Braj B. Kachru developed the field of World Englishes, which examines the language’s unprecedented spread internationally and its consequent emergence into new varieties, spoken for example in India, Singapore, and Nigeria.

This special double issue, Honoring the Life and Work of Braj B. Kachru, celebrates the tremendous accomplishments of Kachru, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 84. It includes 40 contributions from leading international scholars in the field of World Englishes.

Dr. Hilgendorf was a student of Kachru, and her research focuses on the more recent spread and nativization of English in the Expanding Circle, or regions never subjected to British colonial rule. These include, for example, continental Europe and South America, where English has been gaining uses as a result of globalization and increasing transnational contact and interaction.