Overview

An exhilarating new account of the English language, from British colonialism to the age of social media, emphasizing dynamism and democratization Whose language is English? Although we often think of it as native to one place, today there are many Englishes. About seventy-five countries are now using English as their official or first language, and the number of people speaking it around the world continues to rise. But the makeup of the English-speaking population is changing. The proportion of speakers for whom English is a first language, for instance, is decreasing, due to the explosion in popularity of English as a second language. In this ambitious book, Jieun Kiaer explores the lives of English words in the twenty-first century, when the creation and use of language has become an increasingly dynamic, interactive, and diverse process in which ordinary people have taken leading roles—offering such coinages as ""flexitarian,"" ""MeToo,"" ""glow up,"" and ""shitizen"" to ""No sabo kids"" and beyond. As English language grows ever more diverse, Kiaer believes, we need a paradigm shift. We must acknowledge that all varieties of English are languages in their own right when they are used by a community of speakers. English is a language that belongs to everyone. Considering the effects of social media, the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual work, globalization, and artificial intelligence, Kiaer paints a compelling portrait of a diffuse, rapidly evolving language characterized by creativity and democratization.

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9780300264050

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“Whose Language Is English? by Jieun Kiaer masterfully unravels the complex evolution of the English language, illuminating its global journey through empire, multiculturalism, and digital transformation. A compelling read that enriches our understanding of English’s dynamic identity and inclusivity. Essential for anyone fascinated by the power of language in shaping our world.”—Niki J. P. Alsford, University of Central Lancashire “The author combines research, personal episodes and forthright commentary to describe what’s happening to the English language in a globalizing, social media-driven world. A lively and insightful status-of-the-language report on 21st-century English.”—Choe Sang-Hun, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and Seoul bureau chief, New York Times “Jieun Kiaer has produced a conceptually original and empirically rich critique of the ownership of the English language in the post-multilingualism and trans-language era. Written in an engaging and lucid style, this thought-provoking book is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the evolution and politics of English as a global language.”—Li Wei, University College London   “Jieun Kiaer’s humane analysis of global English proposes an exciting paradigm shift. Goodbye colonial export of the past; hello—or perhaps wagwan—to a new, inclusive, hybrid, and borderless language shared by multilingual speakers.”—Emma Smith, University of Oxford

Author Information

Jieun Kiaer is YBM KF Professor of Korean Linguistics at the University of Oxford and senior research fellow at Hertford College, Oxford. Her books include Translingual Words: An East Asian Lexical Encounter with English and Delicious Words: East Asian Food Words in English. She lives in Oxford, UK.

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