World Englishes: A Critical Analysis

Winner of the BAAL Book Prize 2016

The field of "World Englishes" takes on ever more importance in the modern era. Mario Saraceni's World Englishes: A Critical Analysis looks at the developments in the field from a critical perspective. It examines the historical, linguistic, ideological and pedagogical aspects in the study of the ever-evolving forms, roles and statuses of English around the world. The principal aim is to offer a critical overview of the field in order both to inform readers about the main issues at stake and to challenge established positions and descriptive/analytical paradigms.

The book has four sections, each of which reviews established accounts and offers alternative perspectives on those. "History+? considers representations of the evolution of 'old English' and 'new Englishes' and begins to unveil the strong link between conventional accounts and ideological motivations. "Language+? critically examines the traditional notion of 'difference' in the description of varieties of English, and discusses more recent orientations which aim to describe English as a lingua franca and the phenomenon of language hybridity. "Ideology+? examines ideological debates around the presence and status of English in the world, such as linguistic imperialism, language ownership and language ecology. The final section, "Pedagogy+? discusses pedagogical implications, such as the choice of appropriate 'models' of English and considers the possibility of teaching English as a fully de-anglicised language.