Previous studies have indicated that young middle-class Japanese women’s stronger willingness to study English in the West can be attributed to Japan’s gender inequality and women’s longing for gender-equal Western societies. This literature-based study highlights an overlooked group of non-elite young Japanese women who make grassroots efforts to achieve upward mobility by studying English in Western English-speaking countries while participating in working holiday programs. Although socioeconomic and educational inequalities exist among international students, they are often invisible, particularly among the youth from developed countries such as Japan. This study provides new insights into the factors that influence unprivileged young Japanese women’s investment in studying English abroad. For example, women’s beliefs in the power of English skill development and overseas work experience are derived from the misconception dominant in Japan’s non-multilingual corporate world that anyone with self-acquired English skills can perform bilingual jobs, such as interpreting. This factor enables academic and commercial agents (e.g., women’s magazines and college prospectuses) to produce pro-women discourse that even non-elite young women can achieve career mobility by gaining English skills and overseas work experience. Implications are provided for international English education stakeholders positioned to emphasize global English promises while obscuring the reality of widening disparities. The gap between university-based elite researchers and non-elite research participants is also discussed as a challenge to the much-needed attempt to further examine the impact of global and localized English ideology on non-elite English learners’ grassroots efforts toward upward mobility.

True crime podcasts are one of the most popular products in the landscape of media production: whether professionally produced or the fruit of amateur work, they rank highly in different charts, with a variety of topics and approaches. This article aims at starting the research on the kind of language these podcasts (might) have in common, with a particular interest in the features that might be found in so-called ‘amateur’ podcasts, which tend to have a more flexible, and colloquial, style and register. In particular, the research has focused on a sample podcast and on two representative episodes, which have been transcribed and analysed, in order to obtain an initial corpus of typical discourse markers. The focus has been specifically on pragmatic markers such as right, you know and other typical interjections of spoken interactions, which identify the register as spoken and colloquial. By using two corpus tools, the study has been able to highlight the frequency of these markers and their typical use in collocation.

This article explores recent developments in English language education in Taiwan, situating them within broader sociopolitical shifts and demographic changes. It begins by outlining the emergence of English in Taiwan’s education system before presenting the formulation and objectives of the Bilingual 2030 policy. The article then analyzes how this national initiative has reshaped English language education across educational levels. In particular, it highlights the expansion of English–medium instruction (EMI) in higher education as a central feature of Taiwan’s bilingualization agenda. Finally, it discusses two key developments influenced by the policy: the internationalization of higher education as a response to demographic and policy pressures, and the resulting expansion of EMI courses as a central strategy for attracting global talent and sustaining university enrollment.

Market-driven neoliberal ideology advocates for the adoption of English as the common business language by multinational companies; however, this often clashes with multilingual realities. This study explores how neoliberal ideologies have made English a catalyst for language-related conflicts within language management across various stages at a Shanghai-based subsidiary of a German multinational corporation. Data for this research was gathered via a seven-month ethnographic study and includes analysis of publicly accessible documents from the company's website, meeting transcripts, ethnographic notes, and semi-structured interviews with five local employees. Qualitative data analysis identified conflicts in the company's recruitment process, daily business communication, and language support services. Conflicting language management created communicative barriers and limited local employees’ engagement in the company's business affairs. Through a neoliberal lens, the findings highlight that when neoliberal English dominance encounters multilingual realities, the latter may undermine the efficiency and profitability central to neoliberal objectives. It is concluded that a reinterpreting of the neoliberal agenda is important for both policy makers and local employees to reconfigure neoliberal subjectivity, alongside measures to empower local employees’ linguistic and epistemic resources to facilitate their full participation in corporate affairs.

This paper investigates the nonstandard use of first‑person singular pronouns (myself and I) in coordinate constructions, such as John and I or John and myself. Native English speakers frequently disregard prescriptive grammar rules by using subject or reflexive forms in place of object forms in sentences like Give those papers to John and I. The frequency of such nonstandard usage raises questions, such as when and why speakers substitute nominative or reflexive pronouns for object pronouns in coordinate constructions, and what evidence exists for the existence of fixed constructions like X and I or X and myself. To address these questions, the study analyzes data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). Findings provide strong evidence for the existence of an X and I construction in that the nonstandard form is common after the coordinator but not before. Evidence for an X and myself construction is weaker, since untriggered reflexives also appear outside coordinate constructions. First‑person singular forms are more likely to appear in hypercorrect and untriggered forms that other pronouns. The research suggests that X and I may be stored in a chunk, possibly due to overgeneralizations resulting from prescriptive corrections during language acquisition.

This paper surveys studies that explore the experiences of multilingual English teachers (MET) teaching English to learners from the Eastern part of Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand). By MET, I refer to teachers who speak English as one of their multilingual repertoires and teach English to students from different linguistic backgrounds than their own (Galloway 2014). Studies have recently shown that Outer Circle has been establishing a role in providing English education to Expanding Circle learners. Moreover, it is also becoming common for teachers from Expanding Circle to cross national borders in order to teach English in another Expanding Circle country. This paper reviews studies specifically addressing those teachers and identifies three contact zones: (a) study abroad programs in Asian Outer Circle; (b) EFL classrooms; and (c) digital space. As there are some distinctive characteristics pertaining to different contact zones, I first briefly review the previous studies by each zone, followed by a synthesis of the research findings with a focus on how environment influences teachers' experiences based on the lens of intersectionality and situated power dynamics. Then, I conclude the review by discussing the problematic nature of treating this unique teacher population as pseudo-native speakers from a pedagogical perspective.

