...It describes a situation where two languages or language varieties occur side by side in a community, and each has a clear range of functions. One of these varieties, the Hvariety (standing for 'High'), is adopted as the standard variety and is used in official situations, such as government broadcasts, religious services, and teaching; and the other, the L-variety (for 'Low'), is used in informal situations, such as local markets and conversations between friends. The focus of this article is to discuss how the concept of diglossia might be appropriate to describe the Singapore English-speaking community, and to consider what approaches can be adopted by teachers towards the use of the L-variety in schools. Examples of diglossia that have been widely quoted are: the Arabic community, where each region has its own colloquial variety, but classical Arabic is still taught in schools and is regarded by many as “more beautiful” and therefore more appropriate for written texts; the Swiss-German community, where all children learn Standard German in schools, and most books and newspapers are in Standard German, but the people continue to use the local Swiss-German dialect on an everyday basis; the Tamil community, where the language taught in classrooms and used in literature is sharply different from the colloquial variety. In all these societies, there is high prestige in demonstrating an ability to use the H-variety, but not everyone has sufficient education to achieve this...
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...The Development of the Theory of World Englishes In our modern world there are more non-native speakers of English than native speakers. This is because there is a growing necessity of people to acquire English as a second language for different purposes. As a result of this growing spread of English, new English varieties have risen all over the world. These are commonly called ‘World Englishes’ which suggests the several variations of English spoken in different countries (Seargeant, 2012) As new ‘Englishes’ develop new theories about their formation, similarities and differences arise around the world. English is no longer seen as a unique structure but as a multicultural and plural concept. Hence, the Theory of World Englishes has been developed. According to Seargeant (2012: 6) the theory of World Englishes is “…used to refer to the general discipline that examines the nature and use of English worldwide or of English in globalised contexts”. Thus, it is vital to consider the cultural issues that influence the contexts of those who want to acquire English as a second language. This helps to understand English variations and improves communication in the world. Therefore, this assignment will firstly explain the development of the Theory of World Englishes, then describe its present and future applications and finally evaluate the cultural impacts on speakers of world Englishes. Firstly, it is relevant to provide a clear explanation of the development of the theory of...
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...VARIETIES OF OLD ENGLISH: In present day English we are used to the concept of different varieties of English. Some are regional, while some are national, perhaps because of the relative sparsity of Anglo-Saxon. However, we need to be aware that in the Anglo-Saxon period, too different varieties of English were used. OLD ENGLISH AND SCOTS: In discussing the notion of old English being used in Scotland we need to add the qualification that in the Anglo-Saxon period there was little sense of English as a unified language.What we are talking about is the extent to which a particular variety of old English extended into Scotland. The Scots were originally from Ireland and settled in what is now Scotland around 500 AD. Also present in Scotland at this time were the Picts, and it was not until 843 that Scottish and Pictish dominions were untied by Kenneth MacAlpin, the first king of the Scots, as the language of the Picts gradually died out. The predominant language in Scotland became the Celtic language Gaelic. However, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of northumbrian dialect would also have been common on the English-Scottish border. A Scottish dialect of English emerged in the middle English period , during the reign of Malcolm III of Scotland who used English as opposed to Gaelic as the language of his royal court . Consequently , Gaelic never achieved the prestigious position it would have needed to survive as the language of Scotland . OLD ENGLISH DIALECTAL DIFFERENCES: ...
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...The English Language in Singapore and Malaysia Vincent B. Y. Ooi (ed.) TIMES ACADEMIC PRESS First published 2001 by Times Academic Press An imprint of Times Media Private Limited (A member of the Times Publishing Group) Times Centre, I New Industrial Road Singapore 536196 tel: (65) 284 8844 fax: (65) 285 4871 email: te@tpl.com.sg Online Book Store: http://www.timesone.com.sg/te Contributors Introduction Vincent B Y Ooi 1. The Voices of English-knowing Bilinguals and the Emergence of New Epicentres Anne Pakir 2. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Is English a First or Second Language in Singapore? Joseph Foley 3. Lectal Varieties of Malaysian English Elaine Morais 4. Ethnic Group Varieties of Singapore English: Melody or Harmony? Lisa Lim 5. Two Issues in the Study of Singapore English Phonology BaoZhiming 6. Tense and Aspect in Singapore English Lubna Alsagoff 7. Reduplication in Colloquial Singapore English Lim Choon Yeah and Lionel Wee 8. The Cultural Grounding of Singapore English Ho Chee Lick 9. IJumping on the Bangwagon': Issues in Student Writing Alan Maley National Library Board (Singapore) Cataloguing in Publication Data Evolving Identities: The English Language in Singapore and Malaysia I Vincent B.Y. Ooi (ed.). - Singapore: Times...
