Varieties of modern English and teaching English as a foreign language

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VARIETIES OF MODERN ENGLISH AND
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Dang Thi Quynh Trang, Bui Hoai Huong
Department of Academic Foundations, International School,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Abstract: As many variations of English have been emerged, learners of English are
likely to be exposed to different varieties of English besides what is called “standard
English”. Thus, scholars who are interested in English language teaching (ELT) have
raised the issues of which varieties should be taken into consideration. This article
provides a thorough insight into the presence of varieties of modern English and its
effects on ELT.
Keywords: varieties of English, English language teaching, World Englishes.
Received 19 November 2019
Accepted for publication 20 December 2019
Email:

1. INTRODUCTION
The terms “English as a world language”, “English as a global language” or “English
as an international language” can be used interchangeably [8]. English as a global language
is used interchangeably with English as a world language in this essay to refer to a
language that has gained a global significance when it has a special role recognized by
every country [3]. Crystal [3] claimed that in order for a language to gain a global standing,
having a large number of native speakers is insufficient: instead, it has to be used in other
countries. Considering this criterion, English is well-qualified to be a global language as
there are nearly 1.5 billion people speaking English as a second or foreign language while
there are only around 400 million native speakers according to Crystal [3].

2. EXPLANATIONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES
OF ENGLISH
Undoubtedly, there are many varieties of English around the world such as American
English. British English and Indian English. Seargeant [7] defines a variety “as a
recognisable system of linguistic features which are associated with a community of


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speakers or with a particular social context”. Bauer in [1] stated that “variety” can be used
to refer to a language, a dialect, an idiolect or an accent. In other words, “variety” is a
neutral term used to refer to any form of language whether it is determined by geography,
social class or context.The reasons why varieties of English evolved can be traced back to
the two diasporas of English, the first one referring to the migration of around 25000
people from England to America and Australia, the second one referring to the colonisation
in Asia and Africa [10]. Varieties of English evolved from the first diaspora arc called
“new Englishes” and those evolved from the second one arc called “New Englishes”, “new
Englishes” resulted from the mixing of dialects among people settling in these areas, or the
influence of languages of indigenous population [10]. As in the case of Australia and New
Zealand, the situation is described as “koincization”. Koineization is the process of
“mixing and subsequent leveling of features of varieties which arc similar enough to be
mutually intelligible, such as regional or social dialects” [9]. After discovered by James
Cook in 1770, Australia was occupied by around 160,000 convicts from Britain and
Ireland and then by a large number of settlers who originated in many parts of the United
Kingdom such as London, south-west England, Lancashire. Scotland, and Ireland [10],
“Koineization” or “dialect-mixing” occurred as a result. This situation was then affected by
aboriginal languages. The similar situation happened in New Zealand there were large
numbers of immigrants coming from various regions such as Britain, Australia, Ireland and

the United Kingdom. “New Englishes” emerged when students were taught by non-native
teachers whose English was different from those of native teachers. These students had
much exposure to the language for several years while they were using it for a number of
purposes [10]. Second, varieties of English emerged as the result of language contact, that
is, people of different languages come into contact. “Linguistic variation and change is the
result of many factors, but one of the most influential factors is the degree of contact with
speakers from different language backgrounds or speakers of a different dialect.” [4].

3. EFFECTS ON ELT
The proficiency of native speakers has been considered a standard to assess the
proficiency of second language learners as Cenoz & Genesee [2] claimed, ‘bilinguals, in
and outside the school, are usually evaluated against ‘monolingual’ competence in their
non-native languages. In fact, it has been recorded that the goal of English teaching in
many nations has been what is considered native varieties, namely British or American
varieties [10]. This leads to the prevalent priority towards native teachers in many
countries such as Japan, Kuwait and Qatar [4]. However, this view has been challenged by
McKay [4] as many bilinguals do not consider native-like proficiency as their goal of
learning English. They consider English as the key to access a large amount of information
available in English and as a means of global communication, in which native-like


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proficiency is not necessary. Therefore, the new goal for teaching English as an
international language should be to promote intelligibility and comity among users [6].
Since English is increasingly being used in multilingual societies [4] and the number of
people using English as a second or foreign language outnumbered those speaking English
as their first language, learners are more likely to be exposed to different varieties in their

workplace. Thus, an awareness of different varieties of English should be raised in
classrooms. Besides, the wide use of native focused content in English language teaching
textbooks needs to be reconsidered because of the diverse contexts where English is
spoken [6].

4. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
In summary, varieties of English result from the wide spread of English because of
migration and colonisation and later because of the language contact among countries. This
development of different varieties of English should lead to profound change in English
language curriculum and attitudes. As many varieties of English emerge, new goals and
approaches of teaching English need to be more tailored to learners’ needs and teaching
materials need to be conceptualized. In terms of language content, there should be less
focus on what is so-called standard English, the English spoken by native American or
British countries. More varieties should be emphasized or at least mentioned in English
programmes in order to raise students’ awareness as they are likely to encounter other
varieties of English such as Indian English and Korean English when they enter the labour
market. The problem with students who are primarily exposed to American English and
British English pronunciation is that they find it difficult to understand an Indian or a
Chinese speaking English. The focus should be switched from standard English to
communicative skills. Apart from language content, the content of reading texts and
listening scripts need to be conceptualized instead of focusing on what is going on in the
nations where English is spoken as the first language. Additionally, in the author’s opinion,
the signature of British such as Big Ben and London Eyes should be omitted from English
textbooks as English is now considered as an international language, a common language
for cultural, economic and politic exchange rather than a particular language of a specific
country. Last but not least, the rise of varieties of English has changed the attitude of
learners towards other varieties of English than standard English. People who speak non
standard English now gain more respect. What matters is not the language they speak, but
the message they deliver. By helping English as a Foreign Language learners understand
this, teachers can promote students’ self-confidence and motivation to use English outside

educational institution. The author personally believe that this rise of varieties of English is
a positive trend towards teaching and learning English as a second or foreign language.


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REFERENCES
1.

Bauer, L. (2003), An Introduction to International Varieties of English, - Hong Kong: Hong
Kong University Press.

2.

Cenoz, J., & Genesee, F. (Eds) (1998), Beyond bilingualism: Multilingualism and multilingual
education, - Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

3.

Crystal, D. (2012), English as a Global Language (2nd ed.), - Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.

4.

Galloway. N. & Rose, H. (2015), Introducing Global Englishes, - New York: Routledge.

5.

Matsuda. A. & Friedrich, P (2012), “Selecting an Instructional Variety for an EIL
Curriculum”. In A. Matsuda (Ed), Principles and Practices of Teaching English as an
International Language. - Bristol: Multilingual Matters, pp. 27-38.

6.

McKay. S.L. (2002), Teaching English as an International Language, - Oxford: Oxford
University Press.

7.

Seargeant. P. (2012), Exploring World Englishes Language in a Global Context, - New York:
Routledge.

8.

Seidlhofer. B. (2003), A concept of International English and related issues: from 'real
English' to 'realistic English'?, - Council of Europe,

9.

Siegel, J. (2001), Koine formation and creole genesis. In N. Smith and T. Veenstra (eds).
Creolization and Contact, - Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp.175-197.

10. Jenkins, J. (2003), World Englishes: A resource book for students, - Psychology Press.

CÁC BIẾN THỂ CỦA TIẾNG ANH VÀ VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY
TIẾNG ANH NHƯ MỘT NGOẠI NGỮ
Tóm tắt: Khi nhiều biến thể của tiếng Anh đã xuất hiện, người học tiếng Anh có khả năng
tiếp xúc với nhiều loại tiếng Anh khác nhau bên cạnh tiếng Anh được gọi là “Tiếng Anh

chuẩn”. Vì vậy, các học giả quan tâm đến lĩnh vực giảng dạy tiếng Anh (ELT) đã đặt ra
câu hỏi về sự ảnh hưởng của nó tới việc giảng dạy ngoại ngữ. Bài viết này cung cấp một
cái nhìn sâu sắc về sự hiện diện của các biến thể tiếng Anh hiện đại và ảnh hưởng của nó
đối với ELT.
Keywords: Các biến thể của tiếng Anh, giảng dạy tiếng Anh, tiếng Anh như một ngoại ngữ.