World Englishes Flashcards
What are the different acronyms for English languages?
- EFL- English as a foreign language
- ESL- English as a 2nd language
- EAL- English as an additional language
- ELF- English as a lingua franca
What is an example of colloquial Australian English?
Can I have a cup of tea, thanks?
What are some negative discourses about American English?
- Lazy due to abbreviations
- Stupid/ugly
- Slang
- Taking over
- British English is superior, desirable and prestigious
How do British English speakers view standard English?
Norm providing (exonormative)
How do American English speakers view standard English?
Norm providing (distributional spread- fashion)
What is the most prestigious form of language in India?
American English
What is a lingua franca?
A common language used for communication between groups of people who speak different native languages
What is the 3 circles model and who created it?
- Kachru
1. The inner circle- English is used as a 1st language, acquired from birth
2. The outer circle- counties colonised by Britain and USA where English is spoken as a 2nd language
3. The expanding circle- English isn’t an official language but is recognised as important as a foreign language
What is the percentage of native English speakers and EAL speakers in England?
Native- 92.3%
EAL- 6%
What is the percentage of native English speakers and EAL speakers in Pakistan?
Native- 0.0035%
EAL- 62%
What is the percentage of English speakers in China?
0.9%
What is the percentage of native English speakers and EAL speakers in the USA?
Native- 78.1%
EAL- 17.4%
When was the 1st permanent English settlement in America?
1607
By the mid 1600’s how many migrants had settled in the area which is now Massachusetts?
25,000
What had the population of America reached by 1790?
4 million
When and why did Americans begin to change their spoken and written language?
- After the Revolutionary War in 1776
- They wanted to separate themselves from the British in language as they had separated themselves from the British government
What did Benjamin Franklin want?
A new system of spelling
What did Noah Webster do?
- Wrote language books for schools
- Thought Americans should learn from American books
When did Noah Webster publish his 1st spelling book?
1783
What did Noah Webster publish in 1828 and what did it establish?
- The American dictionary of the English language
- Established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English
What did Noah Webster believe?
- British spelling rules were too complex
- Worked to establish a more phonetic American version of the English Language
- E.g. centre instead of centre/honor instead of honour
What did Noah Webster say about speaking words?
- Every part of a word should be spoken
- Made American English easier for immigrants to learn
- E.g. “sec-re-tary” instead of “sec-re-t’ry”
What did George Bernard Shaw say?
“Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language”
When did European explorers 1st go to Australia?
1606
Who was the 1st captain of the 1st crew to step foot onto Australia?
William Janszoon
Who was the 1st Englishman to explore and map parts of Australia?
William Dampier
What do Australians make little distinction between?
The diphthongs /æ ɪ/ and /aɪ/
(Makes main and mine near homophones)
What is the most recognisable features of American phonology?
The Australian questioning intonation (rising intonation at the end of statements rather than questions to confirm the other party is listening and understanding what’s being said)
What is Australia quite famous for?
- The number of vivid idioms it’s spawned
- E.g. ‘bald as a coot’ and routine use of ‘bloody’
What are the 3 types of British colony?
- English speakers settled and replaced the pre colonial population (America and Australia)
- Smaller English settlement, distribution of English through administration and education (India/Singapore)
- Precolonial population replaced by slaves from elsewhere (Jamaica/Barbados)
What is distribution vs spread?
- English was distributed around the world in a controlled manner with standard forms preserved
- English today spreads naturally around the globe, uncontrolled and mixing with local languages
What is linguistic imperialism and who created it?
- Phillipson
- The dominance asserted and retained by the establishment of structural and cultural inequalities between English and other languages
What is the use of English in India increasingly associated with?
- Social mobility
- At the highest social level, we find forms closest to British standard English
- Younger population are increasingly disinclined to speak British English, seeing it as a legacy from colonial times
What do the pronunciation of Indian forms of English vary considerably depending on?
Education and social system
What does stress timed mean?
Each stressed syllable occurs at approximately regular intervals (e.g. British English)
What does syllable timed mean?
Each syllable is perceived to take roughly the same amount of time (e.g. Indian English)
