Rethinking language teacher education in the global Englishes paradigm: The Cline of Glocality in Singapore

Abstract

Education in Singapore is set against a background that is ethnically, linguistically and culturally diverse. Singapore’s deliberate language policy and planning saw the birth of English-knowing bilinguals who are proficient in both English and their ethnically ascribed mother tongues. This has given rise to Singaporeans whose English proficiency level allows them to be globally competent and whose use of English in the local context has also led to the development of Singapore Englishes (i.e. Standard Singapore English and Colloquial Singapore English or Singlish) operating together in what Low and Pakir describe as the Cline of Glocality. Adopting the Global Englishes paradim, this article discusses how language teacher education needs to be rethought in order to capture the nuancing in the uses of Singapore Englishes in order to achieve the delicate balance between global competence of its users and the local realities surrounding its use.