to larger social structures” (p. 34).

Apparently, however, she found a way

out of this dilemma even though she did not address it explicitly. In
interpreting the data, she recognized the learners’ subjectivity, and she
therefore attempted to describe the representative experience of the
learner in an extensive account of each language learner’s experiences.
From a theoretical perspective, this book can help educators under-
stand the reality of learners’ language practice outside the classroom
through critical analysis of the relationship between language learners
and the language learning context. From a practical perspective, the
book provides language teachers with clear guidelines to use in helping
language learners increase their opportunities to practice language
outside the classroom. Overall, the book’s powerful contribution to SLA
grows out of the convincing case Norton makes for how L2 learners
operate in terms of their social constraints and ever-changing identities
formed by the target language society and out of the roles it proposes for
language educators in accommodating these variations.

REFERENCE
Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five
traditions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

YOONKYUNG KECIA YIM

University of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada

The Phonology of English as an International Language.

Jennifer Jenkins. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Pp. vi + 258.

■ The Phonology of English as an International Language is an invaluable book

on a timely subject. Its stimulating and innovative treatment of pronuncia-
tion teaching is based on the fact that “for the first time in the history of
the English language, second language speakers outnumber those for
whom it is the mother tongue, and interaction in English increasingly
involves no first language speakers whatsoever” (p. 1). The book’s central
theme is that neither the traditional model for teaching English pronun-
ciation (sounding like a native speaker [NS]) nor the current model
(being intelligible to a NS) is relevant to modern realities. Instead, Jenkins
asserts that models should be based on what nonnative speakers (NNSs)
do when they use English as a lingua franca with other NNSs.
The book has eight chapters. The first reviews the changing role of
English for international communication. Chapter 2 focuses on variation
in performance between speakers of different language backgrounds,

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and chapter 3 examines variation in performance in different communi-
cative contexts. Chapter 4 reviews research on intelligibility, setting the
stage for examining teaching priorities discussed in chapters 6–8, and
chapter 5 examines the role of phonological transfer. Chapter 6 provides
arguments for a Lingua Franca Core (LFC), chapter 7 discusses teaching
priorities in light of accommodation theory, and chapter 8 suggests
changes in pronunciation teaching and teacher education.
The book has many strengths, including its serious attempt to address
the role of intelligibility and its well-argued framework, supported by
data, for a common core in pronunciation teaching. Teaching for
intelligibility entails limiting pedagogical goals. In a field that has been
notoriously data poor and anecdote rich, Jenkins has made a major
contribution by basing her proposed curriculum on research data about
actual breakdowns in NNS-NNS talk. Her data suggest that segmental
errors (errors in individual sounds) are often more serious than
suprasegmental (rhythm and pitch) errors, although the most serious
breakdowns involve both kinds of errors. Various aspects of the proposed
LFC curriculum are certain to arouse controversy, particularly the
significantly increased role for segmentals and sentence focus, and the
significantly decreased role for many suprasegmentals (e.g., rhythm,
weak forms, and final intonation). However, the strength of the pro-
posed LFC curriculum is its basis in actual data on miscommunication.
Like all innovative books, this one will provoke both further thinking
and disagreement. For instance, the book strongly dismisses the impor-
tance of the NS model in international communication, arguing that
English’s “L1 speakers have . . . forfeited the right to dictate standards of
pronunciation for L2 use” (p. 16) because they are outnumbered by
NNSs of English. If by this she means that NSs do not have the right to
determine norms for communication that does not involve them, there
can be no disagreement. However, numbers have never really deter-
mined pronunciation models, and therefore native varieties seem likely
to remain an important factor in determining appropriate models. In
addition, the assertion that the NS model should have no role in setting
standards ignores the fact that many learners, especially immigrants,
need to communicate with NSs.
Whatever the goals of learners, pronunciation teaching urgently
needs a more carefully prioritized curriculum. This provocative and
exciting book makes a valuable contribution in that direction.
JUDY B. GILBERT
Orinda, California, United States

JOHN M. LEVIS
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa, United States

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