World Englishes

Question 1

Features of English as a lingua franca

Answer 1

• dropping third person present simple - s
• omission or insertion of definite and indefinite articles
• use of ‘isn’t it’ or ‘no’ in tag q

Question 2

Kachru’s three circles of English 1992

Answer 2

• Inner circle (is ‘norm providing’ the varieties by which others are measured, standard English e.g. UK, USA, AU
• Outer circle (is ‘norm developing’ countries own varieties become developed e.g. India, China
• The expanding (is ‘norm dependent’ English used for practical purposes e.g. china, Russia, japan

Question 3

Criticisms of Kachru

Answer 3

• due to increase internet usage has blurred distinction between English users
• doesn’t address diversity of English’s within circles
• doesn’t take into account grey areas between circles

Question 4

Lingua Franca

Answer 4

• is a language used between speakers who have no common language between them, to enable communication for purposes such as trade
• English is world’s most common

Question 5

Jennifer Jenkins on ELF

Answer 5

• may include local variety of English features not just ‘correct’ English
• linguistic accommodation and code switching are important aspects of ELF

Question 6

McArthur’s wheel model

Answer 6

• middle is called ‘world SE’ best represented by written international English
• next circle is made of regional standards of standards that are emerging e.g. American, Caribbean
• outer layer, localised varieties may have similarities with regional standards or emerging standards
• known as MacArthur’s global English circles

Question 7

Criticisms of McArthur

Answer 7

• outside layer include pidgins, creoles and L2 English’s. Most scholars would argue that English pidgins and creoles don’t belong to one family, rather have overlapping multiple relationships
• 3 different types of English- L1, L2,and EFL are conflated in the second circle

Question 8

Case study world English variety: Singaporean English

Answer 8

• Schneider 2007, devised model to illustrate how colonisation process shapes international varieties of English (dynamic model of past colonial English’s)
• phase 1: foundation , English brought to a territory
• phase 2: exonormative stabilisation, an ‘elite’ bilingualism spreads, led by politically dominant power
• phase 3: nativism
• phase 4: endonormative stabilisation
• phase 5: differentiation

Question 9

Exam Q

Answer 9

• evaluate idea the English is breaking up into many different English’s