Abstract

The scope of world Englishes (WE) includes a wide variety of approaches to research and publications on English worldwide, ranging from those of traditional English studies to critical analyses of linguistic imperialism, and issues of globalization and language spread. One major and influential strand in the whole WE project has been that of Kachruvian linguistics, and, not least, the contributions of Professors Braj B. Kachru (1932–2016), Yamuna Kachru (1933–2013), and Larry Smith (1941–2014), who founded the journal World Englishes. Their work helped create a paradigm shift in English studies, which moved the focus from the English language in the UK and US to include the study of English as a global language. Today, the world Englishes approach has become something of an established orthodoxy, but, despite this, the WE enterprise continues to move forward to take on new challenges and new energies, as it continues to develop as a creative and innovative field of study.