Incorporating World Englishes in Teaching English as an International Language

0 The discussion of World Englishes in the applied linguistics profession for the most part accepts multiple varieties of English as legitimate and worthy of study even if legitimacy remains the object of inquiry (see Higgins's article in this issue). Consistent with the value applied linguists place on World Englishes, English is taught and learned in many countries because it is an-and arguably the-international language. English is seen by many in Japan, for example, as a means to open doors to parts of the world that are not accessible to them otherwise, and learners are fascinated by the increased international opportunities they believe the knowledge of English will bring to them (Matsuda, 2002, in press). The international scope of learners' English learning agenda should logically be matched by pedagogical approaches that teach English as an international language (EIL), in part through inclusion of varieties of World Englishes. However, examination of English language teaching (ELT) practices in Japan reveals that English is still being taught as an inner-circle language, based almost exclusively on American or British English, and textbooks with characters and cultural topics from the English-speaking countries of the inner circle (Iwata et al., 2002; Kiryu, Shibata, Tagaya, Matsuda, 2002). Issues associated with teaching English as an inner-circle language versus EIL need to be clarified if concrete changes are to be brought about in the way English is portrayed, valued, and taught in expandingcircle countries where it is not the native language of the majority or an official language. In this commentary, I therefore draw on research conducted in Japan (Matsuda, 2002) to demonstrate ways in which current practices in ELT teach English as an inner-circle language, why this approach to ELT is not appropriate in view of the curricular goals and learners' needs, and how World Englishes can be incorporated to teach EIL.