International English is the concept of the English language as a global means of communication in numerous dialects, and the movement towards an international standard for the language. It is sometimes referred to as Global English, World English or Standard English. Sometimes these terms refer simply to the array of varieties of English spoken throughout the world; sometimes they refer to a desired standardisation. However, consensus on the terminology and path to standardisation has not been reached. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This is a list of varieties of the English language. ... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom from other forms of the English language used elsewhere. ... English English is a term that has been applied to the English language as spoken in England. ... Highland English is the variety of Gaelic influenced Scottish English spoken in the Scottish Highlands. ... Mid Ulster English (Ulster Anglo-Irish) is the dialect of most people in Ulster, including those in the two main cities. ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Manx English or Anglo-Manx describes the English language as it is spoken by the people of the Isle of Man. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called Black English, Black Vernacular, or Black English Vernacular (BEV), is a type of lect (dialect , ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language. ... American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... Baltimorese, sometimes phonetically written Bawlmerese, is a dialect of American English which originated among the white blue-collar residents of southern Baltimore. ... The Boston accent is the dialect of English not only of the city of Boston itself, but more generally of all of eastern Massachusetts; it shares much in common with the accents of New Hampshire and upper Maine. ... California English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the U.S. state of California. ... General American is a notional accent of American English based on speech patterns common in the Midwest of the United States and those used by many American network television broadcasters. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Hawaiian English is the standard of the English language as used in the State of Hawaii, and is — along with the Hawaiian language — an official language of the state. ... Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from central Kentucky and northern Virginia to the Gulf Coast and from the Atlantic coast to eastern Texas. ... Spanglish, a portmanteau of the words Spanish and English, is a name used to refer to a range of language-contact phenomena, primarily in the speech of the Hispanic population of the USA, which is exposed to both Spanish and English. ... Chicano English is a dialect of American English used by Chicanos (persons of Mexican descent in America). ... Canadian English is the form of English language used in Canada, spoken as a first or second language by over 25 million – or 85 percent of – Canadians (2001 census). ... Newfoundland English is a name for several dialects of English specific to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, distinct from Canadian English. ... Québec English is the dialect of English spoken within the province of Québec. ... Australian English (AuE) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... New Zealand English is the dialect of English spoken in New Zealand, occasionally referred to within New Zealand as Newzild. ... For more background on this topic, see languages of Hong Kong. ... Indian English refers to the dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in India and the Indian subcontinent, and also by Indian diaspora elsewhere in the world. ... It has been suggested that British and Malaysian English differences be merged into this article or section. ... Philippine English is the English language as it is used in the Philippines, where it is one of two official languages, the other being Filipino. ... Singlish, a portmanteau of the words Singaporean and English, is the English-based creole spoken colloquially in Singapore. ... Sri Lankan English (SLE) is the English language as spoken in Sri Lanka. ... Bermudian English is the variety of English spoken in Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic. ... Caribbean English is a dialect of the English language spoken in the Caribbean. ... Jamaican English or Jamaican Standard English is a dialect of English encompassing in a very unique way, parts and mergers of both American English and British English dialects. ... Liberian English is the form of English spoken in the African country of Liberia. ... Malawian English is the English language as spoken in Malawi. ... South African English is a dialect of English spoken in South Africa and to some extent, in neighbouring countries with a large number of Anglo-Africans living in them, such as Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. ... Basic English is a constructed language with a small number of words created by Charles Kay Ogden and described in his book Basic English: A General Introduction with Rules and Grammar (1930). ... Commonwealth English is intended as a collective term for the perceived standard English language used in the Commonwealth of Nations1, applying in theory to Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English, Hiberno-English (Irish English)2, Hong Kong English3, Indian English (includes Pakistani English), formal Malaysia English, New Zealand... Globish is a neologism and a portmanteau of the words Global and English. ... Plain English focuses on being a flexible and efficient writing style that readers can understand in one reading. ... Simplified English is a controlled language originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance manuals. ... Special English is a simplified version of the English language used by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America in daily broadcasts. ... Standard English is a general term for a form of written and spoken English that is considered the model for educated people. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Standard English is a general term for a form of written and spoken English that is considered the model for educated people. ...

Historical context

The modern concept of International English does not exist in isolation, but is the product of centuries of development of the English language.

