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Book Review Reflection: World Englishes: The Local Lives of a Global Language by Bertus van Rooy
05/23/2025
Michelle Skowbo
Noemí Castelo Veiga, Soondeuk Lowney, and Kara MacDonald
Introduction
The authors came to know the book World Englishes: The Local Lives of a Global Language by Bertus van Rooy through two different online reading groups organized by friends and colleagues this past winter. The book examines the social, historical, and linguistic forces that have contributed to the development of various English varieties worldwide. Online commentary boasted it offered a comprehensive exploration of how English has evolved from a colonial tool to a dynamic global language, shaped by diverse local contexts.
The three authors came to read the book with distinct backgrounds: social education, language assessment and teacher training. Two authors were exploring the topic of world Englishes (i.e., English as an international language and related topics) for the first time, and one author was familiar with the field of study. Their professional area of expertise and academic experiences informed not only their views and discussions of the book, but also their contribution to the discussion around world Englishes.
Within Edinburgh University Press Language and Linguistics, there is a series of approximately eighteen books in which van Rooy’s book is situated. Books in the series address key themes in the study of the English language. Van Rooy’s book is labeled as an Advanced book in the series, but so are the other books listed in the series, which makes sense as the topic within linguistics and English language study are highly specific (e.g., The History of English Spelling) and would appeal to individuals with a base level foundational knowledge.
The Book’s Key Themes and Structure
Global Spread and Local Adaptation describes the spread of English across continents, adapting to local cultures and languages, resulting in distinct varieties of English.
Historical Perspectives describes the experiences of English settlers, indigenous populations, and enslaved peoples.
Sociolinguistic Dynamics describes how English serves as a tool for communication among global citizens, migrants, and digital netizens.
Ethical and Political Considerations describes English as a dominant global language, and questions around linguistic justice, language rights, and English as global language.
Future Directions describes possibilities for the future of English, considering ongoing social processes and technological advancements.
Author Reflections
The first two reflections are brief and take a more academic, yet personal, summary of the book and its value on the authors/field. The third is a longer reflective essay of the value of the book.
Noemí Castelo Veiga
My point of reference is not linguistics, but education, specifically social education. Therefore, although the book has been somewhat repetitive in some chapters, this has not represented a negative point for me as a reader with little knowledge of the subject matter. Through its pages I have been able to learn how English has been spread in the world as a mother tongue, second language, and foreign language (inner, outer and expanding circles), with particular attention to the social forces that contribute(d) to shaping its language use, contact, acquisition, and attitudes. At the same time, reading it has helped me to increase my awareness of ethical issues, both of the past history of forced acculturation and of the present history of English as the dominant language of international communication. Undoubtedly, the contents discussed in this book have practical implications for teachers, educators, and linguists, although the examples could have been enriched by the author's own empirical input through questionnaires, interviews, and/or other research tools.
Kara MacDonald
While I found the book somewhat repetitive across chapters, as a means to revisit aspects of global Englishes I appreciated the discussion on how English and the resulting varieties were shaped by the experiences of colonial settlers, which also impacted the experiences of indigenous peoples and enslaved communities. These interactions, without judgement, contributed to the development of new forms and meaning negotiation, which as a linguistic and language educator are both interesting and serve practical purposes. The book also offered me a critical look at English as a dominant global language, highlighting important issues of linguistic justice and language rights. However, in Van Rooy’s final reflection on how social and technological changes may continue to influence English in the future, I didn’t find much to serve me as a linguist, teacher trainer and educator.
Soondeuk Lowney
I had heard of World Englishes before, but it wasn’t on my radar until I joined a 2025 winter book club. I’m involved in Korean as a foreign language education in the U.S., and my American colleague works in foreign language teacher training, also in the U.S. The rest of the members are engaged in English as a foreign language education in South Korea—and they are not Korean. Our “intersection” is that we are all engaged in foreign language education—but in different contexts.
When I learned the book club would explore World Englishes, I was immediately intrigued. I had heard of the concept but had never studied it deeply. I’ve long been interested in the interaction between languages, especially how English has influenced Korean.
