Slide1: Chapters 3 and 4:
Pidgins & Creoles, and Codes
Outcomes of Language Contact: Outcomes of Language Contact Language Death: no native speakers
Language Shift: One language replaces another
Language Maintenance: A relatively stable bi-/ multilingual society
Pidgin: a rudimentary system of communication
Creole: creation of a new language based on pidgins or languages in contact
Lingua Franca
Global Languages
Endangered Languages: Endangered Languages Prediction: half of the approximately 6,000 languages may become extinct within 100 years.
90 Alaskan indigenous
2 being acquired by children.
90 Australia Aboriginal
20 being used by all age groups.
175 Native American
20 being acquired by children.
Slide4: “Creole Courtyard” 1887
Part I.
Pidgins Creoles
1. Pidgins & Creoles: Introduction: 1. Pidgins & Creoles: Introduction
Pidgins and Creoles: Pidgins and Creoles Language varieties developed by speakers in contact who share no common language.
Pidgin
Limited functions of use
Adjunct language (no one speaks only a pidgin)
Linguistically simplified
Develop their own rules and norms of usage
Examples
West African Pidgin English
Chinook Jargon, Native American, British, & French traders in the Pacific Northwest, 19th c.
Solomon Island Pidgin, Solomon Islands
Slide7: Creole
Languages developed from pidgins
First language of some members of a speech community
Used for a wide range of functions
Examples
Jamaican Creole (also called patois)
Krio (Sierra Leone, Africa)
Gullah (South Carolina & Georgia)
Creole Languages (82): Creole Languages (82) AFRO-SEMINOLE CREOLE USA
AMAPA CREOLE Brazil
ANGOLAR São Tomé e Príncipe
ARABIC, BABALIA CREOLE Chad
ARABIC, SUDANESE CREOLE Sudan
AUKAN [DJK] Suriname
BAHAMAS CREOLE ENGLISH Bahamas
BAJAN [BJS] Barbados
BAY ISLANDS CREOLE ENGLISH Honduras
BERBICE CREOLE DUTCH Guyana
BETAWI Indonesia (Java and Bali)
BISLAMA Vanuatu
CAFUNDO CREOLE Brazil
CHAVACANO Philippines
CRIOULO, UPPER GUINEA Guinea-Bissau
CUTCHI-SWAHILI Kenya
DUTCH CREOLE U.S. Virgin Islands
FA D'AMBU Equatorial Guinea FERNANDO PO CREOLE ENGLISH Equatorial Guinea
FRENCH GUIANESE CREOLE FRENCH French Guiana
GUYANESE CREOLE ENGLISH Guyana
HAITIAN CREOLE FRENCH Haiti
HAWAII CREOLE ENGLISH USA
INDO-PORTUGUESE Sri Lanka
INDONESIAN, PERANAKAN Indonesia
KARIPUNA CREOLE FRENCH Brazil
KITUBA Democratic Republic of Congo
KORLAI CREOLE PORTUGUESE India
KRIO Sierra Leone
KRIOL Australia
KWINTI Suriname
LEEWARD CARIBBEAN CREOLE ENGLISH Antigua
LESSER ANTILLEAN CREOLE FRENCH St. Lucia
LOUISIANA CREOLE FRENCH USA
and so on... http://www.ethnologue.com/web.asp
Sources of Linguistic Features: Sources of Linguistic Features
Superstrate: the socially dominant language
Most vocabulary from superstrate language (lexifier language)
Substrate: socially subordinate language(s)
Most grammatical structure from the substrate language(s)
Example: Solomon Islands Pidgin: Superstrate: English
Substrate: Oceanic languages
What does -im mean?
Mi no luk-im pikipiki bulong iu
I not see-HIM? pig belong you
(“I didn’t see your pig.”)
*Mi no luk pikipiki bulong iu.
English
I shot the burglar.
I shot ‘im.
*I shot’im the burglar.
Example: Solomon Islands Pidgin
Example, continued: Solomons Pidgin transitive intransitive
luk ‘look’
luk-im ‘see something
sut ‘shoot’
sut-im ‘shoot something’
Kwaio (Oceanic language)
aga ‘look’
aga-si ‘see something’
fana ‘shoot’
fana-si ‘shoot something’ Example, continued
Can you identify the superstrate of these Creoles?: Can you identify the superstrate of these Creoles? 1. mo pe aste sa banan. I am buying the banana.
