“Native” or “Non‐Native”: Who's Worth More? Where Do We Stand on Medgyes' “Worthiness” Question After 30 Years?

ABSTRACT Different from critical literature reviews offering macro‐level perspectives on non‐native speakerhood/teacherhood traditionally characterized by such terms as native English‐speaking teachers and non‐native English‐speaking teachers (Calafato, Kamhi‐Stein, Selvi and Swearingen), this paper adopts a micro‐level focus on the provocative question raised in the title of Peter Medgyes' seminal article—who's worth more? Interrogating the notions of value, legitimacy, and competency encapsulated in this question of worthiness, the micro‐level focus of this conceptual paper is built on three key premises: (1) recognizing the significance of his scholarship as the cornerstone of the NNEST movement, (2) critically examining the provocative question raised in his article and exploring the unintended consequences of this binary perspective as a form of residual discourse, and (3) advocating for interpretations that provide a more nuanced and complex understanding of (non)native speakerhood/teacherhood beyond his original stance—both epistemologically and ideologically.