World Englishes at the Grassroots

Christiane Meierkord holds the Chair of English Linguistics at the Ruhr-University of Bochum.

The first book to examine the growth of Englishes in grassroots contextsHaving emerged as the most widespread global language, English now has substantially more second and foreign-language speakers than native speakers. Long associated with an 'educated elite', including academics, politicians and business professionals, English is now increasingly spreading at the grassroots of societies, among speakers with limited access to formal education - a process which is becoming increasingly visible and influential.
Bringing together an international roster of contributors, this book explores uses of English in a variety of grassroots multilingual contexts; drawing on a diverse range of experiences, such as motorcycle taxi drivers, market vendors, cleaners, hotel staff, tour guides, migrant domestic workers, refugees and asylum seekers.
Divided into three parts, the book explores the spread of English in former areas of British domination including Africa and the East, in trade and work migration, and in forced migration by refugees. The chapters present cutting edge case studies which draw on spoken data from Bahrainis, South Africans, Tanzanians, Ugandans, Bangladeshis in the Middle East, Italians in the UK, Indians in the US, and Nigerians and Syrians in Germany.
This important and innovative volume presents a first documentation of world Englishes at the grassroots of societies and an empirical basis for their further study and for the theorising of world Englishes by integrating Englishes at the grassroots into existing models of English.

Key Features:

. the first volume to focus on non-elitist speakers and uses of English around the globe and to assess the theoretical significance of this important sociopolitical aspect of the spread of English
. presents case studies based on data from a wide range of countries and continents
. employs a variety of data types, including authentic face-to-face interactions, interviews and media representations
. examines ethical aspects of pursuing research involving marginalised and vulnerable communities

Christiane Meierkord holds the Chair of English Linguistics at the Ruhr-University of Bochum, investigating intra- and international uses of English as a lingua franca, which she models as Interactions across Englishes.

Edgar W. Schneider is Emeritus Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Regensburg, Germany, known in the field of World Englishes primarily as the originator of the "Dynamic Model" of the evolution of postcolonial Englishes.

Table of Contents; List of figures; List of tables; Contributors 1. Introduction: English spreading at the grassrootsChristiane Meierkord, Ruhr-University of Bochum and Edgar W. Schneider, University of Regensburg2. Grassroots English, learner English, second-language English, English as a lingua franca ... : What's in a name? Sarah Buschfeld, University of DortmundPart I: English at the grassroots in former spheres of British interest3. The sociolinguistic profile of English at the grassroots level: A comparison of Northern and Western UgandaBebwa Isingoma, Gulu University4. English language learning trajectories among Zanzibaris working in tourismSusanne Mohr, Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies5. Access to English and the Englishes of the disadvantaged - examples from Uganda and South AfricaChristiane Meierkord, Ruhr-University of Bochum and Edgar W. Schneider, University of Regensburg6. Artistic re-creation of grassroots English: Ideologies and structures in English VinglishEdgar W. Schneider, University of Regensburg Part II: English in trade and work migration7. Facets of intercultural communication employed in the conversations of local Arab traders in BahrainAnthonia Bamidele-Akhidenor, AMA International University Bahrain8. The value of grassroots English for Bangladeshi migrants to the Middle EastQumrul Hasan Chowdhury, University of Dhaka and Elizabeth J. Erling, University of Graz9. Grassroots diffusion of English in a 'blue-collar' workplace: the case of a multilingual cleaning company in New Jersey, USAKellie Gonçalves, University of Köln Part III: English in forced migration10. Language use among Syrian refugees in GermanyGuyanne Wilson, Ruhr University Bochum11. Uprooted speakers' grassroots English: Metalinguistic perspectives of asylum seekers in Germany Axel Bohmann, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg12. Onward migration from Italy to the UK: reshaped linguistic repertoires and the role of English Francesco Goglia, University of Exeter