French: Seychelles Creole
2. de bin alde luk dat big tri. They always looked for a big tree.
English: Roper River Creole
3. a waka go a wosu. He walked home.
English: Saran
4. ja fruher wir bleiben. Yes at first we remained.
German: Papua New Guinea
5. olmaan i kas-im chek. The old man is cashing a check.
English: Cape York Creole
6. li pote sa bay mo. He brought that for me.
French: Guyanais
Discussion Question 1, Wardhaugh page 64 “If someone told you the pidginized varieties of a language are ‘corrupt’ and ‘ungrammatical,’ and indicated that their speakers are either ‘lazy’ or ‘inferior,’ how might you try to show that person how wrong he or she is? What kinds of evidence would you use? (Is this question too PC? Why “how” wrong?): Discussion Question 1, Wardhaugh page 64 “If someone told you the pidginized varieties of a language are ‘corrupt’ and ‘ungrammatical,’ and indicated that their speakers are either ‘lazy’ or ‘inferior,’ how might you try to show that person how wrong he or she is? What kinds of evidence would you use? (Is this question too PC? Why “how” wrong?)
Five creoles for you to remember 1. Jamaican Creole 2. Gulluh 3. Krio 4. Chinese pidgin English 5. Yiddish (Wardhaugh 64-5): Five creoles for you to remember 1. Jamaican Creole 2. Gulluh 3. Krio 4. Chinese pidgin English 5. Yiddish (Wardhaugh 64-5)
Now have a look at discussion question 2 on p. 69 of Wardhaugh: Now have a look at discussion question 2 on p. 69 of Wardhaugh
The theories of Pidgin origin: The theories of Pidgin origin 1. Polygenesis (not from a single source, but develop independently when the social situation requires communication among speakers who do not share a common language, but need to communicate.
Monogenetic and relexification theories of pidgin origin are almost certainly wrong (Wardhaugh 74-5)
Discussion question 1 on page 77 of Wardhaugh is worth at least a few minutes of our time.: Discussion question 1 on page 77 of Wardhaugh is worth at least a few minutes of our time.
2. Creole Development: 2. Creole Development
Creoles: Structural Similarities: Creoles: Structural Similarities 1. zero copula
di kaafi kuol
the coffee cold
(The coffee is cold.)
2. serial verbs: one verb fulfills a grammatical role
Gullah Creole English (So. Carolina & Georgia)
I tol pas mi
he tall pass me
(He’s taller THAN me.)
Theories of Creolization: Theories of Creolization 1. When children learn a pidgin as a native language
2. Grammaticalization and phrases become words ‘ma bilong mi’ (my husband) to mabilongmi (Wardhaugh 78)
Levels of creole/language statusand the continuum1. Acrolect “high speech”2. Mesolect “middle speech”3. Basolect “low speech”Groups often recognize status distinctions subconsciously: Levels of creole/language status and the continuum 1. Acrolect “high speech” 2. Mesolect “middle speech” 3. Basolect “low speech” Groups often recognize status distinctions subconsciously
Creolization: Creolization 1. When children learn a pidgin as their mother tongue, within a generation or two, native language use becomes consolidated and widespread. The result is a creole.
2. Major expansion in the structural linguistic resources: vocabulary, grammar, and style.
3. Shift in the overall patterns of language use in the community.
Slide23: Decreolization
Shift toward standard form of the language from which the creole derives.
The standard language has the status of social prestige, education, wealth. Creole speakers find themselves under great pressure to change their speech in the direction of the standard.
Slide24: Hypercreolization
Aggressive reaction against the standard language on the part of creole speakers, who assert the superior status of their creole, and the need to recognize the ethnic identity of their communication. Such a reaction can lead to a marked change in speech habits as speakers focus on what they see as the “pure” form of the creole.
Recreolization: Recreolization As Jamacians living in England who “deliberately recreolize the English they use in an attempt to assert their ethnic identity and solidarity bacause of the social situation in which they find themselves (Wardhaugh 84)
Look at discussion question 1 on page 85 (an analagous way to think about these redical linguistic evolutions is to consider the metamorphosis of the whale. Radical change because of special enviornment.
