Unit 9.1 The Status of English PDF

UNIT 9.1 THE STATUS OF ENGLISH Criteria of global language number of L1 (first language) speakers must be high speakers spread over a wide geographical range/area political and economic affairs must be stable also used widely as L2 global language - a language that is widely spoken and us...

UNIT 9.1 THE STATUS OF ENGLISH Criteria of global language number of L1 (first language) speakers must be high speakers spread over a wide geographical range/area political and economic affairs must be stable also used widely as L2 global language - a language that is widely spoken and used as a means of communication across different countries and cultures, often serving as a common language for international discourse multilingualism - the use of two or more languages by an individual or a community. May switch between languages depending on context, audience, topic. lingua franca - a language that is used as a common means of communication between speakers of different native languages assimilation - the process by which individuals or groups adopt the language, culture and practices of another group, leading to a loss of their original language and culture Threats to the english language : nationalism - identification with one's own nation and supporting its beliefs. Rejecting the english difficulty - too difficult to learn translation - easy access to translation, no longer a need to learn the whole language unofficial varieties - singlish, chinglish etc power - media, weaponry, economics, church power UNIT 9.2 WHOSE ENGLISH IS IT ANYWAY? accommodation theory - Giles 1997 - speakers adjusting their style of speech/language use to align with their conversational partners - to enhance mutual understanding inter language - the type of language produced by second and foreign language learners who are in the process of learning a language where errors are made fragmentation - the process by which a language or dialect diverges into distinct varieties, often due to geographical, social, or political factors, leading to reduced mutual intelligibility Kachru’s Three circles Model - Braj Kachru 1985 - Highlights: how we can best understand how the english language is being used across the world today based on the history of how english was spread, providing their own prestige based on the context of the country. - divided based on 3 key factors: - history (colonization) , function (direct consequence of this history) and identity (national cultural identity or ambiguous identity not representing the culture) Inner circle (norm-providers) - where english is the native language, mother tongue ex: UK, USA Outer circle (norm-depending) - countries colonized by the british but ultimately did not settle, languages have equal status, used as lingua franca ex: India expanding circle (norm-expanding) - no history of british colonization, medium of international communication, ex: China Advantages: - pluralization of englishes : recognises that there are many varieties of english rather than one single form - does no intentionally suggest that one variety is linguistically superior to another - multicultural identity that has developed with the spread of english - acknowledges that english is used among non-native speakers Disadvantages: - underestimating the expanding circle where non-native varieties are increasingly recognised - implies that inner circle countries are central to english learning (superiority) - fails to recognise diversity and variation in countries that do not fit in any circles David Graddol 1997 - highlights: how english will inevitably spread world wide due to globalization. - three overlapping spheres L1, L2, EFL speakers. L1 and L2 share the same amount of speakers - suggest the blurring of boundaries between native and non-native speakers, diversifying the English language. - acknowledges the emergence of new varieties of English influenced by local languages and cultures, and the rise of English being a lingual franca as a result of globalization and cultural exchange, pointing out that native English speakers would soon be outnumbered by those who speak English as a second or foreign language. - the model argues that education of the language should be reformed to focus on practical communication skill and cultural awareness rather than solely adhering to traditional native-speaker standards. prescriptivist - a linguistic approach that emphasizes strict rules and norms regarding language use, often advocating for adherence to a standard form descriptivist -0 a linguistic approach that seeks to describe and analyze how language is actually used by speakers without impose rules or judgements about correctness Paul Kerswill Geographic diffusion vs Leveling theory geographic diffusion - how language features spread geographically from one area to another as speakers move and intersect with different communities. leads to the emergence of new linguistic forms dialect leveling - the process by which linguistic differences among dialects or varieties decrease due to social factors. often occurs when speakers of different dialects come into contact, often leads to loss of local dialect in favor of dominant form these two work together in the evolution of language, leading to emergence of new forms that challenge the standard form UNIT 9.3 VARIETIES OF ENGLISH standard english - a form of english which has been accepted as the norm and the variety with which other forms are compared. originated from the UK as the variety spoken in the politically and economically powerful triangle Oxford, Cambridge, London dialect - a specific form of language that is characteristic of a particular region or social group. variety - broader and encompasses any specific form of language (including dialect). refers