World Englishes

Question 1

What are the different acronyms for English languages?

Answer 1

1. EFL- English as a foreign language
2. ESL- English as a 2nd language
3. EAL- English as an additional language
4. ELF- English as a lingua franca

Question 2

What is an example of colloquial Australian English?

Answer 2

Can I have a cup of tea, thanks?

Question 3

What are some negative discourses about American English?

Answer 3

1. Lazy due to abbreviations
2. Stupid/ugly
3. Slang
4. Taking over
5. British English is superior, desirable and prestigious

Question 4

How do British English speakers view standard English?

Answer 4

Norm providing (exonormative)

Question 5

How do American English speakers view standard English?

Answer 5

Norm providing (distributional spread- fashion)

Question 6

What is the most prestigious form of language in India?

Answer 6

American English

Question 7

What is a lingua franca?

Answer 7

A common language used for communication between groups of people who speak different native languages

Question 8

What is the 3 circles model and who created it?

Answer 8

• Kachru
  1. The inner circle- English is used as a 1st language, acquired from birth
  2. The outer circle- counties colonised by Britain and USA where English is spoken as a 2nd language
  3. The expanding circle- English isn’t an official language but is recognised as important as a foreign language

Question 9

What is the percentage of native English speakers and EAL speakers in England?

Answer 9

Native- 92.3%
EAL- 6%

Question 10

What is the percentage of native English speakers and EAL speakers in Pakistan?

Answer 10

Native- 0.0035%
EAL- 62%

Question 11

What is the percentage of English speakers in China?

Answer 11

0.9%

Question 12

What is the percentage of native English speakers and EAL speakers in the USA?

Answer 12

Native- 78.1%
EAL- 17.4%

Question 13

When was the 1st permanent English settlement in America?

Answer 13

1607

Question 14

By the mid 1600’s how many migrants had settled in the area which is now Massachusetts?

Answer 14

25,000

Question 15

What had the population of America reached by 1790?

Answer 15

4 million

Question 16

When and why did Americans begin to change their spoken and written language?

Answer 16

• After the Revolutionary War in 1776
• They wanted to separate themselves from the British in language as they had separated themselves from the British government

Question 17

What did Benjamin Franklin want?

Answer 17

A new system of spelling

Question 18

What did Noah Webster do?

Answer 18

• Wrote language books for schools
• Thought Americans should learn from American books

Question 19

When did Noah Webster publish his 1st spelling book?

Answer 19

1783

Question 20

What did Noah Webster publish in 1828 and what did it establish?

Answer 20

• The American dictionary of the English language
• Established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English

Question 21

What did Noah Webster believe?

Answer 21

• British spelling rules were too complex
• Worked to establish a more phonetic American version of the English Language
• E.g. centre instead of centre/honor instead of honour

Question 22

What did Noah Webster say about speaking words?

Answer 22

• Every part of a word should be spoken
• Made American English easier for immigrants to learn
• E.g. “sec-re-tary” instead of “sec-re-t’ry”

Question 23

What did George Bernard Shaw say?

Answer 23

“Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language”

Question 24

When did European explorers 1st go to Australia?

Answer 24

1606

Question 25

Who was the 1st captain of the 1st crew to step foot onto Australia?

Answer 25

William Janszoon

Question 26

Who was the 1st Englishman to explore and map parts of Australia?

Answer 26

William Dampier

Question 27

What do Australians make little distinction between?

Answer 27

The diphthongs /æ ɪ/ and /aɪ/ (Makes main and mine near homophones)

Question 28

What is the most recognisable features of American phonology?

Answer 28

The Australian questioning intonation (rising intonation at the end of statements rather than questions to confirm the other party is listening and understanding what's being said)

Question 29

What is Australia quite famous for?

Answer 29

- The number of vivid idioms it's spawned - E.g. 'bald as a coot' and routine use of 'bloody'

Question 30

What are the 3 types of British colony?

Answer 30

1. English speakers settled and replaced the pre colonial population (America and Australia) 2. Smaller English settlement, distribution of English through administration and education (India/Singapore) 3. Precolonial population replaced by slaves from elsewhere (Jamaica/Barbados)

Question 31

What is distribution vs spread?

Answer 31

- English was distributed around the world in a controlled manner with standard forms preserved - English today spreads naturally around the globe, uncontrolled and mixing with local languages

Question 32

What is linguistic imperialism and who created it?

Answer 32

- Phillipson - The dominance asserted and retained by the establishment of structural and cultural inequalities between English and other languages

Question 33

What is the use of English in India increasingly associated with?

Answer 33

- Social mobility - At the highest social level, we find forms closest to British standard English - Younger population are increasingly disinclined to speak British English, seeing it as a legacy from colonial times

Question 34

What do the pronunciation of Indian forms of English vary considerably depending on?

Answer 34

Education and social system

Question 35

What does stress timed mean?

Answer 35

Each stressed syllable occurs at approximately regular intervals (e.g. British English)

Question 36

What does syllable timed mean?

Answer 36

Each syllable is perceived to take roughly the same amount of time (e.g. Indian English)