SUMMARY:

This is a Russian translation of Matthew W. Turner’s interview with a specialist in World Englishes (WE), Mario Saraceni of the University of Portsmouth. The conversation highlights WE as a paradigm that acknowledges the pluralistic nature of English, emphasizing its diverse variants spoken globally and its role as a lingua franca. Saraceni shares his personal journey into WE, explaining how recognizing the existence of various “Englishes,” particularly in creative writing from regions like West Africa and Southeast Asia, was a revelation that fostered his interest. A key theme explored is the idea of “making the language your own,” as exemplified by writers like Chinua Achebe, who consciously adapted English to express African experiences, thereby claiming ownership and transforming it from a foreign product into a localized phenomenon. This is the prerequisite necessary for the equality of different World Englishes regardless of their relative “seniority” and “authenticity.”