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english or English? Attitudes, Local Varieties and English Language Teaching
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John Norrish
Languages in Education Institute of Education,
University of London
<j.norrish@ioe.ac.uk>
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Abstract
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This article discusses the issues surrounding the phenomenon of Local (or "Nativised") Varieties of English, those developments which take place characteristically in ex-colonial territories where forms of the ex-colonial language have evolved and developed in their own right independently of their metropolitan sources. As they evolve, the issue of their acceptability often arises, and their use in classrooms will frequently cause misgivings. Add to this the relatively common occurrence of "code- switching" and the teacher who works in such an evolving linguistic scene is faced with decisions not only as to which language, but also which version or variety to use. Examples of local varieties are examined and their pervasiveness and usefulness is discussed. Finally a call for policy to support teachers' practices in classrooms, complex both linguistically and socio-politically, is made.
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Keywords:English varieties, code-switching, EFL
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