One of the most impactful concepts for me was Kachru’s Three Circles model, which challenged the idea of English as a single global standard. Instead, it presented English as a diverse set of localized varieties, each with its own legitimacy. I also found the discussion of different types of colonization—particularly exploitation colonization—thought-provoking. Learning how English was imposed and institutionalized in places like India made me reflect more critically on language, power, and pedagogy.
As a Korean, I was especially interested in how English has influenced modern Korean—not just in vocabulary, but also in education, media, and social norms. English words and expressions have become increasingly common in everyday Korean, especially in business, fashion, technology, and pop culture. I’m often surprised by how naturally they appear in Korean dramas and variety shows—for example, the English abbreviation “TMI” (“too much information”), which is now widely used in Korean to describe trivial or unnecessary details. Many of these borrowed expressions are adapted in uniquely Korean ways, often referred to as “Korean English” or “Konglish.” While this reflects Korea’s global engagement and the symbolic power of English, it also raises concerns about linguistic purity and potential generational communication gaps.
Given my work in curriculum and assessment development for Korean language education, I began to ask myself: Should Korean English—or Konglish—be included in instructional materials, since it reflects the real, contemporary Korean context? If so, how much should be included? Or should we take a more conservative approach and focus only on “pure” Korean? In this context, what does “authentic material” mean when Korean English is part of the linguistic landscape? These questions don’t have easy answers—they depend on context, purpose, and learners’ needs.
Overall, World Englishes expanded my understanding of English as a dynamic, global language. It also encouraged me to reflect on how language education—whether in English or Korean—can be more inclusive and context-sensitive. In that sense, World Englishes gave me “homework” I’ll be working on for a long time.
Conclusion
World Englishes may not address the topics and issues around global varieties of English as in depth as some other texts on the topic, but it does address the historical, social, political and ethical dimensions of the development of and existence of varying Englishes, which is informative for those new to the topic as well as those familiar with the field of study. The book, however, is likely most suitable for those who have no or little background on the topic. Nonetheless, it does offer thoughtful reflections.
Michelle Skowbo
World Englishes: The Local Lives of a Global Language by Bertus van Rooy
Noemí Castelo Veiga, Soondeuk Lowney, and Kara MacDonald
Introduction
The authors came to know the book World Englishes: The Local Lives of a Global Language by Bertus van Rooy through two different online reading groups organized by friends and colleagues this past winter. The book examines the social, historical, and linguistic forces that have contributed to the development of various English varieties worldwide. Online commentary boasted it offered a comprehensive exploration of how English has evolved from a colonial tool to a dynamic global language, shaped by diverse local contexts.
The three authors came to read the book with distinct backgrounds: social education, language assessment and teacher training. Two authors were exploring the topic of world Englishes (i.e., English as an international language and related topics) for the first time, and one author was familiar with the field of study. Their professional area of expertise and academic experiences informed not only their views and discussions of the book, but also their contribution to the discussion around world Englishes.
Within Edinburgh University Press Language and Linguistics, there is a series of approximately eighteen books in which van Rooy’s book is situated. Books in the series address key themes in the study of the English language. Van Rooy’s book is labeled as an Advanced book in the series, but so are the other books listed in the series, which makes sense as the topic within linguistics and English language study are highly specific (e.g., The History of English Spelling) and would appeal to individuals with a base level foundational knowledge.
The Book’s Key Themes and Structure
Global Spread and Local Adaptation describes the spread of English across continents, adapting to local cultures and languages, resulting in distinct varieties of English.
Historical Perspectives describes the experiences of English settlers, indigenous populations, and enslaved peoples.
Sociolinguistic Dynamics describes how English serves as a tool for communication among global citizens, migrants, and digital netizens.
Ethical and Political Considerations describes English as a dominant global language, and questions around linguistic justice, language rights, and English as global language.
Future Directions describes possibilities for the future of English, considering ongoing social processes and technological advancements.
Author Reflections
The first two reflections are brief and take a more academic, yet personal, summary of the book and its value on the authors/field. The third is a longer reflective essay of the value of the book.
