글로벌(지구촌) 세계영어와 원어민: 영어사적 관점에서

Global English and native speakers of English: from the historical perspectives of the English language

The acceptance of cultural as well as linguistic diversity is necessary for smooth and successful communication in English among people of different cultures, because such acceptance improves language’s “intelligibility, comprehensibility and interpretability” (Smith, 2009). As a global language, English has naturally taken on global features – features unique to the languages of the many speakers who use English across the world. Hence, English has cultural as well as regional varieties which are differentiated by specific features used by diverse speakers. Today, with the population of non-native English speakers (NNS) outnumbering that of native speakers (NS), English language practitioners and researchers have a responsibility to ensure that both NSs and NNSs are informed about the linguistic and cultural varieties of English. This paper takes a historical perspective, exploring the following two points in terms of the development of English as a global language: (1) The innate potential of English as a global communication tool; and (2) A semantic change (generalization) in the term, “native speaker of English.”