World Englishes, English as a lingua franca, and literature

Abstract

The English literary canon was long understood to be the epitome of anglophone literary production, and in turn a source of “authentic” language in second-language teacher education (SLTE). As English has become a global intercultural communicative tool, speakers of other languages have started to influence it. If native speakers no longer solely own English, then they have also lost the exclusive ownership of anglophone literature(s). This chapter reviews the existing research into literary creativity in global/world Englishes and focuses on the implications of such developments for the selection of works in SLTE/language-teacher training programs. A broader definition of the English canon is proposed which would also include literary works marked by multilingualisms and transculturalism, thus mirroring the current major usage of English: as a lingua franca.