The language of England came to dominance throughout the island of Great Britain during the Middle Ages and in Ireland during the 18th century and, especially, the 19th century. In the modern era, printing led to the gradual standardisation of English, and particularly the use of the prestige dialect of the English ruling classes. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... A prestige dialect is the dialect spoken by the most prestigious people in a speech community large enough to sustain multiple dialects. ...

The establishment of the first permanent English-speaking colony in North America in 1607 was a major step towards the globalisation of the language. British English was only partially standardised when the American colonies were established. Isolated from Britain by the Atlantic Ocean, the settlements evolved a distinct standard form of American English. In particular, Noah Webster's reform of American-English spelling in the early 19th century gave rise to the main division in English spelling. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... Events January 20 - Tidal wave swept along the Bristol Channel, killing 2000 people. ... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom from other forms of the English language used elsewhere. ... American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... Noah Webster Noah Webster (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843) was an American lexicographer, textbook author, Bible translator, spelling reformer, writer, and editor. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the 18th century, British colonialism focused on the southern hemisphere. The standardisation of British English was more settled than it had been in the previous century, and this confident English was brought to Africa, Asia and Oceania. It developed both as the language of English-speaking settlers from Britain and Ireland, and as the administrative language imposed on speakers of other languages in the various parts of the British Empire. The first form can be seen in New Zealand English, and the latter in Indian English. The term Commonwealth English refers to these groups of English dialects. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is south of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth it contains four continents (part of Africa, Oceania, most of South America, and Antarctica) and four oceans (South Atlantic... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom from other forms of the English language used elsewhere. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... World map showing Asia. ... World map showing Oceania (geographically) Oceania is a geographical (often geopolitical) region consisting of numerous countries and territories – mostly islands – in the Pacific Ocean. ... The British Empire was the worlds first global power and the largest empire in history. ... New Zealand English is the dialect of English spoken in New Zealand, occasionally referred to within New Zealand as Newzild. ... Indian English refers to the dialects or varieties of English spoken primarily in India and the Indian subcontinent, and also by Indian diaspora elsewhere in the world. ... Commonwealth English is intended as a collective term for the perceived standard English language used in the Commonwealth of Nations1, applying in theory to Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English, Hiberno-English (Irish English)2, Hong Kong English3, Indian English (includes Pakistani English), formal Malaysia English, New Zealand...

The English-speaking nations of Canada and the Caribbean are caught between historical connections with British and Commonwealth English, and geographical connections with U.S. English. In some things, and more formally, they tend to follow British standards, in others they follow the U.S. standard. ...

The ebb and flow between the standardisation of the language and its diversification have been ever present throughout its history. The flagship of the former is intelligibility and practicality, while the latter has cultural autonomy and flexibility.

Modern global language

There is a distinction between English as spoken as a native language around the world (in the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia and so forth) and as a non-native language spoken as a regional or global lingua franca. Native Language Music, founded in 1996 by musicians Joe Sherbanee and Theo Bishop, is an independent adult contemporary record company based in Southern California that produces, markets, and distributes premium jazz, world, and new age music. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ...

A second distinction is made between those countries where non-native English has official or historical importance (special significance, for example, in Pakistan and Uganda), and those where it does not (for example, in Japan and Peru).

In the terminology of English language teaching (ELT), we have: Language education is the teaching and learning of a language or languages, usually as foreign languages. ...

• English as a native language (ENL), also called first language (L1).
• English as an additional language (EAL) or English for speakers of other languages (ESOL):
  • English as a second language (ESL) in an environment where English has a special significance, also called second language (L2).
  • English as a foreign language (EFL) in places where it has no special significance, also called third language (L3).

English as a second language might refer either to acquisition of the language in southern India, where it is a prominent, regional lingua franca, or the acquisition of the language by a speaker of another language in a predominantly English-speaking country (a Brazilian living in Barbados, for instance). It may not be an individual's actual second language, but perhaps third or fourth. English as an additional language (EAL) refers to the use or study of English by speakers of other languages. ... Language education is the teaching and learning of a language or languages, usually as foreign languages. ...

In the context of language teaching, English as an additional language (EAL) usually is based on the standards of either British/Commonwealth English or American English. English as an international language (EIL) is EAL with emphasis on learning different major dialect forms; in particular, it aims to equip students with the linguistic tools to communicate internationally.

