This chapter introduces the concept of accent, particularly in relation to dialects and varieties of English.The chapter first defines the word 'accent', and the relationship among accent, dialect, and variety. The chapter then focuses on how we understand and describe accents, and the social meaning that accents convey in different contexts. The chapter then discusses variation within different regional varieties of English, and the use of umbrella terms such as 'British English' or 'American English' to encompass a range of social, regional, and ethnic varieties. The chapter then describes the features of the book; the final section of the chapter has a series of exercises and tasks to guide you through a revision of the contents of the chapter.

This introductory chapter draws on two major perspectives on globalization, glocalization, and grobalization, to make sense of the global challenges faced by English language teaching (ELT) and English language teacher education (ELTE) professions and local responses in ten countries/jurisdictions in the Asian region discussed in this volume. It highlights the common critical issues which have emerged from these responses and discusses their implications for ELT and ELTE. In the concluding reflections, it identifies three issues that are central and particularly challenging to the work of English language teachers and teacher educators.

Language is inherently political – the way we use it and the way we talk about it. In the field of World Englishes (WEs), the political character of language and language practice is particularly evident. Originating from 1960s and 1970s debates on the necessity (or not) of recognizing the validity of varieties other than British and American English, the egalitarian stance in the WEs paradigm is inherently political. Similarly, the positions of those who express more critical views with respect to the presence and uses of English(es) in the world are political, too. This chapter provides an overview of the intrinsically political nature of much of the discussions and debates that have unfolded about WEs and, in general, English as a global language over the years. It highlights the centrality of (in)equality in such contentions and concludes by observing how any argument in this regard is intimately embedded in, and cannot transcend, the analysis of the conditions of great social and economic inequality that characterize the world today.