Introducing English as an International Language in the Inner-Circle Classroom: Exploring World Englishes

With a background in the teaching of Spanish in the US and the teaching of English abroad, the authors had spent a great deal of time contemplating both linguistic diversity and the internationalization of college campuses. Considering that we found ourselves studying TESOL and had an opportunity to design our own English language course for international students in the Linguistics Department, we decided that tackling some of these issues as part of the course would be an intriguing challenge. Thus, using the knowledge we had gained through our international experiences, we organized a World Englishes course around the discussion of the concentric circles of English (Kachru, 1985), moving from inner-, to outer-, to expanding-circle Englishes with a focus on phonology, positioning, and the expansion of English. Throughout the course we aimed to explore student perceptions of the native-speaker model and inner-circle privilege by means of critical writing reflections, an exit questionnaire on English as an international language (EIL) opinions, and a pre- and posttest on accent recognition. With what we learned through teaching this course, we hope to inform and encourage EIL pedagogical design, specifically in inner-circle contexts in which the internationalization of English teaching has only recently taken hold.