The term International English is used in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), an English-language definition and evaluation system owned, developed and delivered through the partnership of the British Council, IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. Though concentrating on a kind of English understood almost everywhere, the basic standard is taken to be Commonwealth English. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency. ... The British Council is a partly UK Government-funded cultural relations organisation and a registered charity in the United Kingdom. ... IDP Education Australia (IDP) is a global non-for-profit organisation with head offices in Canberra and Sydney, offering international education and development services. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ... Commonwealth English is intended as a collective term for the perceived standard English language used in the Commonwealth of Nations1, applying in theory to Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English, Hiberno-English (Irish English)2, Hong Kong English3, Indian English (includes Pakistani English), formal Malaysia English, New Zealand...

Varying concepts

Universality and flexibility

International English sometimes refers to English as it is actually being used and developed in the world; as a language owned not just by native speakers, but by all those who come to use it.

Basically, it covers the English language at large, often (but not always or necessarily) implicitly seen as standard. It is certainly also commonly used in connection with the acquisition, use, and study of English as the world's lingua franca ('TEIL: Teaching English as an International Language'), and especially when the language is considered as a whole in contrast with American English, British English, South African English, and the like. — McArthur (2002, p. 444–45)

It especially means English words and phrases generally understood throughout the English-speaking world as opposed to localisms. The importance of non-native English language skills can be recognised behind the long-standing joke that the international language of science and technology is broken English.

Neutrality

International English reaches towards cultural neutrality. This has a practical use:

"What could be better than a type of English that saves you from having to re-edit publications for individual regional markets! Teachers and learners of English as a second language also find it an attractive idea — both often concerned that their English should be neutral, without British or American or Canadian or Australian colouring. Any regional variety of English has a set of political, social and cultural connotations attached to it, even the so-called 'standard' forms." — Peters (2004, International English)

According to this viewpoint, International English is a concept of English that minimises the aspects defined by either the colonial imperialism of Victorian Britain or the cultural imperialism of the 20th century United States. While British colonialism laid the foundation for English over much of the world, International English is a product of an emerging world culture, very much attributable to the influence of the United States as well, but conceptually based on a far greater degree of cross-talk and linguistic transculturation, which tends to mitigate both U.S. influence and British colonial influence. Imperialism is a policy of extending control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial conquest or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries. ... Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting the culture or language of one nation in another. ... World map of colonialism at the end of the Second World War in 1945. ...

The development of International English often centres around academic and scientific communities, where formal English usage is prevalent, and creative and flowery use of the language is at a minimum. This formal international English allows entry into Western culture as a whole and Western cultural values in general.

Opposition

The continued growth of the English language itself is seen by many as a kind of cultural imperialism, whether it is English in one form or English in two slightly different forms. Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting the culture or language of one nation in another. ...

Robert Phillipson argues against the possibility of such neutrality in his Linguistic Imperialism (1992). Learners who wish to use purportedly correct English are in fact faced with the dual standard of American English and British English, and other less known standard Englishes.

Edward Trimnell, author of Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One (2005) argues that the international version of English is only adequate for communicating basic ideas. For complex discussions and business/technical situations, English is not an adequate communication tool for non-native speakers of the language. Trimnell also asserts that native English-speakers (especially Americans) have become "dependent on the language skills of others" by placing their faith in international English.

Appropriation theory

There are also some who reject both linguistic imperialism and Crystal's theory of the neutrality of English. They argue that the phenomenon of the global spread of English is better understood in the framework of appropriation (e.g. Spichtinger 2000), that is English used for local purposes around the world. Demonstrators in non-English speaking countries often use signs in English to convey their demands to TV-audiences around the globe, for instance. Appropriation is the act of taking possession of or assigning purpose to properties or ideas and is important in many topics, including: Appropriation (sociology) in relation to the spread of knowledge Appropriation (art) Appropriation (visual art) [1] Appropriation (music) in reference to the re-use and proliferation of different types...

In English language teaching Bobda shows how Cameroon has moved away from a mono-cultural, Anglo-centred way of teaching English and has gradually appropriated teaching material to a Cameroonian context. Non Western-topics treated are, for instance, the rule of Emirs, traditional medicine or polygamy (1997:225). Kramsch and Sullivan (1996) describe how Western methodology and textbooks have been appropriated to suit local Vietnamese culture. The Pakistani textbook "Primary Stage English" includes lessons such as "Pakistan My Country", "Our Flag", or "Our Great Leader" (Malik 1993: 5,6,7) which might well sound jingoistic to Western ears. Within the native culture, however, establishing a connection between ELT, patriotism and Muslim faith is seen as one of the aims of ELT, as the chairman of the Punjab Textbook Board openly states: "The board...takes care, through these books to inoculate in the students a love of the Islamic values and awareness to guard the ideological frontiers of your [the students] home lands" (Punjab Text Book Board 1997). Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Many Englishes

There are many difficult choices that have to be made if there is to be further standardisation of English in the future. These include the choice over whether to adopt a current standard, or move towards a more neutral, but artificial one. A true International English might supplant both current American and British English as a variety of English for international communication, leaving these as local dialects, or would rise from a merger of General American and standard British English with admixture of other varieties of English and would generally replace all these varieties of English.

