33.326, Review: English; Applied Linguistics; Sociolinguistics: Saraceni (2021)

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Subject: 33.326, Review: English; Applied Linguistics; Sociolinguistics: Saraceni (2021)

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Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:47:35
From: Rong Ren [rren11 at asu.edu]
Subject: Bloomsbury World Englishes

 
Discuss this message:
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/32/32-2771.html

EDITOR: Mario  Saraceni
TITLE: Bloomsbury World Englishes
SUBTITLE: Paradigms, Ideologies, Pedagogies
PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury Publishing (formerly The Continuum International Publishing Group)
YEAR: 2021

REVIEWER: Rong Ren, Arizona State University

SUMMARY 

The studies of World Englishes (WE) have been challenged recently. Some
scholars (e.g., Jenkins, 2017) argued that WE only focused on nation-based
English varieties. Meanwhile, some new directions, such as translingualism,
have challenged some perspectives in WE. The book collection - Bloomsbury
World Englishes - candidly responds to those arguments by describing the
facts, recognizing the issues, and indicating the implications in the field of
WE. Overall, this collection has three volumes, which approach the field of
World Englishes from three perspectives: paradigm, ideologies, and pedagogies.
Each volume has a collection of 17 chapters that intend to inform readers of
the ongoing discussions of WE.

The first book volume discusses the current paradigm of WE, which challenges
the traditional paradigm that is national and territorial. To explain how the
new paradigm better fits the situation, this volume is divided into three
parts. Part 1 reflects the established models and methods in WE, containing 5
chapters. The first chapter by Kingsley Bolton overviews the approaches
commonly used by scholars in WE, the strengths and weaknesses of the models
proposed since the 1980s, and the methodologies. It shows the
interdisciplinarity of WE, meanwhile reminding readers that the models
proposed by the scholars are abstract and should not limit our interpretation.
In Chapter 2, Christian Mair first challenges the role of nations in English
expansion by giving some examples of words in the corpus. The author further
lists that economic prosperity, social equality, English as a lingua franca,
technology, and globalization all contribute to the expansion of English.
Chapter 3 by Tamara M. Valentine demonstrates that gender is linked to
pragmatic variation, language attitude and choice, and hybridity. Speakers’
language choices can represent their multiple identities. Meanwhile, Valentine
notes that gender is associated with using linguistic forms in multimedia.
Chapter 4 by Claudia Lange investigates the role of corpora by critically
reviewing the existing studies. Lange states that corpus linguistic studies
positively develop the Dynamic Model Schneider (2007) proposed. She encourages
scholars to explore the indexical meanings associated with linguistic features
while using corpora in the future. The last chapter in this part is written by
Axel Bohmann. He points out the necessities of studying register in WE. Since
register helps explain the linguistic variance, Bohmann proposes a model of
register – ten dimensions of variation development – that helps interpret
individuals’ linguistic varieties.

Part 2 explains the distribution of English from the perspective of language
as a social practice, which includes 4 chapters. This part begins with Chapter
6 by Jerry Won Lee and Suresh Canagarajah. They argue that Translingualism and
WE are not entirely opposed to each other. Instead, they both advocate the
“legitimacy of historically marginalized language practice” (p. 108). The
authors also deem that perspectives in WE and Translingualism compensate for
each other. Chapter 7 by Susanne Mühleisen explains how diasporas impact the
spread of English. By giving an example of the African diaspora in the
Caribbean, Mühleisen explains that many features associated with diasporas,
such as identity and new communications, would move English across borders,
encouraging readers to view WE through diasporic lenses. Chapter 8 by Sender
Dovchin and Rhonda Oliver discloses the relationship between English and
social media. By citing the existing studies, they demonstrate that social
media creates “lingaspaces” (p. 130) for speakers, where they involve diverse
linguistic and semiotic features to express their identity and meanings.
Finally, Chapter 9 by Jinhyun Cho looks at the spread of English in South
Korea under neoliberalism. By analyzing two celebrity English teachers’ online
discourses, Cho points out that English is expanded in South Korea due to the
global economic value, which the traditional territorial paradigm cannot
deconstruct.

