ABSTRACT
Recent research on English language teaching (ELT) takes the pluricentricity of English into account and calls for Global Englishes-informed teaching approaches which move beyond a focus on British and American English (BrE and AmE). In Germany, the development in this direction is still in its infancy. Teachers’ perceptions are crucial in furthering openness to Global Englishes, and the present study aims to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of German future English teachers’ perceptions of Global Englishes. Their attitudes to seven different Englishes in two domains are analyzed by means of a verbal guise test. From the participants’ viewpoint, the pluricentricity of English is marked by inequalities: BrE is at the top of the hierarchy of Englishes, before AmE and their own variety, while other varieties are rated lower. In order to counteract stereotypical views of varieties, using a combination of carefully balanced teaching material and metalinguistic information is suggested.
