1st Edition

International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts Towards a Socially Sensitive EIL Pedagogy

    228 Pages
    by Routledge

    228 Pages
    by Routledge

    Present-day globalization, migration, and the spread of English have resulted in a great diversity of social and educational contexts in which English learning is taking place. A basic assumption of this book is that because English is an international language, effective pedagogical decisions cannot be made without giving special attention to the many varied contexts in which English is taught and learned. Its unique value is the combination of three strands – globalization, sociolinguistics, and English as an international language – in one focused volume specifically designed for language teachers, providing explicit links between sociolinguistic concepts and language pedagogy.

    International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts:

    • fully recognizes the relationship between social context and language teaching
    • describes the social and sociolinguistic factors that affect the teaching and learning of English
    • examines how the social context is influential in determining which languages are promoted in schools and society and how these languages are taught
    • is unique in directly relating basic constructs in sociolinguistics to English language teaching
    • features case studies that illustrate the diversity of English teaching contexts

    Directed to a wide TESOL and applied linguistics professional readership, this text will be particularly useful and effective for pre-service and in-service professional development in TESOL for K-12 and higher education levels.

    @contents: Selected Contents

    Table of Contents

    Chapter One: English in an Era of Globalization

    Chapter Two: Social Contexts for EIL Learning

    Chapter Three: Multilingual Societies

    Chapter Four: Language Planning and Policy

    Chapter Five: Linguistic Variation and Standards

    Chapter Six: Interactional Sociolinguistics

    Chapter Seven: Towards a Socially Sensitive EIL Pedagogy

    Biography

    Sandra Lee McKay is Professor of English at San Francisco State University, United States.

    Wendy D. Bokhorst-Heng is Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education, Center for Research in Pedagogy and Practice, Singapore.

    "...this book provides a valuable resource on the current sociolinguistic contexts in which English is learned as an international language...This text is particularly useful and effective for pre-service and in-service professional development in the TESOL field."--Education Review

    "Although this book is directed to "teachers of English whose students will be using English for international purposes" (p. xi), it may appeal to a much wider audience. In addition to TESOL professionals, sociolinguists and applied linguists may find many of the issues raised in this book pertinent...this book can be used in professional development as a valuable resource on EIL for pre-service and in-service teachers of English worldwide."--TESL-EJ

    "This book meticulously tackles many complex issues in the influence of social context on English learning and use. Particularly, the work provides a rich portrait of English language teaching and use in different contexts...The work is highly recommended for language policy makers, language researchers and language educators because it facilitates how we consider a better policy, research design, and teaching methodology."--Education Review

    "The book is a welcome addition for the applied linguistics community as well as for the comparative education community, not only because of its readability but also because of its relevance to current trends in language-in-education policy and planning in an age of globalization."--Comparative Education Review

    "…addresses a timely and attention-getting topic with expertise and perspective. There is both engagement with theoretical issues and an exploration of specific cases from all continents of the globe….. This book is a clear choice for courses in the TESOL master’s program at my institution, which prepares both U.S. and international TESOL teachers. A particular virtue is the clarity of the writing style for non-native English speaking readers."--Nancy Hornberger, University of Pennsylvania

    "…a substantive, well-organized, and authoritative volume…. Its appearance is timely indeed, as researchers, employers, school boards and ministries of education around the world are grappling with the implications of English as a global language."--David Nunan, University of Hong Kong

    "The links to language planning, policy, and pedagogy make this a very valuable book that will be of great interest to many people involved in ELT around the world."--Christina Higgins, University of Hawaii at Manoa