We may, in due course, all need to be in control of two standard Englishes—the one which gives us our national and local identity, and the other which puts us in touch with the rest of the human race. In effect, we may all need to become bilingual in our own language. — David Crystal (1988: p. 265)

This is the situation long faced by many users of English who possess a 'non-standard' dialect of English as their birth tongue but have also learned to write (and perhaps also speak) a more standard dialect. Many academics often publish material in journals requiring different varieties of English and change style and spellings as necessary without great difficulty.

Dual standard

Two approaches to International English are the individualistic and inclusive approach and the new dialect approach.

The individualistic approach gives control to individual authors to write and spell as they wish (within purported standard conventions) and to accept the validity of differences. The Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, published in 1999, is a descriptive study of both American and British English in which each chapter follows individual spelling conventions according to the preference of the main editor of that chapter.

The new dialect approach appears in The Cambridge Guide to English Usage (Peters, 2004) which attempts to avoid any language bias and accordingly uses an idiosyncratic international spelling system of mixed American and British forms (but tending more to American spelling).

Non-U.S. English

Sometimes International English is used to refer to a general standard that is based on Commonwealth and British English, rather than U.S. English. Whereas the majority of English native speakers use American English, most nations other than the United States use British/Commonwealth English as a standard, which explains the use of the word "international". However, U.S. English is having a greater influence in the rapidly expanding area of English as a foreign language, due to the economic and cultural influence of the United States.
The international flavour of British/Commonwealth English is dependent on three factors: Commonwealth English is intended as a collective term for the perceived standard English language used in the Commonwealth of Nations1, applying in theory to Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English, Hiberno-English (Irish English)2, Hong Kong English3, Indian English (includes Pakistani English), formal Malaysia English, New Zealand... British English (BrE) is a term used to differentiate the form of the English language used in the United Kingdom from other forms of the English language used elsewhere. ... American English (AmE) is the dialect of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ...

1. British and Commonwealth English are standard in far more countries around the world than U.S. English.
2. Many academic publications outside the United States use the conventions of the Oxford University Press.
3. This standard of English has official status in the United Nations and the European Union, and it is used as the basis of English-language testing by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

International English is also sometimes used in this manner in the computer industry. The Linux community, and other Open Software groups use the term Commonwealth English instead, usually in giving users a choice of spellings or wordings for messages. But the English language choices given are in fact normally only between American English and British English with -ise spellings, the latter being called International English or Commonwealth English. Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ... Main article: League of Nations The term United Nations was coined by Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, to refer to the Allies. ... International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test of English language proficiency. ... See Linux kernel for the kernel itself. ... Commonwealth English is intended as a collective term for the perceived standard English language used in the Commonwealth of Nations1, applying in theory to Australian English, British English, Caribbean English, Canadian English, Hiberno-English (Irish English)2, Hong Kong English3, Indian English (includes Pakistani English), formal Malaysia English, New Zealand...

However, Microsoft's Encarta has different versions for American English, Australian English, British English, and Canadian English which does not exhaust what could be provided. Microsoft Corporation NASDAQ: MSFT is the worlds largest software company, with global annual sales in the tens of billions of US dollars and nearly 60,000 employees in more than 90 countries. ... Microsoft Encarta Logo Encarta is a digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation. ...

International organisations

There are three major English varieties used as standards by international organisations:

British English with -ize spellings

Spellings: centre, programme, labour, defence, cooperation, organize, recognize, but: analyse
IANA language tag en-GB-oed, this standard is based on the Oxford English Dictionary The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is an organisation that oversees IP address, top level domain and Internet protocol code point allocations. ... The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a comprehensive multi-volume dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). ... The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a comprehensive dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP). ...

