THE COMPREHENSIBILITY OF THREE VARIETIES OF ENGLISH FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SEVEN COUNTRIES1

Abstract

Nonnative English speakers are almost always tested on their comprehension ability by listening to native speakers and answering questions based on what they have heard. Their comprehension of other nonnative speakers is seldom if ever tested. Nonnative speakers, however, do not limit their use of English to native speakers alone. Indeed they are increasingly using English with other nonnative speakers as well. The functional use of the term comprehensibility must therefore be broadened to include the evaluation of native and nonnative speakers. This paper reports the results of a study to test the comprehensibility of one native and two nonnative varieties of English with native and nonnative users of English in seven countries.