Noemí Castelo Veiga
My point of reference is not linguistics, but education, specifically social education. Therefore, although the book has been somewhat repetitive in some chapters, this has not represented a negative point for me as a reader with little knowledge of the subject matter. Through its pages I have been able to learn how English has been spread in the world as a mother tongue, second language, and foreign language (inner, outer and expanding circles), with particular attention to the social forces that contribute(d) to shaping its language use, contact, acquisition, and attitudes. At the same time, reading it has helped me to increase my awareness of ethical issues, both of the past history of forced acculturation and of the present history of English as the dominant language of international communication. Undoubtedly, the contents discussed in this book have practical implications for teachers, educators, and linguists, although the examples could have been enriched by the author's own empirical input through questionnaires, interviews, and/or other research tools.
Kara MacDonald
While I found the book somewhat repetitive across chapters, as a means to revisit aspects of global Englishes I appreciated the discussion on how English and the resulting varieties were shaped by the experiences of colonial settlers, which also impacted the experiences of indigenous peoples and enslaved communities. These interactions, without judgement, contributed to the development of new forms and meaning negotiation, which as a linguistic and language educator are both interesting and serve practical purposes. The book also offered me a critical look at English as a dominant global language, highlighting important issues of linguistic justice and language rights. However, in Van Rooy’s final reflection on how social and technological changes may continue to influence English in the future, I didn’t find much to serve me as a linguist, teacher trainer and educator.
Soondeuk Lowney
I had heard of World Englishes before, but it wasn’t on my radar until I joined a 2025 winter book club. I’m involved in Korean as a foreign language education in the U.S., and my American colleague works in foreign language teacher training, also in the U.S. The rest of the members are engaged in English as a foreign language education in South Korea—and they are not Korean. Our “intersection” is that we are all engaged in foreign language education—but in different contexts.
When I learned the book club would explore World Englishes, I was immediately intrigued. I had heard of the concept but had never studied it deeply. I’ve long been interested in the interaction between languages, especially how English has influenced Korean.
One of the most impactful concepts for me was Kachru’s Three Circles model, which challenged the idea of English as a single global standard. Instead, it presented English as a diverse set of localized varieties, each with its own legitimacy. I also found the discussion of different types of colonization—particularly exploitation colonization—thought-provoking. Learning how English was imposed and institutionalized in places like India made me reflect more critically on language, power, and pedagogy.
As a Korean, I was especially interested in how English has influenced modern Korean—not just in vocabulary, but also in education, media, and social norms. English words and expressions have become increasingly common in everyday Korean, especially in business, fashion, technology, and pop culture. I’m often surprised by how naturally they appear in Korean dramas and variety shows—for example, the English abbreviation “TMI” (“too much information”), which is now widely used in Korean to describe trivial or unnecessary details. Many of these borrowed expressions are adapted in uniquely Korean ways, often referred to as “Korean English” or “Konglish.” While this reflects Korea’s global engagement and the symbolic power of English, it also raises concerns about linguistic purity and potential generational communication gaps.
Given my work in curriculum and assessment development for Korean language education, I began to ask myself: Should Korean English—or Konglish—be included in instructional materials, since it reflects the real, contemporary Korean context? If so, how much should be included? Or should we take a more conservative approach and focus only on “pure” Korean? In this context, what does “authentic material” mean when Korean English is part of the linguistic landscape? These questions don’t have easy answers—they depend on context, purpose, and learners’ needs.
Overall, World Englishes expanded my understanding of English as a dynamic, global language. It also encouraged me to reflect on how language education—whether in English or Korean—can be more inclusive and context-sensitive. In that sense, World Englishes gave me “homework” I’ll be working on for a long time.
Conclusion
World Englishes may not address the topics and issues around global varieties of English as in depth as some other texts on the topic, but it does address the historical, social, political and ethical dimensions of the development of and existence of varying Englishes, which is informative for those new to the topic as well as those familiar with the field of study. The book, however, is likely most suitable for those who have no or little background on the topic. Nonetheless, it does offer thoughtful reflections.