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...Abstract “Language was developed out of the need to communicate and interact, and therefore, it is social by nature, and understanding some part of that allows us to more reflectively use the language”. This paper is an applied linguistic article focusing on exploring the relation between socio-linguistics and language teaching. Although there are too much to discuss, the work mainly concerns with a quick look at social theories of language, a definition of sociolinguistics and three aspects of sociolinguistics which is believed to illustrate how sociolinguistics is relevant to the teaching of language. Introduction From the perspectives of theoretical linguists, especially in the traditional approaches in English language teaching, the teaching focuses on language structure including some form of language such as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, or spelling to name a few. However, things have changed with the arrival of a new approach known as the Communicative Language Teaching, where the features of sociolinguistics in its relation with language teaching and learning are best illustrated. The Communicative Language Teaching has been built on the assumption that being successful in communicating in a second language involves more than just the grammatical competence. In fact, communicative competence (Canale & Swain, 1980) involves the knowledge of discourse and socio-cultural rules of language. That is to say, in order to be successful in real communication...
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...English and Englishes in the Philippines: A World Englishes Approach to MTBMLE Isabel Pefianco Martin, Ateneo de Manila University Abstract ! In the past two years since DepEd Order 74 (series 2009) was implemented, teacher training sessions have been conducted that focussed on the development of teaching strategies and the preparation of instructional materials for teaching in multilingual settings. One area of utmost concern among basic education teachers, and often a source of anxiety to both teachers and parents, is how to approach the teaching of English using the first language (L1). This presentation hopes to address these concerns by proposing a World Englishes (WE) approach to English language teaching (ELT) in the Philippines. Introduction ! Just recently, a college freshman who interviewed me for his research paper on mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTBMLE) asked why I supported its promotion even it meant possibly losing my job as an English teacher. The question did not surprise me as it was something that I often encountered whenever teachers, especially English teachers in Metro Manila, are confronted with this unfamiliar creature that is MTBMLE. ! To many stakeholders of the English language--lawmakers, school administrators, teachers, and parents--MTBMLE is perceived as a threat. It is specifically perceived to be anti-English. These perceptions may be traced to beliefs about English that may largely be considered as...
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...CODIFICATION OF NIGERIAN ENGLISH: ISSUES IN EMPIRICAL LINGUISTICS Alexandra Uzoaku Esimaje Department of English Studies, Benson Idahosa University, Benin city Email: alexandra.esimaje@live.com ABSTRACT In the English speaking world where English is either a second or foreign language, the emergence of new forms of the language is a proven socio-linguistic reality of language contact. This results from the needs of the host environment both to communicate to the foreigners and to one another now in the new tongue. Hence, in all cases the merging of two languages, cultures and traditions leads to varieties of the language as was the case with English and the many indigenous languages in Nigeria. So it is not in doubt that forms of English which are dissimilar in differing respects from British English exist in Nigeria. What is in doubt is whether each form qualifies as a variety and if any one of them can as yet emerge as the standard variety. This paper argues that English use in Nigeria needs to undergo some stages of development and description before a confident statement can be made as to whether a Nigerian English variety comparable to the British or American Standard English exists. Codification is one such step but prior to it must come a compilation of an extensive database of English language use in Nigeria and the application of empirical methods in examining and determining the character of English in the Nigerian context so that the continuum of forms of the...
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...Language Situation in Bangladesh Abstract This paper charts the state of language situation that exists in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been known as a monolingual country since its independence in 1971, Bangla (or Bengali) being its only national and official language. Therefore multilingualism has not been a political issue in Bangladesh, though a situation beyond the monolingualism can be observed in the language situation of Bangladesh, if the three different scenes— a) distribution of regional varieties of Bangla, b) distribution of indigenous languages and c) trend of foreign language use in different social settings— are taken into consideration. Keywords Bangladesh, Language situation, Regional varieties of Bangla, Minority languages, Foreign language use Introduction The aim of this paper is to chart the present state of language situation beyond monolingualism that exists in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been known as a monolingual country with the population of 150 million (approximately), Bangla (or Bengali) being its only national and official language since its independence in 1971. However, before the independence, the region now known as Bangladesh had been existed as a multilingual country for centuries throughout its social and political development. In the early period of history, there were various aboriginal speech communities including mainly the speakers of Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman languages distributed throughout the different regions...
