English as a Global Language and the Issue of International Intelligibility

Abstract

The present paper argues that, with the coming of age of English as a global language, with many new varieties taking root in different parts of the world, and with English being used more and more as a tool of communication among people who speak English as a second or foreign language, we should look at the issue of “international intelligibility” not from the viewpoint of speakers of traditional (or “old”) varieties of English, but from a truly international perspective. For purposes of teaching, the most pragmatic approach is to accept the local variety of English as a legitimate basis to build on, and to teach our learners sounds or features not found in it only where they are truly important for international intelligibility — as indicated by the functional value and frequency of the sound or feature in question, balanced against the difficulty and appropriateness of such a sound or feature for our learners.