World Englishes and ESL/EFL Pedagogy

After the expansion of English through all over the world, varieties of "world Englishes" emerged. Those "Englishes" are differ in terms of pronunciation, because the speakers of these "Englishes" have different mother tongues which affect their "Englishes". This trend projects a new problematic issue in English learning field:

Should the target be "standard English" (English uttered from native speakers)? Or are "World Englishes" acceptable for the goal for pronunciation? Should they be a goal or a norm?



In the last blog post, I summarized a study related to this topic, which shows that EFL learners are positive to accept their accents (or their type of "English") as long as they can communicate with others through their English.

However hard we try to discard prejudice on "world Englishes" and to accept those varieties, however, there still remain some perceptional differences on "standard English" and varieties of "Englishes". There is an interesting video about this issue. Let's see how your impression on the guy changes between the beginning and the end of this video.

Honestly speaking, my impression on this guy changed after he showed his English without any accent. I did not (or tried not to) have any bad impression on his English with accent, but I got more positive impression after he revealed the secret.

I have to admit that there are still something in my mind that makes me feel that "standard English" is better than other "Englishes", even though I try to be neutral on them. And, there are many people who have the "uh-oh" feeling toward these varieties.

Why so?
Is it because America, the largest English speaking country, has the strongest economical, political and military impact on the world? Can it not be replaced to other varieties? What are the roles of "standard English" in pedagogic context?



My consideration on this issue in pedagogical field is that EFL/ESL teachers should set native English as a model, but should also accept the varieties depending on their pronunciation ability.
Additionally, teachers need to lead learners to a certain level so that they can make themselves understood in their own "Englishes". In other word, teachers need to help learners make their "Englishes" part of their identities. Only after they earn confidence on their "Englishes" through communication, can they create their own identities with the English, and these will help them accept their own and others' "Englishes" without feeling much inferiority. These identities will enable them to speak out confidently in this globalized world, even under "uh-oh" situation.