English as an Asian Language
- Autores: Braj B. Kachru
- Localización: Links & letters, ISSN 1133-7397, Nº 5, 1998 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Englishes), págs. 89-108
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
-
Resumen
This paper outlines the dimensions of Asia's English, which constitutes a world of its own in linguistic, cultural, interactional, ideological, and political terms. The questions this paper raises are: What conditions must a transplanted colonial language satisfy to be accepted as part of the colonized's linguistic repertoire? Why not consider Asian Englishes as part of a local pluralistic linguistic heritage? Answers to these questions demand redefining the concept of "nativeness" and types of nativeness; this paper advances that proposal by describing the distinction between "genetic nativeness" and "functional nativeness". The remainder of the paper comprises the sections: Asian presence of English; domains of functions; the albatross of mythology; mythology and the Asian context; decolonizing context and text; canonicity, diversity and Asian English; English on Asian terms; and institutionalization of Asian Englishes. In concluding, the paper briefly considers the often repeated question: Where do we go with Asian Englishes?