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...English around the world No one can deny that the English language is acknowledged as the dominant language all over the globe. It’s a language known for being easy to be learned, flexible towards new word entries, and its rich content. In fact, about 1.5 to 2 billion people worldwide speak English. It’s considered the language of education, communication, business, and politics. Actually, it took many centuries for the English language to develop into its modern form. In this essay, more focus is put on the English language through its formation and development, its status as an international language, its role in all life’s aspects, and the variety of English around the world. The diversity between the original version of English and...
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...Introducing the essay: The variety of language, whether it can be seen or heard, diverse or standard, all play a critical role in a child’s life. Language makes the world go around, evidently by communicating with each other, hence why it is central to everything. Every member of society, including an infant, primary student, teenager, or adult all use their own language that is apparent to them. Through Auslan, Braille, oral language and written language, every member of society communicates through their own language, as well as variation, Discourse, gender, and/or social class. Thesis statement: Language is central to everything; whether you are an infant, a teenager, or an adult, language is used in many different ways, including variations...
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...easygoing attitude, the English Setter has a fascinating history as a hunting dog. It can still be found being used for that very purpose to this day, but has also found a place as a faithful family companion. The docile and friendly aspects to this breed’s temperament have really helped to endear it to countless owners over the years, with English Setters commonly displaying warmth and affection even towards strangers. Put simply, these dogs can get along with just about everyone. They are great family pets and love spending time with children, but they can just as easily form loyal bonds with the elderly. This is a dog that will never want to leave your side and loves to spend time with humans. One only has to take a glance at these dogs to get some idea of their nature. The face of the English Setter naturally forms...
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...forces people to find a way to communicate, without using | |their own languages, stimulates the creation of a Creole language. In the case of Creole languages in the Caribbean, the | |"upheaval" is the past history of slavery. Most Creole languages are based on one language. In Jamaica the African slaves were | |thrown into a situation where the only common means of communication was English, or at least broken English, therefor Jamaican | |Creole has a majority of its roots in English (Sebba 1, 1996). Essential words which people could not find an English name for, | |such as people, things (like plants and animals) and activities (especially religious ones) were taken from a variety of West | |African languages. | |As a result of patois not being an official language, a name for the Jamaican dialect has not been settled to this day. Common | |names such as Jamaican, Jamaican Creole, Jamaican patwa or patois, Black English, broken English and even baby talk or slang are | |all used to describe...
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...As Alim has mentioned, the way she spoke with him was not entirely “standard.” The way she talked to him showed what she was thinking of the language variety that her Black students spoke. Seeing it as “non-standard” and implying that it is an unacceptable variety and that they should speak “standard” English even though she does not really entirely speak it while she is talking to Alim. In her speech, there were a lot of “like” interfering with her speech in places in her sentences that considered in “standard English” as ungrammatical. She was also interrupting her sentences flow with phrases like: “I mean” and “you know” a lot. This is not the “sophisticated” and “standard” English that she is trying to make her Black students speak. And...
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...a level of prestige that is recognized politically. This essay will endeavour to examine the language planning policy of Sweden, and in particular evaluate such policy in its effectiveness as a language. English as a language has gained exponential attention world-wide for its dominance as a result of globalisation, this is particularly obvious when examining the language planning policies of the different nations of the world (Hult, 2012; Spolsky, 2004 in Hult, 2004). It can be argued that within Sweden the previously strong Swedish official language is now being threatened by the implementation of English (Hult, 2004). While Swedish is the singular recognized official language of Sweden, English has extreme prominence as a language of academic instruction and as aforementioned has been argued to be of threat to the Swedish language (Winsa, 1999). Since gaining membership to the European Union, the English vernacular has seen rapid growth within the nation (Hylenstam, 1996 in Winsa, 1999). The language is being used for academic instruction and has become a core subject within certain schools across the country (Hult, 2012; Winsa, 1999). This can be argued to give a level of social prestige as the language is being used in a formal environment. It is likely that English within...
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...The stories that were mentioned before, “Woman Hollering Creek” and “Girl” belong to two different authors that use their own variety of the English language: in the case of Sandra Cisneros, she speaks Chicano English; as for Jamaica Kincaid, Caribbean English. Even though these authors write in Standard English, their varieties have a big influence on their texts with regard to the use of elements that just belong to their cultures and make them unique and recognizable for the reader. For example, the legend of La Llorona (51) and telenovela (44) for Cisneros, and benna music and doukona for Kincaid. Thus, both writers express their identity through their texts On the one hand, and despite it is written in Standard English, in “Woman Hollering...
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