English as a Lingua Franca

Who does English belong to?

     I will start this post with an anecdotal experience. Here's a little piece of conversation I have recently witnessed between two of my students;

 Student A: " I have gone to Kharabakh last summer.  KHARAbakh, no ...KharaBAKH...  What's the right way of saying it?"

 Student B: "And is it right to say "have been" or "went"?" .

 Two questions standing in the queue of my thoughts. But before I can process either of them, it dawns on me that two of my students have just stopped the natural flow of their conversation because of their over-obsession with accuracy. It is one thing that an Armenian has to put his tongue twice between his teeth to pronounce an English word like "thousandth",(or "cenicero" in Spanish")  but why would an Armenian worry so much about the English pronunciation of an Armenian land? Is it KHARAbakh or KharaBAKH...? Who decides this? The English?

  After a brief pause I answered the first question, saying that past simple is preferable when speaking about a specific past event and, turning to the first student, I said smth that an English teacher would not normally say;

  "I think it's up to us to decide how to pronounce Kharabakh".

   Now, as you think of it, the truth is that English has long ceased to be confined to the English of the former British colonies, nor is it now restricted to any geographical location or nationality. The widespread use of English as a lingua franca  (ELF) has led to a change of perspectives as to what should be the model of language in learning English. Traditionally, we followed the model of the native speaker, supposing that the ultimate aim of the language learner is to communicate with the native speaker. However, such a perspective can no longer function. English is now used everyday between non-native speakers as a common tool for communication without any interaction with a native speaker. In fact, many EFL learners never ever meet the "perfect native speaker" in their lives! Keeping this in mind, how reasonable is it to promote the standard English in all circumstances ? Say an Armenian, Russian and a German work in the same office and interact in English, should it trouble them that their intralanguage deviates from the Standard English  as long as the communication is successful?
   Coming back to the question of "KHARAbakh or KharaBAKH" mentioned in the beginning. Not only has English successfully escaped from the British colonies and spread all over the world as a lingua Franca, it has also started to be shaped by the world. Whether English teachers accept it or not, billions of non-native speakers make "mistakes" (deviation from the accurate forms of standard English) every day all over the world. Is it right? Is it wrong? It is a fact. A non-native induced erroneous form "I am loving it" (EFL teachers, put your red pens in your scabbards. I know that "love" is a stative verb) became the slogan for McDonalds. Coincidence or a reflection of a tendency?
  In conclusion, I would like to say that whatever the case is, it's time for EFL teachers to stop blindly following the native model and prioritize the needs of their students in making decisions on what to teach, what to correct and what to leave as it is.