The Handbook of World Englishes, 2nd Edition

38World Englishes and Pedagogy

AYA MATSUDA

1 Introduction

World Englishes (WE) studies from the past several decades have shed light on the “messiness” of the English language today, including the diversity in forms, users, and uses of the language. This new awareness complicates the way we theorize and teach –from English language to linguistics to literature to intercultural communication.

The goal of this chapter is to explore how insights from the current WE research inform, challenge, and enrich our pedagogical practices. The primary focus of this chapter is on English language teaching (ELT), a field which is dominated by the monolithic view of English but has witnessed in recent years the increasing amount of attention given to the diversity of Englishes and its implication for theory and practices. The chapter explores how some ELT specialists envision the preparation of future users of English and what pedagogical innovations have been suggested in order to incorporate the WE perspective into their practices. The chapter also briefly touches upon a course about world Englishes. Such a course may be situated in various intellectual communities and offer opportunities for students from all Circles to develop awareness and sensitivity toward diversity found in today’s “English‐speaking world” as well as the intercultural communication competence that is critical for the globalized world.

2 WE‐informed ELT

The sociolinguistic reality of English which emerges from WE ...