to the way the language is used in different contexts or different groups of people  received pronunciation - an accent of Standard British english often accosted with educated speakers in the UK, historically considered the “prestige” accent and used in formal settings prestige - the level of respect or administration that a language or dialect commands within a society, often influencing language choice and usage among speakers New Englishes - Platt, Weber and Ho 1984 - regional and non-regional varieties of english which have developed in places where english is not the mother tongue and which have a distinctively different form of the language (own lexis, pronunciation and syntax) - english have developed in different countries through government administration, education and media, rather than from native languages at home fragmentation— the process by which a language or dialect diverges into multiple distinct varieties or forms over time. occurs due to social, political, geographic factors and often leads to reduced mutual intelligibility among speakers of different varieties - development of own cultural identity as communities become isolated - physical distance ce between groups - urbanization or migration create new linguistic communities - colonization lead to promotion of a certain dominant language over the local dialect mutually intelligible/unintelligible - languages that speakers can understand without prior study / languages speakers cannot understand due to significant differences in vocabulary grammar creole - a stable, fully developed language that arises from the mixing of two or more language, typically formed in contexts where speakers of different languages need to communicate pidgin a simplified form of speech that develops as a means of communication between speakers of different languages, typically lacking native speakers and characterized by limited vocabulary and simplified grammar dialect mixing - where speakers blend features from different dialects or languages, resulting in new hybrid form of speech UNIT 9.4 BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH isolationism - a practice where a country avoids involvement with international affairs or influences. the great american paradox - where english serves as a prominent global language while simultaneously reflecting a strong sense of regional identity and diversity. How american english is widely adopted internationally yet remains rich in logical variations the golden ages of dictionaries - periods marked by the publication of influential dictionaries that helped to standardize the english language why is America in dominant power? - rise in economic superpower , global reach via media & entertainment, global military reach, etc. flora fauna - invention : creation of new terms to describe local plants and animals when speakers of different regions encounter new environment borrowing and blending - adoption of words from one language into another and combining elements to create new terms or expressions manifest destiny - the expansion of the US across the american continents regional varieties - based on the region of speakers. Ethnically varieties - based on ethnicity of speakers UNIT 9.5 LANGUAGE DEATH AND DOMINANCE Linguistic imperialism Robert Phillipson - Linguistic imperialism is to impose one language which is usually associated with power and contour upon the speakers of another (minority) language. It is the dominance of one language over another. what he's arguing: - when one language dominates another, in doing so, gains control of a country’s political, economic and social institutions. It is concerning because the resulting decline of a language can lead to the impoverishment of the culture - the push for the english language to be thought world wide by extensive programmes of TESOL (teaching english to speakers of other languages) language death - a situation in which there are no remaining native speakers of a language or a dialect types of language death : bottom-to-top death - decline from least proficient speakers to fluent speakers caused by switching to a dominant language radical language death - complete and immediate loss of a language due to colonization or genocide gradual language death - slow decline in number of speakers as younger generations switch to dominant language sudden language death - abrupt loss of language due to catastrophic events (natural disasters) UNESCO levels of endangerment 1. vulnerable - most children speak it but may be restricted to certain domains (ex: only at home) 2. definitely endangered - children no longer learn the language as a mother tongue at home 3. severely endangered - spoken by only grandparents and older gen while parents may understand but does not teach to children 4. critically endangered - youngest speakers are grandparents/older gen is infrequently spoken 5. extinct - no longer spoken Killer language - Anne Pakir - a dominant language which causes the extinction of lesser used languages. The dominant language has definite advantages, more documentation, structure and written format Snowball effect - David Crystal - the phenomenon where the spread of a language (english) gains momentum over time leading to an increasing influence and usage worldwide. Monolingual trap where only one language is learnt/taught, Crystal advises to deter from this language shift - the process whereby the speakers of one community change or shift over time to speaking a different language language revival - efforts to bring back a language that has fallen out of use by teaching to new speakers language revitalisation - (broader strategies) efforts by governmental agencies to ensure a language is spoken by a new generation of children who will take there language forward