Commonalities and Conflation of Global Englishes and Translanguaging for Equitable English Language Education

Abstract

This conceptual paper aims to review some commonalities between two paradigms: Global Englishes and translanguaging. It does so by considering the postcolonial varieties of English, the challenge of native speakerism ideology and the inclusion of multiple discursive practices in classroom discourse. This paper argues that both paradigms should be recognised and incorporated into current English language education. It further asserts the need to regard the two paradigms as complementary but possibly conflated in future English language education. If the notion of Global Englishes aims to incorporate some issues in English language education, including linguistic imperialism, language policy and planning, translanguaging brings that aspiration into classroom discourse. Both policy makers and language practitioners should recognise the commonalities of Global Englishes and translanguaging to be conflated in current English language education. This paper discusses some proposals for how these two paradigms can be incorporated into English language education from the perspectives of 1) critical pedagogy in applied linguistics and 2) decolonising pedagogy for the inclusion of minority/indigenous languages in language education. This paper concludes that English language education, as well as language education in general, has the multilingual and translinguistic opportunity to promote diversity and inclusion of language use. The field of teaching English as a second/foreign/additional language should address the need for diversity and inclusion in language education from the perspective of Global Englishes and translanguaging not as lip service but by implementing these proposals into practice.