ABSTRACT
This chapter explores language and power by considering the use of Englishes around the world. It is important to note that we use the term in the plural form (Englishes, not English). While there have been some efforts to identify a single variety of English, which would be known as ‘global English’ and capable of functioning as an international ‘lingua franca’, linguists don’t believe there is one variety of English that could or should be labelled as ‘global English’. There are, nevertheless, strong opinions among non-linguists about which variety of English used around the world should be called ‘global English’ or a ‘lingua franca’. This chapter explores what different perceptions of global English mean and how society negotiates these ideologies.
