Modelling world Englishes for the twenty‐first century
Abstract
Abstract It is almost 40 years since Braj Kachru developed his Three Circles Model for world Englishes as a framework for exploring the ways in which English exists around the world. This article examines how the model holds up in light both of advances in applied linguistics and shifts in geopolitics over the past four decades and, in response to these changes, considers how we may wish to refine or reconfigure aspects of this model for the twenty‐first century. The article illustrates the discussion with reference to an exploration of the concept of ‘China English’ as this exists today within the broader context of world Englishes.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Multilingual Education and Policy
EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
Linguistic Variation and Morphology
Publication details
- Journal / source
- World Englishes
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 219–231
- Publication date
- 7 January 2026
- Language
- EN