Part 3 describes English varieties in contemporary settings, composed of 8
chapters. Chapter 10, written by Sally J. Delgado, explains how Ship English,
a supra-regional usage, is developed historically. By showing how Ship English
is socially evolved and stabilized, the author justifies that English
varieties can be developed in a multicultural and mobile community. Chapter 11
by Sarah Bunin Benor uses an ethnolinguistic repertoire approach to explore
the development of Jewish English in the United States. The author first
reveals the history of the diaspora of Jews and their relationship with
English. Then, she analyzes the linguistic features of Jewish English,
advocating that Jewish English should be one variety in WE. In Chapter 12,
Michael Westphal and Lisa Jansen illustrate how English is used and modified
in global pop music, recognizing the sociolinguistic value carried in pop
music. They denote that pop music enhances Americanization and promotes other
English varieties. Additionally, English is mixed with other languages and
semiotic resources in pop music. Chapter 13 by Sofia Rüdiger first overviews
the English varieties in East Asia. Then Rüdiger focuses on the English used
in Korean pop music. Based on this study, she suggests that future studies
should pay more attention to the variation used in specific communities.
Chapter 14 by Jennifer Dailey-O’Cain draws from the previous study to prove
that people use English online for communicative purposes, suggesting that
scholars should investigate the role and functions of English from the
sociolinguistic perspective. In Chapter 15, Mirka Honkanen looks at Nigerian
digital communication in the United States. By summarizing and describing the
diasporic Nigerians’ online speech, the author finds that Nigerian English
still plays a vital role in Nigerian online communication. Linguistic contact
and speakers’ language awareness influence how they use the language. Chapter
16 by Camille Jacob describes the English in the Maghreb, the area that
includes Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. According to Jacob, the popularity of
English in the Maghreb is associated with personal development and economic
opportunities. Her study directs scholars’ attention to local contexts while
studying different English variations. The last chapter by Dewei Che and Adams
Bodomo recognizes calculator communication, a combination of body language and
basic English and Chinese expressions, as a form of WE. The empirical study
presents calculator communication as a major way for Africans to negotiate
prices in China, arguing for its legitimacy as an essential part of pidgins.

The second book volume presents the common language ideologies and assumptions
of English in the globalized world. Aiming to inform readers of the concurrent
understandings and challenges in the established ideologies, the volume is
organized into four parts. Part 1 reveals the theoretical understanding of
global English (GE), composed of 5 chapters. The first chapter by Alastair
Pennycook provides many real-life examples to show that English is entangled
with society, culture, politics, and the economy. Therefore, the author
suggests that scholars should consider the role of those factors while
analyzing the use of English. Chapter 2 by John P. O’Regan focuses on the
history between the sixteenth centuryand the twentieth century, presenting how
capital accumulation intertwines with the dominance of English historically.
By analyzing the language used in Morocco, Chapter 3, written by Ahmed Kabel,
suggests that scholars should delink English from coloniality and promote
pluriversalingualism to embrace multilingual repertoires and build a
decolonial community. In Chapter 4, Joseph Sung-Yul Park and Lionel Wee point
out that English is commodified under neoliberalism. They present several
domains of the commodification of language and some relevant issues worth
further investigation. Chapter 5 by Ryuko Kubota examines the gaps between
scholarly works on linguistic plurality and people’s real-life beliefs by
giving Japan as an example. Kubota proposes that scholars should further
explore how to engage the multi-orientation in the real world by considering
people from diverse backgrounds.

Part 2, which contains 4 chapters, unpacks different ideologies of English.
Chapter 6 is authored by Adrian Holliday. Through a bottom-up angle, Holliday
suggests that scholars should look at small instances to explore the
relationship between English and culture, understanding the ideologies in WE.
Chapter 7 by Jerry Won Lee and Christopher Jenks reviews the interplay between
WE, identity, and ideology. They indicate that scholars should interpret
different layers of the same discourse through the lens of heteroglossia, an
approach that “describe[s] the multiplicity of discourse styles present within
a single utterance” (p. 120). Chapter 8 by Peter De Costa, Curtis Green-Eneix,
Wendy Li, and Hima Rawal examines some prevalent ideologies in the Teaching of
English as a Second Language (TESOL), bringing racialization into readers’
awareness. Chapter 9 by Sender Dovchin, Rhonda Oliver, and Jaya Dantas
examines how translingual practices influence one’s mental health among
several Mongolian immigrant women in Australia. They highlight that
translingual practices represent not only creativity and playfulness but also
speakers’ struggles and well-being.

