Trends, paradigms and concepts in global english sociolinguistics

The global spread of English has given rise to several sociolinguistic outcomes leading to the emergence of several concepts, perspectives and paradigms to account for or describe such a sociolinguistic situation. In this study, the most popular of these concepts have been critically analysed with the view to specifying what each entails and what makes it distinct from others. The analysis has revealed that though the concepts appear seemingly similar they are uniquely distinct as each echoes a specific sociolinguistic perspective. While the English as a Lingua Franca paradigm for example invokes the relationship between language and communication, World Englishes focuses on the relationship between language and community. English as a Global Language emphasises the status of English in the world while English as an International Language dwells on the functions of the language in the world. The democratisation of ownership of the language is the primary concern of English as Everyone’s Language. The study however argues that most of these perspectives and paradigms are laden with assumptions which must constantly be challenged in order to generate new insights and a more informed understanding of the contemporary sociolinguistic context of the language.