Prescriptivism and the English language in Southeast Asia

The issue of English language prescriptivism in Southeast Asia is both complex and interesting, given that the countries in the region have had significantly different histories with the language, mainly owing to their contact with colonialism or lack thereof. This chapter examines prescriptivism in Southeast Asia through the lens of three influential approaches to World Englishes: the Three Circles Model, the Dynamic Model, and the English as a Lingua Franca project, and shows that these approaches are not entirely compatible with describing various prescriptive practices. The chapter concludes by suggesting that it may be useful to treat prescriptivism as a form of language management.