General Discussion

To wit, to woo:
https://www.thoughtco.com/english-as-a-native-language-enl-1690598

By Richard Nordquist
Richard Nordquist
English and Rhetoric Professor

Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks.
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Updated on May 29, 2019

Definition: The variety of the English language spoken by people who acquired English as their first language or mother tongue.

English as a Native Language (ENL) is commonly distinguished from English as an Additional Language (EAL), English as a Second Language (ESL), and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

Native Englishes include American English, Australian English, British English, Canadian English, Irish English, New Zealand English, Scottish English, and Welsh English. In recent years, the proportion of ENL speakers has steadily declined while the use of English in ESL and EFL regions has rapidly incre