ABSTRACT
The chapter begins by examining the term ‘intelligibility’ as defined by scholars representing three areas of research, namely second language (L2) pronunciation, world Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF). In order to address the subject of intelligibility in global contexts, some of the major studies from these three areas are then reviewed. Researchers from L2 pronunciation set out to identify the speaker and listener variables that affect the intelligibility of L2 speech. Researchers from WE, on the other hand, approach the subject by investigating the international intelligibility of the new varieties of English, particularly to other non-native speakers of the language. ELF researchers meanwhile are keen to uncover how speakers negotiate and co-construct intelligibility in interaction and the kinds of accommodation strategies they employ in the process. Although the underlying assumptions and the approaches associated with the three fields are not always congruent, the findings contribute towards developing a more comprehensive picture of the subject of intelligibility in international communication. The chapter ends by considering the pedagogical implications of the findings of intelligibility studies and providing some directions for future research.
