Inner-CircleUK, USA, AU, NZ, etc. 380 million speakers

Outer-CircleIndia, Nigeria, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Tanzania, Kenya, non-Anglophone South Africa and Canada, etc. 150–300 million speakers

Expanding CircleChina, Russia, Japan, most of Europe, Korea, Egypt, Indonesia, etc. Up to one billion speakers.

“Three Circles of English”Braj Kachru

Inner circle: 'norm-providing'. English language norms are developed in these countries.

Outer circle: 'norm-developing'.

Expanding circle: 'norm-dependent’These countries rely on standards set by native speakers in the inner circle.

“Three Circles of English”Braj Kachru

Numerically speaking, English is increasingly becoming the language of non-native speakers.

The language’s center of gravity is likely to shift in the direction of the non-native speakers.

A paradigm shift on the way?

Language distribution Native speaker-coded forms and meanings transmitted into new environments. adoption & conformity

Language spreadthe language spreads on its own, and changes along the way. adaptation & nonconformity

Throughout history, most people have learned a foreign language because they have been interested in the associated culture, and/or have lived in a society dominated by its native speakers.

This no longer holds true for the vast majority of people learning English. Their main purpose is to make themselves understood internationally. Most interactions in which English is used as a foreign or second language take place without the presence of native speakers.

A few CELOP students weigh in…

American English Global English

Want to study in USA; Want to communicate assimilate American accent with people all over the

world, not only AmericansNow living in America; mainlyinterested in communicating In home country, many with American people Englishes are spoken; no

particular emphasis isEasy to learn, thanks to: given to American English.- movies & other media- straightforward speaking English a means to certain styleinformation that bears no

specific relationship to its America is #1 native speakers or their

culture.

English as a “means language”

Example from 17th – 19th century Japan

Dutch was studied as a means of gaining knowledge in technology and science.

Description of a microscope the 1787 book, Sayings of the Dutch, Japan’s first treatise on Western anatomy

When examining Global English, we see great heterogeneity because speakers are strongly influenced by the grammatical, lexical and pronunciation patterns of their respective mother tongues.

How much should we seek to homogenize that heterogeneity according to American standards?

Should the global shift away from native speaker standards and toward a more functional and international one influence the way we teach?

Do native speakers still ‘own’ English?