Part 3, which is composed of 4 chapters, addresses the ideological pluralities
of English. Chapter 10 by Usree Bhattacharya and Ajit K. Mohanty discusses the
English ideology and policy in India, showing that the plurality of English
ideologies is accounted for colonization, politics, and the values brought by
English nowadays. This study also presents people’s ambivalent attitudes to
English in India. Chapter 11 is written by Nathan John Albury. From a folk
linguistic perspective, he presents some local examples in Malaysia and New
Zealand to show that the status of English is challenged. Albury advocates
that the shift of global dominance will influence English’s economic and
cultural currency. Chapter 12 by Rachele Lawton provides a narrative and an
analysis of the U.S. English-only movement. Using a critical discursive
approach, Lawton demonstrates that English plays a significant role in
unifying the nation and discriminates against the immigrants and their
languages. The next chapter by Paula Szundy analyzed the ideologies reflected
by the Brazilian National Common Core Curriculum. The author denotes that this
curriculum decontextualizes the English skills under neoliberalism, suggesting
that scholars should embed a more comprehensive English as a Lingua Franca
ideology in the curriculum.     

Part 4 focuses on the local politics of GE, which includes 4 chapters. This
part starts with Chapter 14 by Eva Codó. By conducting ethnographic interviews
among two schools in Spain, the author finds that two schools have different
ideologies influenced by different factors, for example, social classes and
individuals’ experiences. Chapter 15 by Brook Bolander investigates “erasure”
in the use of English among multilingual speakers in Northern Pakistan and
Eastern Tajikistan. “Erasure” refers to the simplification of activities or
issues. By looking at “erasures,” the researcher reveals a situation where
English is promoted and coexists with the local languages. Funie Hsu also
looks at the use of language in the local environment in Chapter 16. In this
study, Hsu analyzes the Mandarin-English bilingualism in Taiwain, showing that
English carries essential political and economic values for Taiwan. The last
chapter by Indika Liyanage and Tony Walker examines the ideologies presented
by the shaming practices in Kiribati. They conclude that linguistic shame
derives from language policy, local culture, and traditions, thus proposing
that we accommodate English learning and usage based on the local contexts.

The last book volume focuses on different pedagogies related to WE. This
volume is organized into four parts. Part 1 introduces the general principles
in the pedagogies of WE, which is composed of 5 chapters. The first chapter by
Christopher J. Hall calls for a new theoretical initiative in teacher
education – teacher education about English for global learners (TEEGL). Based
on the previous work on language ontology for ELT, the author summarizes six
principles to guide the implementation of TEEGL, suggesting that ontological
reflection should be incorporated in teacher education. Chapter 2 is written
by Dustin Crowther. By reviewing both SLA theories and pedagogical research in
GE, the author proposes that more empirical studies related to pedagogies in
GE should examine students’ language development in the future. Chapter 3 by
Seran Doğançay-Aktuna and Joel Hardman shed light on the shift from the
monolithic norms to the plurilithic norms in TESOL. By reviewing the previous
literature and examining student-teachers’ reflections, they note that
scholars and educators need to move from conceptualizing the GE perspectives
to implementing them in the classrooms. The following two chapters both
discuss teaching materials in GE. Chapter 4 by Paola Vettorel addresses that
the published ELT materials can be developed into WE- and English as a Lingua
Franca (ELF)-aware activities, which can be rather practical and realistic.
Chapter 5 by Mona Syrbe and Heath Rose introduces some real-world materials to
the classroom: online resources. By first addressing the elements of material
design, the authors provide several examples to show how online resources can
be used in the WE classroom.
 
Part 2 focuses on the discussions on native-speakerism, which contains 4
chapters. Chapter 6 by Nicola Galloway discusses the issues brought by
native-speakerism, creating the need for global English language teaching
(GELT). The author calls for different stakeholders’ attention regarding
curriculum design, urging them to involve the perspectives of GELT in
curriculum innovation. Chapter 7 by Ali Fuad Selvi and Bedrettin Yazan deems
that “native English speaker teacher” and “nonnative English speaker teacher”
cannot accurately present GE teacher identities. By unpacking what teachers
need to know from the perspectives of GE, the authors highlight the importance
of aligning teacher education programs with the sociolinguistic realities of
English usage. Chapter 8 by is written by Aya Matsuda. In this chapter, she
first explains the issues of native English speakers (NES). To solve these
issues, she proposes Teaching English as an International Language (Matsuda,
2012) to encourage educators to think about different types of English users
and their proficiencies. Chapter 9 by Robert J. Lowe and Marek Kiczkowiak
suggests adopting ELF-aware pedagogy to tackle the problems caused by
native-speakerism. To make the proposal more practical, they explain how to
implement this pedagogy in teacher training and classrooms, suggesting that
more critical discussions among teachers and between teachers and students
should be facilitated.
 
