Expanding on the Expanding Circle: where do WE go from here?

Abstract: Expanding Circle Englishes are gaining in recognition and acceptance. Yet, an analysis of recent issues of leading journals devoted to English in the global context demonstrates that fewer articles get published on the Expanding Circle than the Inner and Outer Circles. One explanation for this difference is simply that less research and scholarship on English in “the rest of the world” has been done. This paper sets out an agenda for WE research and scholarship on the Expanding Circle to address gaps in the literature that will reflect the sociolinguistic reality of English across and within the countries and regions of this circle and to broaden current understanding of the full range of users and uses of this language.