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A scoping review of world Englishes in the Middle East and North Africa
Author(s) -
Hillman Sara,
Selvi Ali Fuad,
Yazan Bedrettin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/weng.12505
Subject(s) - scholarship , middle east , premise , world englishes , sociology , perspective (graphical) , political science , linguistics , philosophy , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
This study presents the first scoping review (Arksey & O'Malley, 2005; Levac, Colquhoun, & O'Brien, 2010) of world Englishes (WE) research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – providing a knowledge synthesis of studies related to the sociolinguistic dynamics and realities of English(es) in one of the most underexplored WE contexts. Although the burgeoning research on English in the region focuses on macro sociolinguistic issues, language policy and planning, and language teaching and learning, there is a pressing need for a systematic investigation of scholarship with an exclusive WE perspective (Mahboob, 2013). On this premise, we map the body of WE literature pertinent to this region during the last two decades (2000–2019). We provide an overview of the state of the research activity, helping to identify the knowledge gaps and determine a fruitful research agenda for scholars interested in the diverse issues of WE in the MENA region.