Part 3, containing 4 chapters, focuses on English as a medium of instruction
(EMI). Chapter 10 by Kumiko Murata presents a case study in a Japanese higher
education context. She shows that an EMI course that focuses on ELF and WE as
a subject could raise students’ awareness of ELF and WE. In Chapter 11, Fan
Fang and Will Baker call for a GE-oriented critical pedagogy in ELT, which
would prepare students for EMI and develop their intercultural citizenship. By
reviewing extensive literature, they also address the benefits of implementing
this pedagogy in real life. Chapter 12 is written by Dilek İnal, Yasemin
Bayyurt, and Feza Kerestecioğlu. They conduct a study on EMI in Turkish
universities, exploring the stakeholders’ demands and challenges. The study
shows that although all stakeholders agree with the benefits of EMI, they
encounter different challenges, which summarizes that the new language
policies should be grounded in ELF. In Chapter 13, James D’Angelo reports his
own experience and reflections on implementing content-based EMI classes in a
Japanese university, proposing that scholars should work within the
institutions to reform EMI.
 
Part 4, which includes 4 chapters, focuses on pedagogies in specific contexts.
Chapter 14 by Enric Llurda and Guzman Mancho-Barés reveals three case studies
that focus on three different situations where WE and ELF impact teaching,
which provides successful examples for higher education in the expanding
circle countries. Therefore, they suggest embracing multilingualism and NESs’
performance in EMI. Chapter 15 is written by Sávio Siqueira and Telma Gimenez.
By reviewing Paulo Freire’s educational vision in critical pedagogy, the
authors demonstrate that Freire’s viewpoints on ELF should be applied in ELT
in Brazil. They believe that ELF-aware pedagogy could address English
varieties and their uses in the local context, which the government normative
curriculum should adopt. In Chapter 16, Claudia Gutiérrez, Janeth Ortiz, and
Jaime Usma describe their experience implementing an English course for
Colombian Afro-descendant and indigenous students. This course brings many
benefits to students’ identities and language awareness, creating a successful
example for language educators. In the last chapter, Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu
indicates that EMI is favored by inherited colonial language policies in
Africa, which marginalizes Africa’s heritage language education. Therefore, he
suggests that to develop heritage language education, we should utilize
“Prestige Planning” (p. 283) to increase economic values for the heritage
languages to encourage more people.

EVALUATION 

These three volumes are organized in a clear and logical order, bringing many
inspirations to the scholars in WE and educators interested in this field.
There are several main strengths observed from these volumes. First, each
volume has a clear focus. And the chapters in each part of the book fit with
each other, making the entire book volumes coherent. Taking the first volume
as an example, the first part of the book lays a theoretical foundation for
readers by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the frameworks in WE.
The chapters in the second part introduce some postcolonial frameworks and
perspectives in WE, allowing readers to have a comprehensive understanding of
the current discussions in this field. To further showcase how those
frameworks and perspectives are applied in research, some empirical studies
are collected in the last part of the book. Similar to the first volume, the
other two volumes are organized logically as well, guiding readers to
understand the primary focus step by step.

Another major strength of these three volumes is that they propose many
pioneering and meaningful studies, predicting some exciting directions for the
studies in WE. For example, the chapter by Jerry Won Lee and Suresh
Canagarajah in the first volume identifies the convergence and differences
between WE and Translingualism, building up a bridge between these two
orientations. Their research enables future scholars to add dynamics to WE and
develop pedagogies in Translingualism. Another example comes from the chapter
written by Nathan John Albury in the second volume. He straightforwardly shows
the audience that English status is not as stable as people thought. Some
other languages have started to join the global stage due to their
socio-economic and cultural currencies. This study opens the conversation on
how language ideologies evolve over time. Therefore, readers can see how WE
studies are contextualized in the current sociolinguistic context and research
situation, which helps them further the studies in WE.

