English as an International Language (EIL) holds transformative potential for developing intercultural competencies in Australian higher education. Challenging the 'native-speaker' model, EIL offers students and institutions an opportunity for intercultural learning through engaging with linguistic and cultural difference. This paper reports on a…

Pragmatic competence is an indispensable aspect of language ability in order for second and foreign language (L2/FL) learners to understand and be understood in their interactions with both native and nonnative speakers of the target language. Without a proper understanding of the pragmatic rules in the target language, learners may run the risk…

Argues that conceptualization of English as an international language must take into account the changes the language has undergone in becoming an international medium of communication and that the diverse cultural identities of teachers of World English serve to enrich the language and reflect changes in it. (MSE)

Discusses a problem involved in teaching English pronunciation--the question of intelligibility. Previously intelligibility has meant that nonnative speakers were intelligible to native speakers; the increase in the use of English for communication between nonnative English speakers has complicated this issue. Implications for teaching and study…

A response to a Henry Widdowson article on the English language and its teaching focuses on three issues: the importance of the political context of language use; the notion of language as a weapon; and the recommendation in favor of teaching English for special purposes rather than general English in many cases. (MSE)

The current state of research on cross-cultural speech acts is examined, its applicability to the second language classroom is evaluated, and new directions for research, with more relevance for classroom practice, are recommended. Problems found with cross-cultural speech act research to date include questions it has raised about the universal…