Look also at discussion question 5
3. Pidgins & Creoles: Conditions for Development: 3. Pidgins & Creoles: Conditions for Development
1. The Slave Trade: 1. The Slave Trade The forcible exile of over 12 million Africans to work the plantations of European colonists.
Profile of a Slave Ship: Profile of a Slave Ship Name of ship: Zong
Left Sãn Tomé 6 September 1781
Slaves on board 440
White crew 17
Arrived in Jamaica 27 November 1781
Slaves deceased 60
Crew deceased 7
Slaves sick on arrival, likely to die greater than 60
Price per slave in Jamaica 20-40 pounds
from The Memoirs of Granville-Sharp
(text p. 284)
Two Locations: Two Locations Fort Creole: developed at fortified posts along the west African coast, where European forces held slaves until the arrival of the next ship.
Guinea Coast Creole English
Plantation Creole: developed on plantations in the New World colonies under the dominance of different European languages.
Jamaican Creole Jamaica English
Negerhollands Virgin Islands Dutch
Haitian Creole Haiti French
Papiamento Netherlands Antilles Spanish
Angolar Sãno Tomé Portuguese
2. Trade: 2. Trade Naga Pidgin
Contemporary pidgin spoken by peoples in mountain regions of north-east India.
Acts as lingua franca (29 languages)
Originated as a market language in Assam in the 19th century among the Naga people
Undergoing creolization among small groups like the Kacharis in the town of Dimapur, and among the children of interethnic marriages.
3. European settlement: 3. European settlement movement of European settlers to places where
the indigenous population had not been decimated or moved into reservations
a slave population did not form the labor force
Fanakalo
spoken in parts of South Africa
vocabulary from Zulu, and some from English & Afrikaans)
stable pidgin, shows no signs of creolizing
4. War: 4. War Korean Bamboo English
American wars in Asia (Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand)
marginal, unstable pidgin
Read story of Cinderella-San, Wardhaugh pp. 71-2
5. Labor Migration: 5. Labor Migration within colonized countries, people from different ethnic groups may be drawn into a common work sphere without being forced
Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea (Pacific Islands)
4. Linguistic Features of Pidgins: 4. Linguistic Features of Pidgins
Examples: Examples
Two pidgins for which English supplied much of the vocabulary
Cameroonian Pidgin, Cameroon, West Africa
Korean Bamboo English, Korea
Slide36: Phonology Tend to reduce consonant clusters. Lack Affixes
Slide37: Morphology Use Reduplication. (as in English ‘purple’)
Slide38: Lexicon Reduced vocabularies Polysemy Circumlocution
Slide39: Compounding Lexicon
Slide40: Grammatical Structure
“Often complete lack of inflection in nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adejectives”
Wardhaugh 67 Lack articles (e.g. the, a, an)
Preference for compound sentences, not complex.
very few suffixes and grammatical markers
Time usually expressed with adverbs instead of inflection
Chinese Pidgin English
Before my sellum for ten dollar
PAST 1sg sell for ten dollars
I sold it for ten dollars.
Not always “polite” bagarap ka bilong me I bagarap Wardhaugh, p. 68: Not always “polite” bagarap ka bilong me I bagarap Wardhaugh, p. 68
Linguistic artifacts are absent. Spellings such as ‘knight’ and words which show historical vowel shift like ‘type’ vs ‘typical’ also, though a shift in consonant pronunciation rather than in vowel is ‘space’ ‘spacious’It is as if these new languages are too young to have the wrinkles that older languages develop: Linguistic artifacts are absent. Spellings such as ‘knight’ and words which show historical vowel shift like ‘type’ vs ‘typical’ also, though a shift in consonant pronunciation rather than in vowel is ‘space’ ‘spacious’ It is as if these new languages are too young to have the wrinkles that older languages develop
5. Pidgin Development: 5. Pidgin Development
Theories for structural similarities: Theories for structural similarities 1. Monogenesis & relexification (Portuguese)
2. Independent parallel development (“foreigner talk”)
3. Linguistic universals
Classifying Pidgins: Grammatical Complexity: Classifying Pidgins: Grammatical Complexity
Pre-pidgin (or jargon)
Stable Pidgin
Expanded Pidgin Less Complex More Complex
Expanded Pidgins: Expanded Pidgins Pidgins that have developed a more formal role, as regular auxiliary languages. May have official status as lingua francas.
