterns. The timeless use of the present tense creates idealised and generalised verbal processes, rather than historically and/or contextually situated presentations of events. Aspectual meanings are more salient than temporal sequencing of events relative to one another or to the reference point established by the time of writing, speaking or reading. Spatial grounding in the nominal groups seems more important to the writers/speakers than temporal grounding in the verbal group. The observed patterns show that the use of tense and aspect forms, supported by various lexical selections in the texts, is highly consistent and shows regularity, despite the fact that the data may differ from a Standard English rendition of the same content. The paper concludes that it is misleading to judge the data in terms of other varieties of English, rather than in their own terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) – i.e. between non-native speakers of different nationalities, in situations where no native English speakers are present – has become an important feature of business, diplomacy, education, and personal relationships around the world. Nowhere is this more true than in Northeast Asia, where cultural, economic, and educational interchanges between Korea, Japan, China, and other countries in the region are increasingly conducted in English. This paper discusses an exploratory study on the use of ELF by a small group of university students in Seoul, South Korea, with a focus on the communication strategies used to repair non-understanding between the participants. After summarising findings from previous ELF research, the paper outlines the methodology of the current study, which was conducted by videotaping, transcribing, and analysing interactions in the group, comprising one Mongolian and five Korean participants. The study's findings on the participants' use of repair strategies are then discussed; finally, the paper outlines some tentative conclusions from the study and makes recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on acoustic analysis of African English (AfrE) vowels produced by a controlled sample of speakers from Kenya, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Adopting quantitative methods of data sampling and analysis, and holding dialectal factors as homogeneous as possible, this exploratory study subjects Schmied's (1991a) claim – that a major source of regional variation is the ‘deviation’ in the production of RP central vowel [ ] (as in bird) – to empirical scrutiny. Schmied contends that [ ] backs and lowers to [ ] in West African English, fronts and lowers to [a] or fronts to [e] in East African English, while in (Black) South African English it fronts to [e]. However, analysis of acoustic waveforms of AfrE vowels, produced by educated speakers of Bantu and Kwa languages, partially corroborate Schmied's contention. For instance, Ghanaian and Zimbabwean respondents in this study front the RP vowel [ ] to [e], while Kenyans lower it to [a]. The paper provides a methodological framework that will at least address some research concerns voiced over the years: lack of “objective, systematic study” ( Abdulaziz 1991 : 393), “deficiency in methodology” ( Adegbija 1994 : 53), and “overgeneralization” ( Simo Bobda 2000 : 264). Sustained empirical studies could eventually lead to a fresh perspective on AfrE's phonological variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an examination of the role played by ideology in the research and regulation of ‘English within a globalized context’ (EGC). It analyzes the two major paradigms in this field: that which promotes English as a single, universal code; and that which advocates the need for the acknowledgement of discrete, localized varieties. It explores the linguistic assumptions upon which these are based, as well as the ideological frameworks that assign the particular functions and character to the language within this context, and which, in effect, create the concept of English as a Universal Language. By drawing upon an integrated theory of language ideologies and the linguistic system, the paper outlines the ways in which ideological issues are of fundamental importance for the way that the language both exists and operates within the globalized context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forms X-self and ownself are both found in Colloquial Singapore English (CSE), but they are not synonymous. The question of exactly how their meanings differ is the focus of this paper. Starting with basic assumptions in cognitive linguistics and Clark's principle of contrast, I make use of Langacker's notion of profiling to suggest that X-self profiles the most discourse-prominent entity. That is, it picks out one entity from a group of other possibilities. In contrast, ownself profiles the exclusion of all entities other than the most discourse-prominent one, so that this entity emerges as the only possibility. I close the paper by briefly exploring the implications of the analysis for the theoretical notion of profiling itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines a specific group of English users in Germany: students studying English at the Freie Universität Berlin. The first section outlines the various domains in which these students encounter English in their daily lives, both within and outside university, as they make and maintain intercultural connections. This analysis suggests that, at least among these university students, English-German bilingualism seems to be the norm. The second section of this paper shows how students' proficiency in English plays a role in their creation, or re-creation, of local, national, European and global identities. What is more, in this small community of students, it seems that the ability to use English is intricately tied in with the (re)definition of what it means to be German, or at least an educated, urban German. Although they constitute a small community, these students' uses of and attitudes towards English highlight some general trends of globalization and provide some insights into the evolving role of English in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has shown that the role of English in Finland is now changing. In particular contexts, it is sometimes used as a lingua franca, an intracultural means of communication, and an additional language, along with Finnish. An interesting domain in terms of the spread and changing role of English is also youth language – the focus of the present paper. Approaching youth language from a discourse-analytic and sociolinguistic perspective, this paper investigates an electronic game session, hip-hop lyrics, fan fiction and weblogs. As in youth language in other bi/multilingual speech communities, the paper argues that the uses of English in these Finnish youth language contexts are characterised by appropriation and creativity, and serve as means for constructing identity