Do learners' need to adapt to different varieties of spoken English?

Over the years I've often been asked about what variety of English I teach. Similarly I've been tasked with organising a teacher for a course who is specifically British, American or on one occasion Irish. So what is the background here and are there really big spoken differences as far as learners are concerned?

It is certainly true that there is a range of diversity and difference in the various forms of English. These divergences are mostly perhaps around pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar as well as formality. You may have heard "to-may-toe" alternatively said as "to-ma-toe". Areas of vocabulary differences include around automobiles - "trunk" vs "boot" or "hood" vs "bonnet". As for grammar, examples include "Ricky has gone into a class" vs "Ricky went into class" . Finally we have the idea of formality - "Hey Juan, great to meet you" could be just as likely as "Hello Juan, pleased to meet you". Then there is the whole idea of English as a lingua franca. Non native speakers are bringing wide ranging influences to the language and it is regularly being used as a medium of communication solely between speakers of different first languages.

So using just these examples - and there are definitely many others - could leave learners thinking that there are so many unique "Englishes" to learn..... However, for many years now the world has been extremely interconnected and the internet and social media have only made this even more the case. So English is, like all languages, constantly changing. But because it is the main global language, these changes are even more rapid across a broader range of contexts than elsewhere. Perhaps focussing on learning any one type of English alone is missing this most important point?

I would argue that anyone who is learning English from a reliable source and can speak relatively fluently, who uses the language on a frequent basis and is observant, flexible and willing to adapt should be able to learn - maybe with some help and support - to cope with these issues.

What can English language learners take from this? Here are my top 3 tips:

• Be very confident with control and repetition phrases eg "could you repeat that" or even "could you speak a little more slowly". This is your remote control!
• Spend time listening to different people in different contexts speaking English. Podcasts from different English speaking countries are great for this
• When you know you have something coming up in English, think about the main aspects of what you will have to do and where your speaking partner(s) will be from. This will allow you to better adapt to the situation as required.

This article is my perspective and point of view. Please comment and let me know what you think!