Exploring Linguistic Diversity through World Englishes

Abstract

United States. In fact, the United States is facing increased cultural and linguistic diversity in various social settings. According to the US Census Bureau, the percentage of foreign-born people in the United States doubled between 1970 and 1995 from 4.8 percent to 8.7 percent, and millions of people are nonnative speakers of who use other languages in their homes and personal lives (LippiGreen 220). These facts imply that middle and high school students need to prepare themselves for a more linguistically diverse environment. In fact, many schools in the US enroll limited proficient students (or, to use a better term, English language learners) who have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, many colleges and universities hire international teaching assistants who speak different varieties of English, and many workplaces are staffed with individuals who do not speak fluently. In such a diverse community, students need to develop an awareness of different varieties of English, positive attitudes toward diversity, and a willingness to engage in intercultural communication. They need to tolerate, respect, and affirm cultural and linguistic differences and take communicative responsibility as participants in cross-cultural interactions. These needs echo an increased demand for multicultural education in our diversified society. An language arts class can be a forum for putting multicultural education into practice through addressing issues of WE and intercultural communication.