In addition to that, this collection also provides meaningful pedagogies and
conceptualizations that can be applied in English language teaching (ELT),
which addresses pedagogies at the micro and macro levels. For example, in WE
and ELF, one of the issues is the lack of teaching materials focusing on other
nonnative English varieties (Galloway & Rose, 2015; Si, 2019). The third
volume touches this topic by offering a new direction - incorporating the
established ELT materials and some online sources in ELT. The authors list
detailed plans regarding how to involve those sources in classroom teaching,
which provides possible solutions for teachers. Meanwhile, some conceptual
ideas proposed by this collection play a significant role in teaching
practices, such as GELT, “ELF-aware” pedagogy, and GE-oriented critical
pedagogy. These pedagogies guide scholars and educators to develop specific
teaching practices that fit different real-life contexts.  

There are also some issues that should not be ignored in these three volumes.
The first issue is that the boundary between WE and ELF is blurred. Scholars
in these three volumes reach the agreement that some English varieties can be
generated beyond nations, thus carrying the feature of superdiversity. For
example, Sally J. Delgado introduces Ship English, and Dewei Che and Adams
Bodomo bring up calculator communication. However, this perspective happens to
echo the second phase of ELF proposed by Jenkins (2017). In her work, Jenkins
proposed that the second phase of ELF should look at the language shared by
speakers across different first languages. English could be used
supranationally depending on the community of practice (Wenger, 1998).
Comparing with that perspective, we can see that the superdiversity of WE
proposed in these three volumes become less distinctive from the perspectives
proposed by ELF. However, scholars in these volumes have not yet identified
the distinctions which need more research in the future. Meanwhile, although
the titles of the volumes are fairly general, they may not be the optimal
readings for people who are new to the field of WE. For example, while
reviewing the current paradigms of WE in the first volume, scholars had many
critical and constructive critiques. However, if readers do not have relative
background knowledge regarding the approaches and models in WE, it might be
challenging for them to fully follow the authors’ arguments.

In a nutshell, the three volumes of Bloomsbury World Englishes are well
written and carefully structured, bringing great significance to the field of
WE and GE. It contains plentiful critical literature reviews and empirical
studies, helping readers fully understand the topic and see how speakers make
language choices. I would highly recommend these three volumes to scholars who
want to have an in-depth understanding of WE and push this field forward and
educators who want to create more effective teaching practices related to WE,
GE, and ELF.

REFERENCES 

Dovchi, Sender & Oliver, Rhonda. 2021. English and social media: Tranlingual
Englishes, identities and linguascapes. In Britta Schneider & Theresa Heyd
(eds.), Bloomsbury World Englishes: Paradigms, 128 – 142. New York:
Bloomsbury. 

Galloway, Nicole & Rose, Heath. 2015. Introducing Global Englishes. New York:
Routledge. 

Jenkins, Jennifer. 2017. ELF and WE: Competing or complementing paradigms?. In
Ee Ling Low & Anne Pakir (eds.), World Englishes: Rethinking Paradigms, 52 –
68. New York: Routledge. 

Lee, Jerry Won & Canagarajah, Suresh. 2021. Translingualism and World
Englishes. In Britta Schneider & Theresa Heyd (eds.), Bloomsbury World
Englishes: Paradigms, 99 – 113. New York: Bloomsbury.

Lee, Jerry Won & Jenks, Christopher. 2021. Ideology, identity and World
Englishes: Toward a heteroglossic framework. In Rani Rubdy & Ruanni Tupas
(eds.), Bloomsbury World Englishes: Ideologies, 114 – 127. New York:
Bloomsbury. 

Matsuda, Aya (ed.). 2012. Principles and Practices of Teaching English as an
International Language. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 

Kamwangamalu, Nkonko M. 2021. English-medium instruction and heritage language
development in Africa. In Yasemin Bayyurt (ed.), Bloomsbury World Englishes:
Pedagogies, 275 – 286. New York: Bloomsbury.

Schneider, Edgar. 2007. Postcolonial English: Varieties around the World.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Si, Jinghui. 2019. English as a lingual franca: A new approach for English
language teaching in China?. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics 42(1). 113
– 135. 

Wenger, Etienne. 1998. Communities of Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Rong Ren is a Ph.D. candidate in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from
Arizona State University. Her research interests lie in World Englishes, L2
English speakers' self-perception, and TESOL.





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