Thai Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the Notion of World Englishes and “Thai English”
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Abstract
This mixed-method study aimed to determine Thai teachers' attitudes towards the emerging local variety of English in Thailand tentatively called Thailish (Thai English). Results of online surveys and semi-structured interviews with 60 Thai high school teachers in Bangkok revealed that they are highly aware of Thailand's emerging local variety of English, especially Thailish. The majority of the respondents stated that they are proficient in the emerging local variety of English in the four primary English language skills. However, it can be noted that despite a substantial number of respondents indicating their strong familiarity and competence with Thailish, a significant portion of them prefer that the use of Thailish be limited particularly in academic and formal contexts.
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