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Alastair Pennycook, English and the discourses of colonialism. London & New York: Routledge, 1998. Pp. xii, 239. Pb £14.99.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2000

Ron Scollon
Ron Scollon
Affiliation:
Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057 scollonr@gusun.georgetown.edu
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Abstract

This is a very contemporary book. By anchoring his discussion on English Language Teaching (ELT) in Hong Kong at the widely watched pivotal point of transition from British to Chinese sovereignty, Pennycook is able to range backward to ELT in India, and to construct a narrative of the adherence between the discourse of colonialism and the discourse(s) of ELT. Worldwide, ELT is a major industry. It collects practitioners who range in background from specialists in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, with Ph.D.s and research grants, to those who have few or no credentials beyond having been born into an English-speaking community and enjoying world travel. This book should find a significant and large audience among these teachers; but somehow one wonders if it will.

Type
Book Review
Information
Language in Society , Volume 29 , Issue 1 , January 2000 , pp. 138 - 141
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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