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The concept of "glocalization"-the concomitant development of global and local values and practices—is used in this paper to draw together two seemingly disparate areas of research in which the author has been involved. The first is the study of English as a global language; it is shown that the increasing use of English as the lingua franca for international communication has at the same time promoted the development of new, localized varieties of English (beyond the traditional British/American dichotomy). The second area is the maintenance, primarily through education, of small languages and cultures-termed "languages of lesser power" (LLP)-which are threatened by the spread of international languages such as English. LLPs include both indigenous languages (those which have existed in a particular country or locality over an indefinite period) and immigrant languages (whose use in a given setting is more recent and documentable). An LLP is most often, though not necessarily, a minority language of a country; and while its existence may be endangered in a particular setting it is not necessarily endangered on a world scale. Case studies are cited from the author's co-edited (nearly completed) book project, Education in languages of lesser power: Asian and Pacific perspectives, to illustrate representative educational initiatives for maintaining or revitalizing LLPs in East/Southeast Asia and the Pacific: specifically, the Norf'k language of Norfolk Island (from research by Mühlhaüsler); Tamil in Singapore (from Shegar and Gopinathan); and Nalik in Papua New Guinea (from Volker). It is suggested that if LLPs are to increase their status, they must adapt to contemporary social conditions, and be taught alongside more powerful languages (such as English) rather than be expected to replace them.
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