ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we argue that Standard Language Ideology is at play in the German ELT classroom and that teachers lack the sociolinguistic knowledge to question this ideology. Instead they replicate and perpetuate it. However, teaching Global Englishes topics such as Indian or Nigerian English in school can only be successful if teachers are able to question their own prejudices about varieties of English. We propose several strategies to overcome Standard Language Ideology in the ELT classroom: (1) Understanding the different meanings of ‘grammar’; (2) Discussing language variation and prejudices in German to understand these processes in English; (3) Introducing the concept of Standard English, its development and the role of prescriptivism; (4) Questioning English as fixed entity or variety; (5) Pointing out that the right/wrong dichotomy does not capture linguistic complexity; (6) Raising awareness of language as a means of systemic racism; (7) Questioning the role and form of assessment; (8) Incorporating the teaching persona as multiplicator of sociolinguistic awareness.
