English Around the World Flashcards
What are some examples of countries that use English as an official language ?
England, Australia, USA, South Africa, India, Nigeria, Singapore
What are some features of Singlish?
Non-English particles - “ah” and “lah”
Non-standard verb inflection - “We all talk English”
Borrowed language - “ang moh”
Missing copular verbs - “everybody make fun of him”
Why is English so widespread?
The British Empire ruled 1/3 of the world
English is the most important lingua franca for discussions across countries
What is a lingua franca?
A language used to communicate between parties who do not speak a common language.
What are Kachru’s Three Circles?
Inner circle, Outer circle and Expanding circle
What is the inner circle?
- Countries where English is a first language
- Norm PROVIDERS, they set the standard for how English should be spoken
- e.g. the UK, the USA and Canada
What is the outer circle?
- Regions where English is a second language
- Norm DEVELOPING, they follow the standard but deviate and develop their own distinct varieties
- e.g. Singapore, Ghana, Nigeria
What is the expanding circle?
- English is used for political and business purposes, practically but not conversationally
- Norm DEPENDENT, they rely on the standard set by the inner circle to communicate and be understood
- e.g. China, Russia
What are some features of Canadian English?
Spelling: “u” in “favour” (British) and “z” in “realize” (American)
Phonology: “marry” sounds the same as “merry”. About is pronounced “uh-boat”
Lexis: Washroom not bathroom or restroom
Use of yiz and eh
What is Canadian English an example of?
Inner circle English
What are some features of Indian English?
Phonology: syllable timed, all equally stressed
Lexis: “Achaa” means “good”
Grammar: Use of progressive aspect over simple present tense, “no?” is a common tag question
What is Indian English an example of?
Outer Circle English
What are some features of English as a lingua franca?
Omission of TPSPT “s” - she go to work”
Omission of articles - “I’m going to shops”
Omission of plural “s” - “She has two shoe”
What are the stages of Schneider’s Dynamic Model?
Foundation, Exonormative, Nativisation, Endonormative, Differentiation
Describe foundation
English is brought to a new territory - some lexical borrowings occur to aid simple communication
Define exonormative stabilisation
The elite and powerful natives become bilingual and English is used for prestige purposes e.g. Law and education
Define nativisation
Britain’s influence weakens - bilingual speakers develop a new variety / regional dialect
Define endonormative stabilisation
The territory gains independence and the region specific form is codified and used for prestige purposes
Define differentiation in Schneider’s Dynamic Model
The new variety becomes widely spoken and begins to divide into different social varieties.
What is Phillipson’s attitude towards World Englishes?
The spread of English is causing other languages to die out (Levelling)
What is Crystal’s attitude towards World Englishes?
English will continue to spread as the global Lingua Franca
What is McArthur’s attitude towards World Englishes?
English is breaking up into different languages (Anglic Language Family)
What is Ostler’s attitude towards World Englishes?
As British and American influence declines, another language will replace English as the global Lingua Franca
