The rise of English as a global lingua franca and the increasing use of it into the multilingual and multicultural contexts appears to be further indexing a number of new issues. These issues include from the discussion of its ownership –...
moreThe rise of English as a global lingua franca and the increasing use of it into the multilingual and multicultural contexts appears to be further indexing a number of new issues. These issues include from the discussion of its ownership – that it is no longer only the language of native speakers of it, as statistically non-native speakers make up 75 per cent of all English users (Crystal, 2003) - to establishing Englishes in different outer and expanding circles as distinct varieties rather than erroneous forms. Some forms that Indian speakers of English use are considered erroneous forms according to the inner circle variety, albeit they do not breakdown the communication. Therefore, this article examines the present role of English as an international language that incorporates consideration to legitimate non-native varieties rather than erroneous forms. It also introduces historical background of Indian English and supports Indian English as a distinct variety as evidenced by localization and indigenization. Finally, the article reviews the resulting pedagogical implications, i.e. the issues that English language teachers in India need to take into consideration while designing and delivering ESL lessons.