Examples of organisations that predominantly adhere to this standard are:

• United Nations system (UN, UNESCO, UNICEF...),
• World Trade Organization (WTO),
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC),
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
• World Health Organization (WHO),
• International Labour Organization (ILO),
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
• Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
• International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol,
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
• WWF - The Conservation Organization,
• and Amnesty International.

This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) Official languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic Secretary-General Kofi Annan (since 1997) Established October 24, 1945 Member states 191 Headquarters New York City, NY, USA Official site http://www. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... UNICEF logo The United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ... For other uses of the initials WTO, see WTO (disambiguation). ... Logo of the International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO or iso) is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from national standards bodies. ... The initials IEC can stand for: Independent Electoral Commission Industrial Emergency Council Inertial electrostatic confinement (in fusion energy) Institut des Experts-comptables et des Conseils fiscaux Institut dEstudis Catalans, Catalan Studies Institute Interactive Evolutionary Computation International Education Centre International Electrical Congress International Electrotechnical Commission See also IEC connector for... This article is about the location. ... Who can refer to: WHO, World Health Organization The Who, a British rock band The Guess Who, a Canadian rock band who (pronoun), an English language interrogative pronoun. ... For other meanings of the ILO abbreviation, see ILO (disambiguation). ... IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... Logo The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is made up of Algeria, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela; since 1965, its international headquarters have been in Vienna, Austria. ... The South Asian Association for Regional Co-Operation, or SAARC, (established December 8, 1985) is an association of 7 countries of South Asia namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. ... Interpol logo Interpol, more correctly the International Criminal Police Organization, was created in 1923 to assist international criminal police co-operation. ... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is historically a committee of Swiss nationals, although non-Swiss nationals have recently been allowed (the committee appoints new members to itself to replace those who resign or die) which leads the international Red Cross movement (often simply known after its symbol... WWF, the global conservation organization, was originally known as World Wildlife Fund. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of promoting all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. ...

British English with -ise spellings

Spellings: centre, programme, labour, defence, co-operation, organise, recognise, analyse
Language tag en-GB, the official standard of the UK government. Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ...

Examples of organisations that predominantly adhere to this standard are:

• North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO),
• European Union (EU),
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
• Commonwealth Secretariat (Commonwealth of Nations),
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS),
• International Olympic Committee (IOC),
• Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA),
• Transparency International
• and Greenpeace

The NATO flag NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4... The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ... The Commonwealth Secretariat is the central body of the Commonwealth of Nations, which implements the decisions taken by the associations 54 member governments and organises meetings of Commonwealth ministers. ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) includes the member states of: Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda British Virgin Islands Dominica Grenada Montserrat Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The OECS was created on 18 June 1981, with the Treaty of Basseterre, named after the capital... Alternative meanings at IOC (disambiguation) The International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 to reinstate the Ancient Olympic Games held in Greece, and organize this sports event every four years. ... The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, universally known by its acronym FIFA, is the international governing body of football (soccer). ... The contrary is true The 10 least corrupt countries, according to the Transparency International perception survey, 2004. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

American English

Spellings: center, program, labor, defense, cooperation, organize, recognize, analyze
Language tag en-US, used by the U.S. government. American English or U.S. English (en-US according to RFC 3066) is the diverse form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ...

Examples of organisations that predominantly adhere to this standard are:

• International Monetary Fund (IMF),
• World Bank,
• Organization of American States (OAS),
• NAFTA Secretariat,
• and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

The flag of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international organization entrusted with overseeing the global financial system by monitoring foreign exchange rates and balance of payments, as well as offering technical and financial assistance when asked. ... Logo of the World Bank The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in Romance languages: BIRD), better known as the World Bank, is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by WWII. Now, its mission has expanded to fight poverty by means... OAS can stand for: Organization of American States Organisation de larmée secrète This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The North American Free Trade Agreement, known usually as NAFTA, is a comprehensive trade agreement linking Canada, the United States, and Mexico in a free trade sphere. ... The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, and has as its core objectives the promotion of creative intellectual activity and the facilitation of the transfer of technology related to intellectual property to the developing countries in order to accelerate economic, social...

See also

• Globish, the "dialect" version of International English

Globish is a neologism and a portmanteau of the words Global and English. ...

