Why China English should stand alongside British, American, and the other ‘world Englishes’

Datos Bibliográficos

ID20356784
AutoresHU XIAO QIONG (China Three Gorges University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2004
Volumen20
Número2
Páginas26-33
Fecha de publicación2004-04-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEnglish Today (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0266-0784 • E-ISSN: 1474-0567
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0266078404002056
OpenAlexW2022667212
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas61
Referencias citadas3

ENGLISH as the world's lingua franca has become a focus of attention for many scholars. Since China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), the motivation to learn English has dramatically increased. This paper questions the need for English in China to conform to any of the existing standard varieties, arguing that this objective is both undesirable and virtually unattainable, especially in respect to pronunciation, and that Chinese learners should therefore be learning ‘China English’. In an investigation with over 1,200 Chinese students at her university, the writer discovered that the vast majority had never heard of either World English or China English, believing instead that proficiency in standard American or British English should be their goal. She proposes both a reorientation of English language learning in China and a radical revision of the materials used there for both practical and cultural reasons

American English · China · English as a lingua franca · Lingua franca · Linguistics · Political science · Pronunciation · Sociology · Standard English · Varieties of English · World Englishes · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · History · Law · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology · Second Language Learning and Teaching