The future of Englishes: going local

Abstract

To clarify the developing diversity of English in terms of both linguistic theory & the empirical basis of theories of language change, notions of language family, hybrids, new Englishes, & world standards are examined with particular focus on their implications for change in English pedagogy. The crucial role of a political basis in the establishment of a language variety as a distinct named entity is stressed in reviewing the status of Ebonics & Scots, & grammatical & lexical English-Malay hybrids exemplify linguistic continua that are novel only in their present rapid emergence worldwide. The eventual development of a World Standard Spoken English to match the current World Standard Printed English is predicted in a future multidialectal world characterized by the existence of separate regional, national, & international dialects of English in many idiolects. Increasingly, learners of English as a second language must be prepared for both a world standard of intelligibility in communication & a staggering diversity of actual English usage to which they will unavoidably be exposed.