English seems to be becoming the global language as a result of the massive socio-economic, cultural, and technological changes that have been struggled over since the 1950s. For teachers of English to speakers of other languages and for those involved in the education of such teachers, trying to understand the changes brought by the globalization, commodification, and technologization of English language teaching (ELT) is a major challenge in itself. Given the acceleration in language extinction and knowledge death, developing principled responses to these changes is ridden with significant complications and dangers. Appropriating English explores challenging possibilities for teachers and teacher educators in the transnational ELT market, providing a basis for informing and mobilizing innovations in the business of teaching English language and literacy to speakers of other languages. While the demand for English grows, its effects on other peoples, their languages, and their knowledge are not always positive. Appropriating English adds to the calls for a paradigmatic innovation in the ELT industry. Michael Singh, Peter Kell, and Ambigapathy Pandian offer a new perspective for reinventing the project of globalizing English that situates it within a framework of risk analysis and provides workpoints for making use of multivocal, hybridized Englishes and new digital technologies to help sustain the linguistic diversity of humanity.
About the Author: The Authors: Michael Singh is Professor of Language and Culture, Chair of Language and International Studies, and Foundation Director of the Globalization and Cultural Diversity Research Forum at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He conceptualized RMIT's innovative and distinctive bachelors degrees in English language studies and international studies in terms of the cultural processes of globalization and localization. Having undertaken studies of curriculum and professional development in global education as well as universities' responses to indigenous people's interests, Professor Singh's current research focuses on the multilingual knowledge economy and sustainability of linguistic diversity, the uses of international education and training, and the continuing problem of White Australian politics.
Associate Professor Peter Kell is Head of the Department of Industry, Professional and Adult Education at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include the transnational education market and the globalization of vocational education.
Ambigapathy Pandian is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Universiti Sains Malaysia. He received his Ph.D. in English studies from the National University of Malaysia. In addition to writing and editing books on English and literacy, he has contributed articles in professional journals and a chapter in The Politics and Machinations of Educational Research (S. McGinty, ed., Peter Lang, 2001).