The term World Englishes refers to the differences in the
English language that emerge as it is used in various contexts
across the world. Scholars of World Englishes identify the varieties
of English used in different sociolinguistic contexts, analyzing their
history, background, function, and influence.
Languages develop to fulfill the needs of the societies that use
them. Because societies contain a diverse range of social needs,
and because these needs can differ across cultures and
geographies, multiple varieties of the English language exist. These
include American English, British English, Australian English,
Canadian English, Indian English, and so on.
While there is no single way for a new variety of English to
emerge, its development can generally be described as a process
of adaptation. A certain group of speakers take a familiar variety
of English and adapt the features of that variety to suit the needs
of their social context.
For example, a store selling alcoholic beverages is called a
“liquor store” in American English, whereas it is called an “offlicence” in British English. The latter term derives from British law,
which distinguishes between businesses licensed to sell alcoholic
beverages for consumption off the premises and those licensed for
consumption at the point of sale (i.e., bars and pubs).
Such variations do not occur in terms of word choice only. They
happen also in terms of spelling, pronunciation, sentence
structure, accent, and meaning. As new linguistic adaptations
accumulate over time, a distinct variety of English eventually
emerges.
World Englishes scholars use a range of different criteria to
recognize a new English variant as an established World English.
These include the sociolinguistic context of its use, its range of
functional domains, and the ease with which new speakers can
become acculturated to it, among other criteria.