Linguistically more complex to meet needs.
Used for more functions in a much wider range of situations.
Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinea) c. 1880
expanded pidgin currently undergoing creolization. Now has about 20,000 native speakers.
about 44% of the population
Slide47: Sociolinguistics
Codes
Beyond Babel (2001)
a documentary Intonation
The difficulty of defining language, culture, sociolinguistics, dialect, creole, pidgin, now complicated by the word ‘code’. According to Wardhaugh, the term ‘code’ is useful because it is neutral.: The difficulty of defining language, culture, sociolinguistics, dialect, creole, pidgin, now complicated by the word ‘code’. According to Wardhaugh, the term ‘code’ is useful because it is neutral.
High (H) and Low (L) varieties of a language are distinct, kept separate, and used in different situations.All children learn the L variety, but may not learn the H viariety (Wardhaugh 89): High (H) and Low (L) varieties of a language are distinct, kept separate, and used in different situations. All children learn the L variety, but may not learn the H viariety (Wardhaugh 89)
Slide50: Bilingualism
Individual bilingualism
two native languages in the mind
Fishman: “ a psycholinguistic phenomenon”
Societal bilingualism
A society in which two languages are used but where relatively few individuals are bilingual
Fishman: “a sociolinguistic phenomenon”
Stable bilingualism
persistent bilingualism in a society over several generations
Language evolution:
Language shift
Diglossia
Try discussion questions 1, 2, and 5 on page 94.1. Classical Latin and diglossia.2. English, French, and 1066. Where did Latin fit in if French was H and English L5. Diglossia, dialect, and the vernacular in the classroom: Try discussion questions 1, 2, and 5 on page 94. 1. Classical Latin and diglossia. 2. English, French, and 1066. Where did Latin fit in if French was H and English L 5. Diglossia, dialect, and the vernacular in the classroom
Slide53: BENEFITS OF BILINGUALISM
(California Department of Education, Language Policy and Leadership Office)
Enhanced academic and linguistic competence in two languages
Development of skills in collaboration & cooperation
Appreciation of other cultures and languages
Cognitive advantages
Increased job opportunities
Expanded travel experiences
Lower high school drop out rates
Higher interest in attending colleges and universities
Potential problems with bilingualismInterference between L1 and L2Increasing proficiency in L2 leads to reduced speed in L1: Potential problems with bilingualism Interference between L1 and L2 Increasing proficiency in L2 leads to reduced speed in L1
Table 1: Percent of Children Who Speak Only English by Generation and Group : Table 1: Percent of Children Who Speak Only English by Generation and Group By 3rd generation more than 70% of most groups, Hispanic, Asian, ect. Are monoglot English speakers
Speaking only English is the predominant pattern by the third generation, except for Dominicans, who are known for frequent back-and-forth travel between their homeland and the US.
Some very interesting multilingual situations occur in the world and we will look at some of these in this lecture.TukanoThe Tukano people of the northwest Amazon, on the border between Colombia and Brazil, are multilingual. Men in this society must marry outside their language group. To marry a woman who speaks the same language is seen to be marrying one’s sister (one whose mother-tongue is the same). Men, therefore, choose to marry from the various neighbouring tribes where other languages are spoken. Once married the woman moves to the husband’s household. As a result of this process most villages are multilingual as women have moved into them as wives and taking with them their mother tongue. Children are born into a multilingual environment speaking both the mother’s and the father’s language and those of other children. When men from one village visit another they will always find speakers of their own language who have preceded them. Multilingualism among the Tukano is the norm, they cannot readily tell an outsider just how many languages they speak or how well they speak them.: Some very interesting multilingual situations occur in the world and we will look at some of these in this lecture. Tukano The Tukano people of the northwest Amazon, on the border between Colombia and Brazil, are multilingual. Men in this society must marry outside their language group. To marry a woman who speaks the same language is seen to be marrying one’s sister (one whose mother-tongue is the same). Men, therefore, choose to marry from the various neighbouring tribes where other languages are spoken. Once married the woman moves to the husband’s household. As a result of this process most villages are multilingual as women have moved into them as wives and taking with them their mother tongue. Children are born into a multilingual environment speaking both the mother’s and the father’s language and those of other children. When men from one village visit another they will always find speakers of their own language who have preceded them. Multilingualism among the Tukano is the norm, they cannot readily tell an outsider just how many languages they speak or how well they speak them.
