Examples of authentic English speech generally include a variety of English writing as well as the English in which both native and non-native speakers communicate. Authentic language is commonly defined by the language teaching profession as that which has not been spoken or written specifically for language teaching. This definition could be considered too narrow because when non-native speakers communicate in English, they are probably using the English they learned in textbooks. At this point, the question arises of abandoning or of redefining the notion of authentic language. On one end of the spectrum, authentic English is that which immigrants have to learn, the English they hear and see all around them. On the other end of the spectrum, authentic English is language used by non-native speakers to communicate with other non-native speakers. It seems therefore that insistence on authenticity in any narrow sense should be dropped. However, there are two reservations. First, authenticity might be seen as a feature of any piece of English which has been used in some kind of successful communication. Secondly, authentic English should be speech that is comprehensible to native speakers in any part of the world. (AMH)