English Language Learning in Multilingual Societies

Abstract

World English has maintained an undeniable presence for over 150 years. At the dawn of the 21st century, the advent of a new millennium and fears of a uniform world led to an unprecedented surge in interest in this phenomenon. This linguistic diversity encompasses bi/multilingualism, which results in population movement, language shift, and cross- cultural interactions, leading to difficulties in learning English. This chapter focuses on discussing the challenges posed by multilingualism in learning English as a global language. It outlines various teaching strategies, assessment, and evaluation processes for multilingual classrooms with a focus on learning English. Here, the discussion is held on how cultural considerations are integrated into language teaching. Finally, evidence is shown from case studies of successful programs to inform future directions in English language learning in multilingual contexts.