SianeA similiar circumstance occurs in New Guinea with the Siane. It is normal for people to know several languages and to choose the most appropriate one for each occasion. There is also a genuine interest in ‘language learning’ among the Siane. Salisbury (1962) tells of a situation where a group of laborers returned from working on the coast where they had learned pidgin English (Tok Pisin) and almost immediately a village school was established so that the rest of the males in the community could learn the pidgin.: Siane A similiar circumstance occurs in New Guinea with the Siane. It is normal for people to know several languages and to choose the most appropriate one for each occasion. There is also a genuine interest in ‘language learning’ among the Siane. Salisbury (1962) tells of a situation where a group of laborers returned from working on the coast where they had learned pidgin English (Tok Pisin) and almost immediately a village school was established so that the rest of the males in the community could learn the pidgin.
IndiaA multilingual situation has been reported by Gumperz and Wilson (1971) of Kupwar, a village of 3,000 inhabitants in Maharashtra in India. Four languages are spoken: two Indo-European language, Marathi and Urdu, and two non-Indo-European languages: Kannada and Telegu. Language use is determined by the caste system:The highest caste, Jains, speak Kannada The untouchables speak Marathi The small population of rope-markers speak Telugu The Muslims speak Urdu Marathi dominates inter-group communication.Bilingualism and even tri-lingualism is normal, especially among men. A consequence of this situation has been some convergence of languages with regard to syntax. As a result the languages have become to differ more and more in their vocabularies alone. (Wardhaugh 1998:99): India A multilingual situation has been reported by Gumperz and Wilson (1971) of Kupwar, a village of 3,000 inhabitants in Maharashtra in India. Four languages are spoken: two Indo-European language, Marathi and Urdu, and two non-Indo-European languages: Kannada and Telegu. Language use is determined by the caste system: The highest caste, Jains, speak Kannada The untouchables speak Marathi The small population of rope-markers speak Telugu The Muslims speak Urdu Marathi dominates inter-group communication. Bilingualism and even tri-lingualism is normal, especially among men. A consequence of this situation has been some convergence of languages with regard to syntax. As a result the languages have become to differ more and more in their vocabularies alone. (Wardhaugh 1998:99)
The Gastarbeiter impactIn Europe bilingualism has resulted from a longstanding co-existence of languages, as in Belgium, or from more recent changes in social structure, such caused by the Gastarbeiter or guest worker groups in Europe. Guest workers and their dependents now constitute a population of 24 million in northern Europe. They originate from Turkey, Greece, Italy, Japan, the new Balkan states and Arabic-speaking countries. In the early 1990s it was estimated that some 750,000 foreign students attended German schools and about 1 million attended French schools. Such populations need to be catered for in terms of language programmes for maintaining the children’s languages, translation services, interpreting services etc. all of which have an impact on the multilingual nature of society.: The Gastarbeiter impact In Europe bilingualism has resulted from a longstanding co-existence of languages, as in Belgium, or from more recent changes in social structure, such caused by the Gastarbeiter or guest worker groups in Europe. Guest workers and their dependents now constitute a population of 24 million in northern Europe. They originate from Turkey, Greece, Italy, Japan, the new Balkan states and Arabic-speaking countries. In the early 1990s it was estimated that some 750,000 foreign students attended German schools and about 1 million attended French schools. Such populations need to be catered for in terms of language programmes for maintaining the children’s languages, translation services, interpreting services etc. all of which have an impact on the multilingual nature of society.
