Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Notes on Contributors
- 1 World Englishes: An Introduction
- Part I The Making of Englishes
- Part II World Englishes Old and New
- Part III Linguistics and World Englishes
- Part IV Current Challenges
- 25 Norms and Standards in World Englishes
- 26 Identity and Indexicality in the Study of World Englishes
- 27 The Politics of World Englishes
- 28 World Englishes in the Media
- 29 World Englishes and Transnationalism
- Index
- References
27 - The Politics of World Englishes
from Part IV - Current Challenges
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 December 2019
- The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Tables
- Notes on Contributors
- 1 World Englishes: An Introduction
- Part I The Making of Englishes
- Part II World Englishes Old and New
- Part III Linguistics and World Englishes
- Part IV Current Challenges
- 25 Norms and Standards in World Englishes
- 26 Identity and Indexicality in the Study of World Englishes
- 27 The Politics of World Englishes
- 28 World Englishes in the Media
- 29 World Englishes and Transnationalism
- Index
- References
Summary
Language is inherently political – the way we use it and the way we talk about it. In the field of World Englishes (WEs), the political character of language and language practice is particularly evident. Originating from 1960s and 1970s debates on the necessity (or not) of recognizing the validity of varieties other than British and American English, the egalitarian stance in the WEs paradigm is inherently political. Similarly, the positions of those who express more critical views with respect to the presence and uses of English(es) in the world are political, too. This chapter provides an overview of the intrinsically political nature of much of the discussions and debates that have unfolded about WEs and, in general, English as a global language over the years. It highlights the centrality of (in)equality in such contentions and concludes by observing how any argument in this regard is intimately embedded in, and cannot transcend, the analysis of the conditions of great social and economic inequality that characterize the world today.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of World Englishes , pp. 633 - 651Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
References
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