The effect of co-text on the comprehensibility of world Englishes

Abstract EN

This study investigates the effect of co-text (or linguistic context) on the comprehensibility of World Englishes by Iraqi EFL learners.

World Englishes (WEs) refers to the use of English for international communication by people from different first language backgrounds and cultures.

In this sense, English is no longer limited to one accent and one culture.

It is an amalgam of native and nonnative English accents and cultures.

The question raised is how the Iraqi EFL learners whose English is learned and practiced inside the classroom, confined to the RP accent, will understand World Englishes.

In this article, it is hypothesised that the Iraqi EFL learners use co-text or the linguistic context of utterances to facilitate the comprehensibility of WEs.

To carry out the investigation, an exploratory mixed methods research is adopted.

The quantitative results reveal that most of the Iraqi EFL learners are able to exploit co-text to comprehend WEs.

The qualitative results reveal three themes: speech perception benefit, attitudes towards accents and the context of discourse.

Based on the research findings and for better comprehensibility, it is recommended that the Iraqi EFL learners are exposed to various native and nonnative English accents, presented with content pronunciation instructions of WEs and trained in the use of higher level thinking strategies.