This collection highlights the adaptability of English in contact with other languages, cultures and societies in diverse regional habitats. The book's ecological perspective offers a fresh theoretical framework for analysing both outer- and inner-circle Englishes. It investigates the varieties of English spoken as a second language, by bi- or multilingual speakers in South Africa, India, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines, and by some lesser-known oceanic varieties in Micronesia and Polynesia, revealing the remarkable divergences in the use of common English elements across geographical distances. Tapping into current debates about colonial legacies and decolonization, as well as ongoing concerns about democracy, regional power and globalisation, this book explores a range of fresh evidence to discuss language variation across the globe. Key features: - Examines features of world Englishes in their sociocultural contexts - Structurally appraises lexical and constructional innovations in English - Presents fresh empirical evidence to discuss language variation Pam Peters is Emeritus Professor in Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney Kate Burridge is Professor of Linguistics at Monash University, Melbourne