and communality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines key issues underpinning past research on the intelligibility of L2 speech. While acknowledging the substantial contribution made by intelligibility studies to our understanding of L2 speech and how it is received and perceived, a close reading of the research in this area gives rise to grave misgivings. In particular, there has been a tendency to treat intelligibility with no serious consideration of the context of interaction and the real participants involved. Furthermore, this field of investigation appears to be largely grounded in unequal native/non-native hierarchies, manifested in misconceptions and myths about native and non-native speakers and their speech. With an emphasis on issues of pronunciation, and a focus on the varieties and speakers of the Outer Circle, this paper questions and challenges some of the dominant trends in this field, and concludes by suggesting new ways of defining and investigating intelligibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on China English available seems to focus mostly on the attitudes toward English, the use of English, or the EFL industry in this country. Lexical borrowing as part of nativization has rarely been investigated. This paper presents a data-based analysis of 59 borrowed lexical items as found in 84 articles from two English newspapers in China, including both loanwords and loan translations. On the whole these items do not seem to be in widespread use. Additionally, the findings show that the loanwords tend to be culture-specific lexical items, nonce borrowings, and necessary borrowings. The loan translations may be more foreign than they appear, because of the underlying facets of Chinese culture. Also discussed in the paper are two linguistic factors that may decide if a lexical item may be borrowed as a loanword or a loan translation, as well as the existence of pairs and sets of synonymous loanwords and/or loan translations, found among Chinese-English bilingual communities in and outside China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When English language teachers from Russia join in professional discourse with their counterparts from other countries, they do so in English, using a professional register which is, to a large extent, determined by language teaching theorists and practitioners in Inner Circle countries. This paper examines some of the issues surrounding communication under these circumstances, including a search for an Inner Circle counterpart for a Russian teacher of English, and a consideration of how teachers from the Inner and Expanding Circle must adjust their use of language when they communicate professionally with each other. Throughout the paper there are examples of language teaching terms which can be problematic in such a situation. The paper ends with recognition of the important role that awareness of these issues (among both Inner Circle and Extended Circles teachers) can play in solving them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having joined the Bologna agreement, Russia has taken upon itself the obligation to modernise the system of higher education as well as that of foreign language teacher training and development, and put it into practice by 2010. In order to bring about change, new syllabuses for various pedagogical, teacher training and development programmes, institutions and language pre-service and in-service teacher training courses must be designed. At present there are two approaches to organising teacher training courses for English teachers in Russia: state supported teacher training courses and the alternative programmes organised by charity organisations. The former are run in Russian, the latter in English. Each of the two approaches has its advantages and disadvantages, which are described in this paper. The author argues that a new approach should be an integrated comparative approach based on readings from Russian and English publications, and should take into account the achievements of the national school of thought and new educational trends in English speaking countries. An example of applying this approach to designing teacher training tasks is given in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the status of American English in the Russian scholarly tradition of teaching English as a Foreign Language. The paper considers its influence on Russian values and the resulting intercultural personality transformation vs. the notion of cultural loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is preliminary and exploratory research of the linguistic functions of English in the Republic of Macedonia. Using the theoretical framework proposed by , the functional perspective encompasses several categories that refer to different kinds of language use: instrumental function, which deals with English in education; interpersonal function; and imaginative/innovative function, referring to the creative use of language in literature. Although this last function is represented as characteristic for the Englishes in the outer circle, in this paper it will be used as a way to explain the changes that English and the native language undergo in the process of lexical item nativizations in the expanding circle, as illustrated by . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a sociolinguistic account of the functional range and status of English in Turkey by discussing its role in national education policies as a reflection of governmental acquisition planning, by looking at societal attitudes towards the presence of English in Turkish life, and by examining borrowings from English by the Turkish mass media as examples of unplanned language spread. The paper examines in detail the role of English in different levels of national education, including its role in Turkish academia, as an indication of the status of English in the country. It then discusses societal and individual attitudes towards English and its role in the workplace. Finally, the use of borrowings from English by Turkish mass media is discussed with examples. The paper discusses how English has become yet another divide between the wealthier, educated urban populations and those belonging to other socioeconomic and geographic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When readers fail to relate to the cultural context of writers, gross misunderstanding results. When professional readers whose first language is English fail to enter the discourse of professional literary writers or authors who are bi- or multi-lingual and use English for literary creativity, blame is laid on the writers’‘poor’ linguistic competence. By focusing on a specific instance of the reactions of two eminent Canadian scholars to Rohinton Mistry's literary language, this paper examines relationships of dialect and register and considers the language of Mistry as a socio-semiotic effect. The paper further argues