China English, Chinese English, and Chinglish: Does It Matter?

Since the introduction of English in China, several major varieties (e.g., China English, Chinese English, and Chinglish) have emerged and coexisted for long. Under the influence of World Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF), issues concerning which type of English should be considered representative have aroused heated debate with an undetermined conclusion yet in China’s academia. The current study proposes Chinese English as an overarching term, China English as an official variety for ideological publicity, and New Chinglish as emerging folk wisdom among Chinese netizens. It is suggested that instead of the zero-sum mindset of asserting one variety over the other two, China English, Chinese English, and Chinglish can represent a panoramic China, with each performing distinctive functions to enhance international and intranational communication. The current paper also asserts that if appropriately utilized according to specific communicative contexts by specific discourse groups, such as through the integration of these indigenous varieties of English into EAP and ESP classroom practices within the Chinese context, the goals of English education can be better achieved in China.