Englishes in and out of public school: local practices in additional language

Abstract

Teaching/learning practices of English at high school in public schools are often oriented to demands of the marketplace, university entrance examinations, and linguistic models of “native speakers”. Such orientation becomes merely utilitarian whenever they ignore local needs and expectations of students. In this context, alternative uses of language in and out of school, through pedagogical safe houses (CANAGARAJAH, 2004), allow students’ ideological purposes to ensue in language practice. Such uses produce innovative language variants, which are called englishes (MOITA LOPES, 2008). Inventive language performances and the implications they have for the social trajectory of language users suggest we may rethink school orientations towards the teaching of additional languages.