Standard English or World English: Finding the Best Way to Teach English
Acknowledging global English varieties can empower students and reflect their identities. (📷:empowervmedia) E nglish has become a truly global language, but that also brings a big teaching question: which English should we teach? English is spoken all around the world and has official or special status in over 80 countries . Naturally, there are many regional varieties (British English, American English, Australian English, Indian English, and more). As Cambridge linguist Eline Laperre puts it, “there is not just one Standard English: there are several” . In other words, even the idea of a single “Standard English” is misleading. The choice of which variety to focus on also shapes learners’ sense of identity: language ties closely to community and culture . Instructors today must decide whether to teach a traditional native-speaker norm (like “Standard British” or “General American”) or to acknowledge the full spectrum of World Englishes (or how to combine both appro...