FluidityAn important feature of most multilingual societies is their fluidity. The relationships between the languages are always changing (with the exception perhaps of Paraguay). In some areas the level of bilingualism is increasing which suggests that the languages are becoming more equal, in others, second and third generation immigrants are becoming more monolingual as in the USA and in Australia. Several scenarios might exist:language maintenance whereby one language survives despite powerful neighbours language shift whereby speakers of a language may have assimilated to the dominant culture and its language Extensive vocabulary borrowing by one of the languages The emergence of a new ‘hybrid’, eg creoles and pidgins Language death: Fluidity An important feature of most multilingual societies is their fluidity. The relationships between the languages are always changing (with the exception perhaps of Paraguay). In some areas the level of bilingualism is increasing which suggests that the languages are becoming more equal, in others, second and third generation immigrants are becoming more monolingual as in the USA and in Australia. Several scenarios might exist: language maintenance whereby one language survives despite powerful neighbours language shift whereby speakers of a language may have assimilated to the dominant culture and its language Extensive vocabulary borrowing by one of the languages The emergence of a new ‘hybrid’, eg creoles and pidgins Language death
Three-Circle Model of World Englishes: Three-Circle Model of World Englishes
The Inner Circle: The Inner Circle English as dominant language
“Standard Englishes”
British Isles (UK) 65 million
US & parts of Caribbean 300 million
Canada 27 million
Australia 18 million
New Zealand 4 million
414 million
The Outer Circle: The Outer Circle former colonies
co-exists with other languages
“Standardizing Englishes”
African territories
(Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Ambia) 300 million
Indian subcontinent
(India, Paistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) 1.2 billion
Pacific rim
(Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines) 80 million
The Expanding Circle: The Expanding Circle English of those for whom the language serves no purpose within their own countries.
Historically, learned English to use with native speakers in the U.S. and UK. Now, more likely to use it for communication with other non-native speakers.
Number is more difficult to assess since it depends on the level of competence
Far East (China, Indonesia, Japan,
Korea, Nepal, Taiwan) 1.7 billion
Middle East (Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia) 70 million
Africa (Zimbabwe) 10 million
Worldwide Speakers of English: Worldwide Speakers of English
20% of the world’s population speak English as a first or second language
additional 45% use English in some important capacity in their lives
Total: Nearly two-thirds of the world population
“Outer Circle”: Indian English: “Outer Circle”: Indian English
Social Tensions: “I think it’s too late to resist anything. I mean there’s no point. You know, you’ve got English, it’s become part of the fabric of the country. It’s an Indian language, it’s not a foreign language, not any more. And I think the task at hand is to be able to own it. You know, and define your own version of how you use the language.”
—Arnab Chaudhuri Social Tensions
Spoken Indian English: Grammatical: Spoken Indian English: Grammatical omission of articles I borrowed book from library.
SOV word order I door open.
prepositional variation I my aunt to visited.
comparative good, more good, most good of all
itself/only Can I meet with you tomorrow itself?
existential ‘there’ Meat is there, vegetables are there.
politeness markers These mistakes may please be corrected.
tense & aspect I am having a cold.
question non-inversion Who you have come to see?
generic tag question You are going home soon, isn’t it?
Spoken Indian English: Lexical: Spoken Indian English: Lexical bandh ‘regional labor strike’
crore ‘10 million’
lathi ‘bamboo iron-clad police truncheon’
biodata ‘CV/Curriculum Vitae’
co-brother ‘wife’s sister’s husband’
Slide70: We started by setting up exhibitions on railway stations, ordinarily you know that nobody will come and see an exhibition if it is uh... organized in a hall, but in a railway station there are always people and have a little time to spare. They started coming to the exhibition, they started looking around, and of course we tried to reach their minds by telling them what the various matters are and you'd be surprised that we could motivate quite a number of people in this very simple fashion. People always like elephants — they're fantastic looking — and we decided to acquire an elephant, paint it and we all taught it some tricks. Listen for trilled /r/ and retroflex stops Indian English Audio Sample
II. English as a Global Language: II. English as a Global Language
What is a Global Language?: What is a Global Language?
Is English a global language because more people speak it than any other language?
No. Only about one-fourth of the world's population speaks English as its primary or second language.
Slide73: A global language plays some role in most countries.