for a pedagogy that builds on a theoretical framework which recognizes that literary language communicates at levels that are syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. The concept of the dignity of the human person – a concept that gets lost in the presence of stereotypes and generalization – while not essentially linguistic or literary is nevertheless an aspect of both disciplines. Any analytical methodology would thus have to consider the structural as well as the ideological makings of (con)text to avoid privileging the ‘norm’ and berating the ‘deviant’. The paper demonstrates how an awareness of dialect and register gives way to critique that is sensitive to the power structures of literary discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a sociolinguistic profile of the English language in Kenya. After a brief description of Kenya, the paper discusses the history of the English language in Kenya, its general presence in Kenya, its users and uses. The attitudes of Kenyans towards the English language, speakers of English and learning English are also discussed. Data used in this paper have been collected from several sources including the internet and newspaper articles and, as this paper shows, English will remain a significant language in Kenya serving various functions such as instrumental functions, interpersonal functions and regulative functions. Although attitudes towards the English language vary, there is a general consensus that English is a useful language especially in terms of bringing about social mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of English in Russia and outline its contemporary status and characteristics. Building on three circles of world Englishes, the paper proposes that English in modern Russia is on the periphery of the Expanding Circle. Although English in Russia has the status of a foreign language with a restricted functional range, it has already expanded into educational, business, and cross-cultural domains. The paper characterizes the users of English and documents how the interpersonal, instrumental, and creative functions are manifested in particular settings. Types of English in Russia such as a Russianized version of Standard English, Reduced English, and Pigeon English are also described. The symbolic function of modernity and prestige is manifested in the use of English in advertising, commercials, and brand names. The study concludes by highlighting the need for additional research to further define this socio-cultural milieu of learning and the use of English in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper re-examines the debate over the emergence of Black South African English (BSAE) as a variety of English that is institutionalized with distinct properties. It focuses on the tense logic in Bantu languages and discourse markers that chiefly account for uniquely BSAE features. Through an in-depth analysis of these linguistic properties, the paper presents fresh angles of reconceptualizing the status of BSAE, which might move the debate to a level that makes sense to the policy-makers and language planners. In the end, I argue for English harmonization in South Africa as a necessary path to empowering the local masses that are otherwise excluded through the orthodox tradition of upholding British Standard English in African classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the evolution of studies of Philippine English phonology over more than three decades, and then goes on to discuss the results of a recent data-based study of the Philippine English accent which, following Llamzon (1997), groups representative speakers of Philippine English into three groups: an acrolect group, a mesolect group, and a basilect group. The results of this research provide a description of distinctive phonological features at the three levels, shared in and between speakers of such groups. Finally the paper concludes by suggesting a number of possible directions for future research, suggesting that future studies of Philippine English phonology will be concerned not so much with making statements about a ‘standard’ Philippine pronunciation, but rather with describing descriptions of a range of accents, differentiated both according to geography (and first language background) and according to social-group membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues for a greater degree of rapprochement between the fields of world Englishes and Contact Linguistics. New Englishes are after all contact varieties, in the broad sense of the term and hold insights for creolistics, just as the latter has much to offer world Englishes research. One of the phases of ‘refurbishing the foundations’ is to pay close attention to the establishment of individual world Englishes. This paper focuses on the ‘input’ to New Englishes from a variety of sources that typically preceded the influence of the classroom. These sources include regional dialects of settlers, sailors' sociolects, soldiers' language and the L2s of many missionaries. The influence of the superstrate is argued to be more influential than previously realised in shaping the grammar of New Englishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black South African English (BSAE) is generally regarded today as the variety of English commonly used by mother-tongue speakers of South Africa's indigenous African languages in areas where English is not the language of the majority. Its roots lie in the history of the teaching of English to the black people of this country, where the role models who teach English are second language learners themselves. To date, BSAE has mainly been studied within an applied linguistic framework with emphasis on its character as a second language which is deviant from standard English. An alternative view is to see it as a variety in its own right, a new or world English (Coetsee Van Rooy and Verhoef, 2000; van der Walt and van Rooy, 2002). As a consequence, a new look at norms is becoming increasingly necessary, so that decisions about learners' language competence can be made in terms of this variety. This paper reports on preliminary analyses of a recently collected corpus of Xhosa English (XE) (a sub-category of BSAE) which consists of naturalistic spoken data, and comprises some 540,000 words of Xhosa English. This large database enables empirical analysis of actual patterns of use in language, making it possible to test earlier speculations which have been based on intuition, and to explore the possibility of systematic differences in the patterns of structure and use in this particular variety. The paper focuses on 20 separate linguistic characteristics, most of which have been previously identified in the literature as being features of BSAE, and analyses each of them in turn, in order to ascertain their usage patterns and frequency of occurrence in the corpus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]