World Englishes - Theorists

Question 1

Who are the three main theorists with views on World Englishes?

Answer 1

Quirk
Bamgbose
Kachru

Question 2

What does Quirk Believe?

Answer 2

Criticises the way that English is taught in Expanding and Outer Circle Countries. Suggests that people are being taught “errors”

Question 3

What does Bamgbose believe?

Answer 3

Local Englishes and new varieties are different and these differences are “innovations” not “errors”

Question 4

What does Kachru believe?

Answer 4

It depends what English is used for.

If it is just for local use and not international then the use is ok.

Question 5

What did Mesthrie come up with and when?

Answer 5

The English Language Family (2002)

Question 6

How many members are in the English Language Family?

Answer 6

9

Question 7

What are the first 3 members of the English Language Family?

Answer 7

1. Colonial Standards
2. Regional Dialects
3. Social Dialects

Question 8

What do the first 3 members of the English Language Family represent?

Answer 8

Kachru’s “inner circle”

Question 9

What does the “colonial standards” member consist of?

Answer 9

Countries which consist of large settlements of “traditional” English speakers. Such as:
UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa

Question 10

What does the “regional dialects” member consist of?

Answer 10

Identifiable sub-varieties of the colonial standards. (Mainly just looking at the differences in accent, such as north and south of England)

Question 11

What does the “social dialects” member consist of?

Answer 11

Particular characteristics (mainly dialect and some accent) of the different social groups within the colonial standards
- example: Cockney within London

Question 12

What are members 4 and 5 of the English Language Family?

Answer 12

4. Pidgin Englishes

5. Creole Englishes

Question 13

What are members 6 and 7 of the English Language Family?

Answer 13

6. ESL (English as a second language)

7. EFL (English as a foreign language)

Question 14

Which three members of the English Language Family represent Kachru’s “outer circle”?

Answer 14

Pidgin Englishes
Creole Englishes
ESL

Question 15

What is ESL?

Answer 15

Forms of English which have arisen in countries where English was introduced in a colonial era. Usually the education, government and administration systems use English as their primary language.

Question 16

What is EFL?

Answer 16

Where English is used in countries where the influence has been external (through trading) rather than from large groups of settlers.

Question 17

Examples of Countries which use ESL:

Answer 17

Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nigeria

Question 18

Examples of Countries where EFL is used:

Answer 18

Japan, China, Germany (mainly European countries)

Question 19

What are the last 2 (8&9) members of the English Language Family?

Answer 19

8. Immigrant English

9. Language-shift Englishes

Question 20

When do immigrant Englishes occur?

Answer 20

When people migrate to English dominant countries yet second-language varieties retain their characteristics or merge with the English of the majority.

Question 21

Example of immigrant Englishes:

Answer 21

English in Mexico is EFL

Chicano English of Mexican immigrants is more similar to general US English although it is still a distinctive variety

Question 22

What are language-shift Englishes?

Answer 22

Where English replaces the primary language of a community. English was an ESL yet has now become an L1, however this new variety still holds a distinctiveness.

Question 23

What is mutual intelligibility?

Answer 23

Although there are many different varieties of English some can still understand each other despite these differences.

Question 24

What might happen to mutual intelligibility?

Answer 24

It may disappear

Question 25

Why may mutual intelligibility disappear?

Answer 25

Because new varieties within the 9 different members of the family are continuing to emerge and the amount of people speaking new varieties expands each year. Even though people are speaking English, because the differences may vary so much there will be a lot of room for misunderstandings.

Question 26

What does Crystal believe about world Englishes?

Answer 26

One language has never been spoken by so many people before that it’s difficult to predict what will happen to it. Extending variation to the point of mutual unintelligibility is already apparent.

Question 27

What is believed of children born into parents with English as a foreign language?

Answer 27

They will grow up with this kind of English as the norm and it will be learned as a new mother tongue and therefore a new kind of nonstandard English is born.

Question 28

What is WSSE?

Answer 28

The form of English spoken by everyone internationally.

World Standard Spoken English

Question 29

What is Crystal’s view of WSSE?

Answer 29

That people will use their local English varieties within their own countries but will speak in WSSE in international situations.

Question 30

What does Crystal believe about local Englishes compared to International Englishes?

Answer 30

Local Englishes - becoming increasingly divergent (different)
International Englishes - increasingly convergent (similar) to the point of merging into one variety.

Question 31

What variety of English does Crystal and Trudgill believe the world variety will be based on?

Answer 31

American English - due to it’s influence within entertainment and media.

Question 32

What does Trudgill believe about Convergence and Divergence?

Answer 32

Lexis = converge
Pronunciation = diverge

Question 33

What does Trudgill believe will happen to grammar?

Answer 33

It is not clear as grammatical changes develop more slowly.

Question 34

What does Trudgill believe will happen to lexis?

Answer 34

Become Americanised (Americanisation) 
In particular "homogenisation" in the direction of North America.

Question 35

What are Trudgill’s main concerns of World Englishes?

Answer 35

Only considers the “Inner Circle” Englishes. But the theories he has come up with could well apply to the other two circles too.

“English… has more native than non-native speakers”

Question 36

What does Graddol believe and when?

Answer 36

(1999) -
the question of the wold model being either British English or American English is dated. There are new dictionaries and grammars the codify new norms and if there is convergence, the world model will be from one of the other 6 family members (4-9)