World English

Question 1

Braj Kachru

Answer 1

• The three circles model
• Inner, outer and expanding circle
• Inner = speak English as a first language, USA, UK
• Outer = use English as a second everyday language, India, Nigeria
• Expanding = English used as an international language, China, Russia

Question 2

Mencken (1921)

Answer 2

Argued that American English has ‘outgunned’ British English as America has more citizens and therefore speakers than Britain.

Question 3

Schneider’s dynamic model

Answer 3

How a new variety of English develops:
- Foundation stage - English first appears in new territory.
- Exonormative stabilisation - English begins to be used.
- Nativisation - old and new language becomes closely linked.
- Endonormative - country has become independent and English spoken develops own norms.
- Differentiation - new variety develops.

Question 4

ELF

Answer 4

A lingua franca is a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different. English has become the lingua franca in many fields.

Question 5

Jennifer Jenkins - 5 characteristics of ELF

Answer 5

• Communication - used as a means of communication.
• Alternative - used as an alternative to EFL, EFL users taught to ‘blend’ whilst ELF users simply want to communicate.
• ‘Local’ varieties - ELF may include local varieties of English which are not necessarily seen as correct.
• Accommodation - accommodating and code switching are useful strategies when using ELF.
• Rules - those who use ELF proficiently establish the ‘rules’ which other users follow.

Question 6

Pidgin

Answer 6

• A trade language, usually not the language of either of the speakers.

Question 7

Creole

Answer 7

A variety that has developed from a pidgin or trade language to become stable.

Question 8

Key features of ELF

Answer 8

-dropping third person present tense ‘-s’
-confusion of ‘who’ and ‘which’
-omission (and ‘incorrect’ insertion) of definite and indefinite articles
-use of ‘isn’t it?’ or ‘no?’ in tag questions rather than ‘shouldn’t they?’

Question 9

Peter Strevens - World Map of English (1980)

Answer 9

• Aims to show that every variety of English is aligned with one of the two main branches of English - British or American.
• (ignores other varieties - all from UK/US English)

Question 10

Nicholas Ostler

Answer 10

Believes that English will go the same way as other powerful languages (e.g. Latin). He argues that as British and American power declines around the world, English will lose its pre-eminent role - technology will intervene, allowing easy translation, meaning:
“everyone will speak and write in whatever language they choose and the world will understand”

Question 11

Barbara Seidlhofer (Mass nouns vs countable nouns)

Answer 11

She found that non-native speakers don’t distinguish between mass nouns (‘information’, ‘furniture’) and countable nouns (‘ball’, ‘onion’) – this may lead to “informations” or “furnitures”
(this is common in varieties of English around the world)

Question 12

Ives

Answer 12

British Asian youths use language differently in comparison to their elders in an attempt to create a well-defined social group.

Question 13

Daily Mail article 2012

Answer 13

British children no longer know the difference between ‘English’ and ‘American’.