World Englishes at the Grassroots

Explores the growth of Englishes in a range of multilingual contexts

Cutting edge case studies draw on spoken data from Uganda, Zanzibar, South Africa, Bahrain, China, Bangladesh, Germany, Italy and the UK
Focuses on the speakers and the uses of English at the grassroots
Examines ethical aspects of pursuing research involving vulnerable communities
includes an introduction by Christiane Meierkord and Edgar W. Schneider which defines and delineates the topic, contextualizes it in existing research and theory and discusses its sociolinguistic implications

English as a second and foreign language is increasingly used at the grassroots level, by individuals coming from disadvantaged backgrounds with often little or no access to formal education, in business and in contexts outside of international organisations, education and academia. Bringing together an international range of contributors, this book explores face-to-face uses of English in a range of grassroots multilingual contexts.

Divided into three parts, the book explores the spread of English in former areas of British domination including Africa and the East, in trade and work migration, and in forced migration by refugees. The chapters present cutting edge case studies which draw on spoken data from Uganda, South Africa, Bahrain, China, Bangladesh, Germany, Italy and the UK. In doing so the book presents an empirical basis for the further study and modelling of world Englishes. It examines the scope for integrating Englishes at the grassroots into existing models of English and explores relations between notions of hybrid languages, translanguaging, polylanguaging and world Englishes.