Using empirical data from ACE and from a selection of Asian varieties of English, how local and regional cultural and pragmatic norms are realised in the English being used by Asian multilinguals will be illustrated. We also investigate whether there is empirical evidence for the idea that there is an ‘Asian’ way of communication which is marked or characterised by dialogue and consensus. In an earlier study (Kirkpatrick 2010), fifteen speaker and listener strategies were identified which were adopted by Asian multilinguals while using English as a lingua franca. These findings supported other findings using more European-based data, illustrating that English as a lingua franca is characterised by its speakers’ adoption of specific communicative strategies to ensure successful communication and the preservation of their fellow interlocutors’ face. It will be argued, however, that context is the crucial variable, as there are occasions when speakers, far from seeking to preserve the face of their fellow interlocutors, were happy to threaten their interlocutors’ face.