The NNEST Lens: Non-native English Speakers in TESOL

Abstract

In the Foreword to this edited volume, Jun Liu, a well-known advocate of the NNEST (Non-native English speakers in TESOL) cause, has this to say: ‘Credibility needs to be earned, whether you are a native speaker or nonnative speaker of the language’ (p. xi). I consider this remark important for two reasons: it acknowledges (1) that NESTs (Native English speakers in TESOL) and NNESTs are two different species and (2) that birth into either group accords no privileges for its members. The playing field is level. In theory, yes; in practice, well, not always, as several authors in the volume point out. I love the title, The NNEST Lens, because it urges me to run for the dictionary. Is/are lens singular or plural? Can you say one len, two lens, three lenses? After all, I am a NNEST whose language instinct (in English) is wont to lead me astray. No need for the dictionary though since Dr Mahboob claims in one of the opening sentences of Chapter 1: ‘The NNEST lens is a lens of multilingualism, multinationalism, and multiculturalism through which NNESTs […] take diversity as a starting point, rather than as a result’ (p. 1). And this is exactly the greatest virtue of the book: while it offers enormous diversity in terms of the topics discussed and the approaches adopted, it remains coherent by examining all facets of being a NNEST through a single lens. The volume is varied and convergent at the same time.