International Cultures in the Framework of World Englishes: What Should EFL Teachers Do?

The worldwide spread of English as an International Language (EIL) is obvious. In particular, parallel with the increasing popularity of English teaching and learning in countries where English is regarded as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL), Anglo-American culture has likewise been spread. A case in point is China, the country with the world's largest population of English learners, where English has gained a remarkable and high status. Using a questionnaire, this study first investigates views on teaching and learning culture among students of a key provincial public university in Southern China. Following up with triangulation through selected interviews and focus group discussion, the paper furthermore presents certain reasonable models for teaching culture in China today. The findings will be analysed and discussed in terms of teaching and learning culture within the framework of World Englishes (WE) in China. This paper finally concludes that it is important to teach both the international cultures of 'Englishes' and the source culture alongside each other.