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Andrew Sewell , English Pronunciation Models in a Globalized World: Accent, Acceptability and Hong Kong English . London and New York : Routledge , 2016. Pp. vi + 195. Hardback £95.00, ISBN 9781138017474
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There have been ongoing debates over various concepts and labels concerning accent and pronunciation teaching in the context of globalization. Nevertheless, their viability has not received adequate attention. Andrew Sewell's book English Pronunciation Models in a Globalized World: Accent, Acceptability and Hong Kong English addresses the key issues related to these debates. It extensively examines both linguistic and sociolinguistic theories pertaining to the nature of accent and presents pedagogical guidelines for pronunciation teaching based on valid quantitative and qualitative data from Hong Kong. This eight-chapter book provides an insightful resource for those who are involved in global English studies and English teaching.
Chapter 1 introduces the background of accent studies in the globalization era and outlines the focus, aims, approaches, and the general structure of the book. Several accent-related stories are cited as preparation for discussions in the subsequent chapters. The stories illustrate how the concepts of linguists, educators, and individuals have been affected by the upheaval of globalization. According to Sewell, the book adopts a twin-foci strategy: the practical focus on pronunciation teaching and the geographical focus on Hong Kong. The aims of the book are defined as theoretical, practical, and polemical.
Chapter 2 scrutinizes the theories and approaches of global English from the sociolinguistic perspective, laying a theoretical foundation for the book. People's perception of 'local' and 'global' has been changed by globalization. As for English, the traditional concept of 'variety' has become unstable, because there is now a paradox of apparent localness with permeating 'linguistic and cultural borders' (pp.15-16). Sewell states that the practice-based approach is a common strand in global English studies. Based on Bloomaert's (2010) sociolinguistic theory of globalization, Sewell outlines several notions including scale, indexicality, polycentricity, language and ideology, and commodification as a toolkit for global English studies. Two research paradigms, World English (WE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) are introduced at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 3 discusses key issues related to accent and pronunciation in the globalized world. It first examines the concepts of accent and pronunciation and makes...