Asian Englishes: Changing Perspectives in a Globalised World

Abstract

The world has become increasingly globalised and, with English at its vanguard, globalisation has provided many new opportunities as well as challenges for the English language teaching profession in recent years. Among these are the emergence of several new Englishes, particularly in the Asia-Pacific context, and the implications for learners and teachers as well as course material designers, curriculum developers, and policy makers in the region and beyond. The current status, roles, functions and manifestations of the English language in these diverse settings have thus assumed great academic significance and warranted much professional attention and interest. Therefore, Asian Englishes: Changing Perspectives in a Globalised World seeks to explore issues pertaining generally to the problems and possibilities concerning the teaching, learning and use of English in a globalised world. Edited by scholars in the field of global/world Englishes, this is a collection of articles that covers a wide range of research interests from linguistic features, cultural, ethical, political, and identity issues, to pedagogical implications and applications, all within a highly coherent overall framework. Part I deals with Varieties of Asian Englishes, and comprises five papers that focus on the distinctive linguistic features of different varieties of English including the English of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and China. The four papers in Part II focus on issues relating to Language, Culture and Identity, both at the micro- and macro-levels. The next four papers in Part III, relating specifically to Description and Application, focus on the need to equip students in the effective use of English for meaningful communication in both everyday situations as well as in meeting the specific demands and rigours of academic and professional communication. The final three papers in Part IV reflect on the theme of Innovation and Pedagogy. This volume documents a sampling of the dynamic nature of Englishes in a variety of Asian contexts and domains of language use. The aim is to re-invigorate thinking on the spread and use of English in Asia from a range of perspectives.