1. Mother-tongue
USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa (but compare to Spanish in 20 countries)
2. Official language: government, law, media, education
some kind of special status in over 70 countries (e.g. Ghana, Nigeria, India, Singapore, Rwanda)
more than any other international language, present and past (e.g. French, Spanish, Arabic)
3. Priority status in countries’ foreign-language teaching
most widely taught foreign language (100+ countries)
becoming the chief foreign language (e.g. 1996, replaced French in Algeria (a former French colony)
Number of English Speakers Growing Rapidly: Number of English Speakers Growing Rapidly The three roles English plays throughout the world suggest that English will eventually come to be used by more people than any other language.
The number of speakers fluent/competent in English is growing more rapidly for English than any other language (although Spanish is growing more rapidly than English in terms of mother-tongue use).
Slide75: Should we have a global language?
Advantages: Advantages International Lingua Franca
International business
International air transportation
International organizations
1945 UN, World Bank
1946 UNESCO, UNICEF
1948 World Health Organization
International academic-scientific community
conferences
publication
Internet
Disadvantages: Disadvantages Mixed feelings for native speakers
Pride? Ownership?
Linguistic complacency
Are monolingual English speakers disadvantaged?
Should everyone speak at least two languages?
Language death
Access to power
English spoken by world elite.
Internet
Slide78: How English Became a Global Language
Why English?: Why English? It is more beautiful/logical?
It has “less grammar”?
What about Latin, Greek, Arabic?
It is easier to learn?
However, children learn “more complex” languages at the same rate as children learning English
It is willing to borrow words?
It is more democratic because it doesn’t have a grammatical system of coding social class differences?
Javanese, Japanese
NONE of the above.
Slide80:
1. Religious proselytizing & current religious significance)
Australian aborigine villagers and Caucasian missionary, 1930 In the 1600s, the King James Bible traveled farther and faster than the spoken word could. The Bible was in print when the British Empire was being built. From 1611, voyages to America, to India through the East India Company, and later to South Africa.
2. The Slave Trade: 2. The Slave Trade The forcible exile of over 12 million Africans to work the plantations of European colonists.
3. Imperialism India, independence 1947: 3. Imperialism India, independence 1947 Hindu Man Serving Tea to Colonial Woman
(ca. 1910-1930) © Underwood & Underwood
CORBIS VV1190
New Zealand: New Zealand
Maori Warriors (ca. 1854)
In the 19th century the Maori resisted colonization and warred with British settlers.
©CORBIS BK002387
4. Economic significance: 4. Economic significance England led world in production and trade in 1900
USA led world in industrial production in 20th century.
5. Cultural Capital : 5. Cultural Capital Japan
English doesn’t have a historic foothold in Japan.
Western movies, fashion, music
Japanese teenagers have grown up with American and UK music.
“Chris Peppler: “I am a bilingual DJ and my forte is more on western music rather than the local music and I feel that when you’re introducing American or British songs I like to do it in English. It’s just like you know, you don’t eat sushi with a knife and fork.”
Babamania: Babamania Japanese pop
group performs exclusively in English. チェルシーホテル "say baba TOKYO" 予約受け付け
Slide87: Myths about English as a Global Language
Myths about English as a Global Language: Myths about English as a Global Language 1. Will everyone soon be speaking English?
2. Will globalization lead to homogeneity?
People have more choices, not fewer (you can order customized jeans from Levi Strauss and a customized computer from Dell).
Establish virtual communities (e.g. fly fishing)
3. Are nation-states crumbling (e.g. European Union)?
The EU promotes uniform standards for food production and currency; however, it also promotes Catalan autonomy and Scottish devolution.
Resources: Resources International Dialects of English Archives: http://www.ukans.edu/~idea/index2.html
Varieties of English http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp
British English, Canadian English, African-American English, American Indian English, Chicano English, Northeast U.S., Southern States English
Worldwide Accents of English
Text, transcription, audio, some explanations of linguistic features. Comparison of British RP with General American, Scottish, USA Southern Mountains, Texan, Asian Indian, Nigerian
http://www.gazzaro.it/accents/files/accents2.html
http://www.gazzaro.it/accents/files/EnglishAccents.html
New Englishes: http:www.postcolonialweb.org/index.html
Pidgin and Creoles
Language Museum: http://www.language-museum.com
Pidgins & creoles archive http://www.pca.uni-siegen.de