We take a look at fundamental principles that operate when social and/or regional varieties of English are in contact with each other or with other languages. We take a historical look at English and explore various contact settings which have shaped its development, from contact with Old Norse, Latin and Norman French to the present day. We discuss patterns of bilingualism and multilingualism, that is when speakers use two or more languages in their everyday lives. As the product of migration and colonization, different kinds of English have emerged in different locations around the world. We learn how new dialects emerge as a product of new-dialect formation and how contact-derived varieties such as pidgins and creoles develop under conditions of language contact, with emphasis on different theories of origins. Finally, we discuss the so-called Global Englishes which have emerged as a product of second-language learning around the world.

World Englishes (WEs) research has developed into one of the most flourishing and vibrant fields of linguistic inquiry. To capture the sociolinguistic diversification of English, researchers have investigated a multitude of Englishes spoken around the globe as native or second languages. Together with different labels and terms for the different varieties of English, scholars have developed, applied, discussed, and refined different models of and approaches to WEs to account for the spread, forms, and functions of the language worldwide. The chapter gives an overview of the most important research developments in the field and introduces the most prominent models, showing that models with a diachronic dimension, viz. Schneider (2003, 2007) and, most recently, Buschfeld and Kautzsch’s (2017) Extra- and Intra-territorial Forces (EIF) Model, can best account for the complex realities and developments of English worldwide. The latter approach is discussed in some detail as it constitutes the most recent addition to the WEs paradigm. It stands out due to its attempt to integrate postcolonial and non-postcolonial Englishes and thus bridges a prominent gap in the discipline.