This paper analyses linguistic information regarding signage developed by Ugandan English speakers at the grassroots level, as a category of non-elite users of English. It specifically examines linguistic signs displayed at small‑scale informal businesses, focusing on the source of the signs and the language(s) used in terms of features and the justifications for the choice of the language(s). The results show three types of signs: those written in English (which are predominant), those that blend English and Acholi, and those written in Acholi. Where English is involved, the findings reveal that the choice was mainly based on attracting a wider readership and thus clientele, as well as the fact that English is the functional official language in Uganda. It was also observed that both standard and nonstandard English were used. The source of the signs was reported to be grassroots users of English but sometimes artists and/or acrolectal users of English were involved in writing/drawing the signs.

This article examines recent developments in English language education in Vietnam, contextualising them within contemporary sociopolitical and cultural discourses. It begins by tracing the historical emergence and evolution of English in Vietnam before examining its role in the education system. The article then critically discusses Project 2020, Vietnam's largest language education initiative, and its profound impact on the country's language education landscape. Finally, it presents three notable trends significantly shaped by Project 2020: the increasing prevalence of IELTS preparation, the rise of second-career language teachers, and the emergence of communities of practice for English teachers.

This study investigates the role of English in Bali’s tourism‑driven economy, focusing on investment in English learning among Balinese tour guides. It examines the intersection of economic, social, and cultural factors shaping language acquisition, comparing learners of English at the grassroots who rely on formal, informal, or mixed methods of acquisition. Using Darvin and Norton’s (2015) investment model, the study explores how ideology, identity, and capital influence English learning trajectories. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi‑structured interviews with six Balinese tour guides, representing diverse linguistic biographies and learning contexts. Findings reveal that despite systemic barriers, learners of English at the grassroots demonstrate resilience and adaptability by leveraging social and cultural capital. While some depend on informal interactions, others access formal education or combine both approaches to enhance their opportunities. The study underscores the vital role of English as a tool for economic and social mobility in Bali’s international tourism industry, while also investigating the investment elements that shape learners’ trajectories.

This study reflects on Japan's language policy, focusing on the government‑led proposals implemented in 2006, which suggested replacing loanwords with Japanese equivalents, known as Gairaigo Iikae Teian ‘proposals for replacing loanwords’. By investigating English loanwords, this article explores the impact of English on Japanese vocabulary, while providing insights into the practical implementation of the government-led language policy in Japan for a broader global audience. It also clarifies that the objective of the proposals was not to strictly regulate the use of English loanwords but to offer suggestions, with replacement as one strategy to improve communication, especially when disseminating information through government agencies and media organisations. Through a quantitative investigation on the usage of English loanwords in the media, the results reveal that the overall number of media articles containing the loanwords in the proposed list has increased over the last 30 years. The findings also confirm that loanwords and their Japanese equivalents are not in competition, with one replacing the other. Instead, their usage exhibits a parallel trend in both frequency and increase rates.

With over 17 million children learning English, Bangladesh has one of the world’s largest English-learning populations. However, despite this, the country faces challenges in achieving the optimal level of English proficiency. English language teaching (ELT) initiatives in Bangladesh, which have evolved over time, can be broadly classified based on the Grammar-Translation Method, Communicative Language Teaching, and the English in Action project. These approaches predominantly reinforced traditional monolingual and bilingual frameworks while overlooking the rich metalinguistic, cultural, and intellectual resources that students bring to English classrooms. This article critically examines past ELT efforts, policies and their outcomes through a translanguaging lens, which challenges the rigid language separation ideology in traditional models and encourages the use of all linguistic repertoires in learning English as a target language. This article provides fresh perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of past initiatives, as well as suggestions for developing linguistically and culturally sustainable ELT models based on translanguaging scholarship.

Neoliberal forces have increased the use of English as a medium of instruction (MOI) in higher education globally. The status of English has shifted from being a curricular subject to the primary language of instruction, particularly in private higher education institutions. Drawing on Baldauf (2006), Kaplan and Baldauf (2003), and Spolsky (2009), and conducting a multi-level policy document analysis, this study set out to investigate the use of English as an MOI in Bangladeshi higher education. At the macro level, we analysed language-related policy documents, such as the National Education Policy (NEP), the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF), and University Grant Commission (UGC) policies. At the meso level, we examined various publicly available policy documents of a private university, including MOI statements, purpose and vision statements, admission requirements, curriculum, assessment, textbook recommendations, and advertisements for faculty positions. The findings revealed that while macro-level MOI policies are left open for meso-level interpretation, private universities have adopted an MOI policy that shifted from a nationalist Bangla-only ideology to a neoliberal English-only one, as evidenced in their practices and management initiatives. This shift has essentially served a covert colonial agenda under the guise of internationalisation and adoption of the American higher education model.

Recent years have seen an increase in forced migration from the Global South, e.g., Congolese refugees with long transits in Uganda, to countries in the Global North, like Norway. Many of these newly-arrived Congolese refugees in Norway have English in their linguistic repertoires after decades-long transits in Uganda. English can thus be used as a lingua franca in Norway while they are learning Norwegian, as many Norwegians also have English in their repertoires. However, the ways these refugees have learnt English differ starkly from the ways most Norwegians have learnt English. While most Norwegians have mainly learnt English formally, i.e. in school, these Congolese refugees have mainly learnt English informally, i.e. outside language classrooms. The present article explores specific examples of how these refugees have learnt English. Some have, for example, learnt English through lingua franca interaction with other refugees with whom they do not share any other languages than English; others have initiated English language awareness in the wild themselves through, for example, talking explicitly about the English language with motorcycle riders in Uganda; and others have listened to English-speaking radio programmes in order to learn English faster. I argue that many of these ways of learning English informally can be referred to as “grassroots learning” of English, since English learning is initiated by the refugees themselves. These findings from empirical research among newly-arrived Congolese refugees in Norway may contribute to developing our understandings of informal English language learning, as well as making sure forced migrants’ voices are heard.