Functional Variations in English

Book excerpt: This volume is a compilation of 21 distinguished chapters, an Introduction, and an Afterword with a thematic focus on the functional variations of English in non-native contexts. Highly acclaimed scholars in the field of (applied) linguistics, bringing their expertise from the core areas of general linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, cognitive linguistics, educational linguistics, and stylistics, address the ways in which English language varies in different contexts. The contributions carefully examine the variations, the complexities and the concerns arising thereof, and explore the resultant pedagogical implications. The volume, in this respect, contributes to an informed process for policy decisions, curriculum design, material development, and most importantly classroom practices based on the ability, feasibility and desirability of English for the users, as a step towards nurturing globally-minded, globally-competent, and globally-functioning individuals. Taking the deliberations through and beyond Kachru’s world Englishes model of three circles, this book is an attempt to: See what the users of English ‘do’ or ‘do not do’ with the language, rather than ‘where’ they come from Create a flexible mindset to enable acceptance and respect for linguistic variations in English usage Promote practical abilities for language and ‘communication management’ Facilitate informed pedagogical practices based on global realities