Chapter 6

The pluricentricity vs. pluriareality debate

The notions “pluricentricity” and “pluriareality” are hotly debated conceptions, in particular among linguists aiming to conceptualize the spread and standards of the German language (e.g. Dollinger 2019a, 2019b; Elspaß et al. 2017; Muhr 2013, 2020; Scheuringer 1996). The present chapter aims to shed light on this controversy from an Anglophone perspective. Drawing on examples of general linguistic distribution patterns and language use in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa; I discuss what the two notions can contribute to our understanding and conceptualization of the English language. The conclusion, however, will be far from satisfactory for the strict proponents of the two approaches: I argue that both are valid approaches and not necessarily mutually exclusive. Only a joint perspective can shed conclusive light on the spread, conceptualizations, and standards of supra-national languages such as English (and probably also German). Further, I will argue that in times of ongoing globalization, these conceptions become increasingly obsolete and wider, requiring more flexible approaches to linguistic variation — at least if we take on the global perspective.