The contributions in this volume examine a variety of learner Englishes and second language (L2) English varieties, with the intention to engage in conceptual and theoretical discussions with regard to their forms, functions, and acquisition processes. The editors should be commended for bringing together a collection of meticulously argued, well-written, and high-quality studies. In particular, the contributions make use of empirical evidence drawn from analyses of corpora of learner Englishes and L2 varieties of English that arise in contact situations. The volume consists of 11 chapters, including an introduction and a concluding discussion by Mukherjee and Hundt.
Most of the articles in the volume present studies of specific grammatical features in learner or L2 varieties of English. For example, Biewer analyzes the usage of modals and semimodals in various varieties of English as a second language (ESL) in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific, and Hilbert’s study looks at interrogative inversion in Indian English, Singaporean English, and Irish English. In another study, Gilquin and Granger examine the use of the preposition into in varieties of English as a foreign language (EFL) among Spanish-, French-, and Dutch-speaking learners. Two other studies compare the grammatical features in English as a native language, ESL, and EFL varieties of English: Hundt and Vogel examine the use of the progressive, and Götz and Schilk compare the formulaic sequences of three-word clusters. The results in these studies raise important questions about the suitability of the ESL-EFL distinction in SLA studies. The studies seem to suggest that the traditional dichotomy of EFL and ESL should be viewed as a continuum, with a range of in-between categories corresponding to a variety of learning contexts.
Other contributions in the volume delve into a number of controversial theoretical discussions concerning L2 varieties and learner Englishes, including the distinctions between these two categories. For example, Bongartz and Buschfeld consider the question of whether Cyprus English should be considered a L2 variety or a kind of learner English. Similarly, Szmrecsanyi and Kortmann explore the possibility of making the distinctions between institutionalized L2 varieties and learner Englishes from a typological perspective. Gut’s chapter addresses yet another controversial question of whether structural innovations in New English varieties should be described as transfer phenomena or learner errors. Van Rooy examines a similar question by exploring the distinction between error and conventionalized innovation in two varieties of African Englishes. What Gut’s and van Rooy’s studies found is that the classification of a structure as either an error or an innovation depends on the norm orientation and attitudes within the community and that new linguistic conventions emerge from forms that may have started out as errors. In the final discussion, Hundt and Mukherjee call for a methodologically integrated approach that combines corpus-based descriptions with sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic data for future studies.
As a whole, this volume makes an important contribution to SLA studies by bringing in valuable insights from the field of New Englishes. Whereas traditional SLA research tends to overlook the distinction between ESL and EFL contexts, this volume clearly shows that such a distinction should be given more attention in SLA studies, especially by considering the situational differences in terms of the amount of exposure to English and opportunities to use it in the community, the functions and roles of English in society, and learner motivation. Additionally, the volume demonstrates the value of corpus-based investigations in understanding learner language in ESL and EFL contexts and adds to the literature on the theoretical and methodological issues concerning the use of corpora in SLA studies. Another noteworthy strength of the collection is the wide range of varieties and Englishes that are examined. For me, the volume as a whole would be better structured and more reader-friendly if the chapters were organized thematically, but this is a minor quibble.
This collection clearly pushes the boundaries of SLA studies by drawing on invaluable insights from the growing fields of New Englishes and corpus linguistics. It also achieves the purpose of the collection as set out in the introductory chapter—namely, to bridge a “paradigm gap” between traditional SLA studies and research into institutionalized L2 varieties. This volume opens up exciting venues for further interdisciplinary research on SLA and will be a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students interested in learner language, corpus linguistics, and New Englishes.
