World Englishes

World Englishes: 

World Englishes

There’s no such thing as English …: 

There’s no such thing as English … But greet harm was it, as it thought me, That on his shin a mormal hadde he. (Chaucer) Thy conceit is nearer death than thy powers. For my sake be comfortable; hold death awhile at the arm's end: I will here be with thee presently; (Shakespeare) Had they been only ten minutes sooner, they should have been beyond the reach of his discrimination, for it was plain that he was that moment arrived, that moment alighted from his horse or his carriage. (Jane Austen)

There’s no such thing as English …: 

There’s no such thing as English … There’s lovely then! It’s not snowing, anyroad. That was real nice He said he'd tint it, whilk wis no whit we wantit tae hear Marcoola beach arvo sesh Saltwater Fishing Photos Dem a wan no good bunch

The spread of English …: 

The spread of English … The first diaspora : English is transported to the new World (America, Australia, New Zealand and later South Africa) Settlement by English speakers displaced the precolonial population. The settlers remained permanently.

The spread of English …: 

The spread of English … The second diaspora : colonisation for purposes of trade – Africa, Asia The colonial settlers lived alongside the precolonial population, maintaining them in subjection. Settlers remained “attached” to and usually returned to Britain

The spread of English …: 

The spread of English … 20th century … Improved communications Internationalisation of tourism, business, entertainment etc Education The EFL industry

How is English used in the world?: 

How is English used in the world? Inner Circle Englishes “Norm-providing” Outer Circle Englishes “Norm-developing” Expanding Circle Englishes “Norm-dependent” See : Kachru The Other Tongue : English Across Cultures University of Illinois Press

World Englishes …: 

World Englishes … Inner Circle Englishes : Developed over time away from the varieties of English spoken by the original settlers. Mother tongue speakers Outer Circle Englishes : usually learnt as a second language (though eg Singapore English – increasingly now mother tongue). Inevitably influenced by original language(s) of the precolonial population

How is English used in the Outer Circle?: 

How is English used in the Outer Circle? As a lingua franca for internal purposes – eg India, Uganda For access to scientific and technical literature which may not exist in local languages As a lingua franca for international contact: business, air traffic control, tourism,etc

Outer Circle Englishes: 

Development of distinct varieties of English, showing … - systematic grammatical difference eg Quantification : Don’t eat so much sweets (Singapore) - systematic lexical differences eg an astronaut (Hong Kong) - a distinctive accent eg retroflex “r” (Indian English) - discourse differences eg deferential style in Indian English : It is an absolute privilege and an honour to have… Outer Circle Englishes

An example : Singlish: 

An example : Singlish A mix of English words and Chinese grammar – eg : - past tense often dropped : When I was young, ah, I go to school every day. - be often omitted : You looking for trouble, izzit? - use of particles: How come you don't give me leh?  incorporation of Malay, Tamil and Chinese words : Let’s go makan! Phonological and discourse differences – eg : - is syllable timed - no th sounds or l/r disticntion frequent use of rise-fall tone for emphasis Topic prominence : Dis country weather very hot one. Politeness strategies – eg use of you before imperative : You hold on

English in the Outer Circle : Some questions …: 

English in the Outer Circle : Some questions … Does the use of English devalue or threaten other languages and cultures? Does the use of English ensure that power stays in the hands of the Inner Circle countries? Does the development of regional varieties mean that speakers will no longer be intelligible internationally?

English in the Expanding Circle : Some questions ..: 

English in the Expanding Circle : Some questions .. What’s the point of a Finnish speaker learning British or American English if s/he’s going to be using it to speak to Germans, French, Spanish etc So what exactly should we be teaching? Is a new variety of International English emerging that native speakers also need to learn? Who is the best teacher of International English – a native speaker who doesn’t speak it or a non-native speaker who does?

But then …: 

But then … Will English continue to be the language of international communication anyway?