English as a multicultural language in Asian contexts: Issues and ideas is a long-awaited monograph by Nobuyuki Honna, a prominent scholar in the field of World Englishes. In his latest book, Honna, editor of the international journal Asian Englishes and founder of the Japanese Association for Asian Englishes (JAFAE), offers important insights into the sociolinguistic situation of English use in Asian contexts and presents refreshing perspectives on the development of Asian English as a distinct discipline in its own right. His monograph consists of seven chapters.
In Ch. 1, Honna provides a clear and comprehensive overview of the spread of English around the world and in particular its diffusion to Asia. He introduces his paradigm of Asian Englishes and puts forward the idea of English as an international language for multinational communication, arguing that English cannot be considered as a foreign language in Japan, but should be viewed as a language of wider communication with the rest of the world. In Ch. 2, the author presents case studies of two Asian Englishes, Singaporean English and Indian English, and describes their linguistic and sociolinguistic characteristics in detail as a testimony to the notion of “English as an Asian language.” Ch. 3 shows the author's firm belief in linguistic tolerance and multicultural diversity. Seeing English as a multicultural language, Honna stresses that linguistic differences among different varieties of English should not be seen as a threat to intercultural communication, in which meaning is negotiated through mutual understanding.
In Ch. 4, Honna goes on to explore the significance of metaphors as a way of raising intercultural awareness within the approach of Teaching English as an International Language (TEIL). In Ch. 5, the author moves on to analyze Englishization of Japanese, or the process of English borrowing in Japanese, by presenting a detailed analysis of contact between English and Japanese in Japan. Ch. 6 introduces readers to the concept of linguistic auditing, which entails assessing the English needs of organizations and designing programs to meet those needs. He also offers an innovative perspective known as “environmental sociolinguistics.” In the concluding chapter, Honna discusses various challenging issues in English language teaching in Japan, including the contentious question of the appropriate model for English language teaching there. In an attempt to alter the general perception of English being an American language in Japan, Honna suggests incorporating the idea of Asian Englishes into English language classrooms. In particular, he advocates a project called the Extremely Short Story Competition to encourage students to express themselves confidently in English.
All in all, this work is a valuable and timely addition to the field of sociolinguistics, particularly the subfield of World Englishes. It is clearly a solid, well-written, and highly structured text, containing numerous refreshing and thought-provoking ideas. It also makes important contributions to the understanding of English in Asia and English Language Teaching (ELT) in Asian contexts. It is certain that the book will be of interest to researchers who are now engaged in research on World Englishes, sociolinguistics, and English in Japan and Asia in general. It will also be most welcomed by language teachers and teacher educators who are interested in implementing innovative methods in teaching English as an international language.