References, further reading, and external links

Distinguished from or including both U.S. and British English

• Arsoba, Leszek. "Varieties of English: English Around the World"
• Biber, Douglas; Johansson, Stig; Leech, Geoffrey; Conrad, Susan; Finnegan, Edward (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education. ISBN 0582237254.
• Bobda, Augustin Simo (1997) "Sociocultural Constraints in EFL Teaching in Cameroon." In: Pütz, Martin (ed.) The cultural Context in Foreign Language Teaching. Frankfurt a.M.: Lang. 221-240.
• Crystal, David (1988). The English Language. London: Penguin. ISBN 0140135324.
• ————— (1997). English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 052159247X.
• Erling, Elizabeth J. (2000). "International/Global/World English: Is a Consensus Possible?", Postgraduate Conference Proceedings, The University of Edinburgh, Department of Applied Linguistics. (Postscript.)
• García Landa, José Ángel (2004). "World English" Bibliography. From A Bibliography of Literary Theory, Criticism and Philology (10th ed.) University of Zaragoza (Spain).
• IELTS—International English Language Testing System.
• Jenkins, Jennifer. "Global English and the teaching of pronunciation". (A discussion of the relative importance of different pronunciation feature for international comprehension of spoken English.)
• Johnson, Christine and Bartlett, Cath (1999). "International Business English - What should we be teaching?" BESIG Business Issues 3.
• Johnson, Angel M. "Southerners, Rednecks, Hicks, and Bumpkins: Sustainers of the Forgotten United States Dialects".
• Kachru, Braj (1986). The Alchemy of English: The Spread, Functions, and Models of Non-native Englishes. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252061721.
• Klaire Kramsch and Particia Sullivan (1996) "Appropriate Pedagogy". ELT Journal 50/3 199-212.
• Malik, S.A. Primary Stage English (1993). Lahore: Tario Brothers.
• McArthur, T. (Oxford, 1992) "The Oxford Companion to the English Language," Oxford University Press, ISBN 019214183X
• ————— (2001). "World English and World Englishes: Trends, tensions, varieties, and standards", Language Teaching Vol. 34, issue 1. Available in PDF format at Cambridge: Language Teaching: Sample article and Learning and Teacher Support Centre: McArthur.
• ————— (2002). Oxford Guide to World English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198662483 hardback, ISBN 0198607717 paperback.
• Tarnopolsky, Oleg. "What Variety of English to Teach in Ukraine?" (A study suggesting that teaching both British English and American English is preferable to teaching an artificial "International English".)
• Peters, Pam (2004). The Cambridge Guide to English Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 052162181X.
• Phillipson, Robert (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0194371468.
• Spichtinger, David (2000). "The Spread of English and its Appropriation." Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des Magistergrades der Philosophie eingereicht an der Geisteswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Wien. (PDF.)
• Punjab Text Book Board (1997) My English Book Step IV. Lahore: Metro Printers.
• ***TESL-EJ Forum***: Varieties of English: Definition and Instruction
• Henry Widdowson (1998a) " EIL: squaring the Circles. A Reply." World Englishes 17/3 397-401.

Henry Widdowson (also H.G. Widdowson and sometimes Henry G. Widdowson) is an authority in the field of applied linguistics and language teaching. ...

Closely identified or synonymous with standard British English

• Bible Society: Machine Assisted Translations: Anglicisations ("The standard English of India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Commonwealth and some other countries where English is used follows the conventions of British English. It is often therefore called International English to distinguish it from American English.")
• Carson, George S., Puk, Richard F., Carey, Rikk (1998). "Development of the VRML 97 International Standard". ("International Standards are written in International English, not American English. The most obvious difference is many minor variations in the way words are spelled, for example "colour" rather than "color", "centre" rather than "center" and "behaviour" rather than "behavior." Although ISO granted a special exception to allow VRML to be published initially in American English if necessary to expedite its publication, both sides decided to convert most of the document to International English. The only exceptions were affecting the syntax of a VRML file, such as node names like "Color" and "ColorInterpolator", where a change to "Colour" and ColourInterpolator" would have made existing VRML files incompatible with the new standard.")
• Goult, Roderick S. W. (2004). Introduction to ISO 9000:2000 Handbook. Edition of August, 2004. Methuen, MA: The Victoria Group. (PDF. From page 6: "An ISO standard which has been 'adopted' by a national standards body of a country will undergo some minor changes for reasons of translation, use of language or local interpretation. Hence, in the ANSI/ISO/ASQ standards, the spelling varies from international English, and the words 'International Standard' have been changed to 'American National Standard.'")
• Xerox: Phaser 740/740L: Product Brochures (Brochures available for download in either "U.S. English" or "International English".)