Modelling world Englishes for the twenty‐first century

Abstract It is almost 40 years since Braj Kachru developed his Three Circles Model for world Englishes as a framework for exploring the ways in which English exists around the world. This article examines how the model holds up in light both of advances in applied linguistics and shifts in geopolitics over the past four decades and, in response to these changes, considers how we may wish to refine or reconfigure aspects of this model for the twenty‐first century. The article illustrates the discussion with reference to an exploration of the concept of ‘China English’ as this exists today within the broader context of world Englishes.