Bernan, Rashid Alahdin

Caray, John Lou

Mendoza, Mark

Himoi title Mamark and Rushid

In a multitude of contexts, including global commerce, sports, social media, tourism, and
academics, English is utilized as a universal language to communicate across borders and seas.
The number of people across the world who use English has substantially increased. According
to Crystal (2002), there could be two billion English speakers worldwide. There are varieties of
English spoken around the world due to the global adoption of the language. English is not only
one variety but has wide varieties, each one influenced by local tongues.

As it is claimed, "World English (WE) belongs to everyone who speaks it, yet it is
nobody's mother tongue." (Rajagopalan, 2004). This means that English belongs to everyone
who uses it. As a result, English has become "World Englishes," each with its distinctive traits.
To group the English-speaking world, Kachru (1985) divided "World Englishes" into three
concentric circles: the Inner Circle, the Outer Circle, and the Expanding Circle. While doing this,
he focused on the historical context of English, the status of the language, and its functions in
various regions. According to Kachru, the Inner Circle includes the Native English-speaking
countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Netherlands, Australia,
and Canada. The Outer Circle consists of the former colonies and countries that use English as
their second language such as India, Africa, the Philippines, Singapore, and Nigeria. finally,
Expanding Circle includes countries such as Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, and Turkey, which are
affected by Western and where English is becoming an essential language in business, science,
technology, and education. The three circles "represent the types of spread, the pattern of
acquisition, and the functional allocation of English diverse cultural contexts"(Jenkins, 2015).
These three circles indicate that a number of people speak English, even though they do not use
English as their first language. About 80% of the world's English users are non-native speakers.
This implies that most interactions in English today frequently occur in multilingual and
multicultural settings between non-native speakers.
 Kachru's model speaks so much about how English as a means of communication must
not be standardized; instead, people should embrace its diversity. Accordingly, there are three
functions in every language. It is a means of communication, it represents the identity of the
people, and finally, it represents culture. As long as these functions are achieved, the language
itself is worth existing. Variations exist in grammar, words, and pronunciation. All these
variations reflect the culture where the English language is being used. Neither is superior nor
inferior.

References
Crystal, D. (2002). English as a global language (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Jenkins, J. (2015). Global englishes: a resource book for students (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Kachru, B. B. (1985).‘Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language
in the outer circle.’ In R. Quirk & H. Widdowson (eds), English in the World: Teaching
and Learning the Language and Literatures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rajagopalan, K. (2004). The concept of ‘World English’and its implications for ELT. ELT
Journal, Volume 58/2. Oxford University Press.