What's in a Name? Global Englishes—An Umbrella Term to Address Silo Mentality or a Misunderstood Paradigm Reinforcing Silos?

Abstract

In this article, I explore growing scholarship in various sub‐fields of Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition (SLA) that explore the use of English in an increasingly globalized and multilingual world. With different, yet overlapping, conceptual frameworks to guide research, scholarship in various fields provide a growing evidence base on the need for change in TESOL curricula to better reflect the global use of English, and other languages, in an ever‐increasingly globalized world. I explore the introduction of Global Englishes (GE), an umbrella term and inclusive paradigm that was introduced to unite scholarship across the fields of World Englishes (WE), English as an International Language (EIL), English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), and to draw parallels with translanguaging and multilingualism. I provide clarity on the introduction of this broader paradigm, which aimed to unite such scholarship into a comprehensible framework to guide and facilitate a paradigm shift in TESOL curricula away from outdated “native” English norms. I end with a call to focus less on terminology and for scholars to work flexibly across academic boundaries to connect scholarship, particularly when it has a shared goal of achieving a more equitable English language education.