Showing papers in "English Today in 2008"
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TL;DR: In the first edition of English as a Global Language (1997: 61) I raised my estimate, suggesting a middle-of-the-road figure of 1,350 million.
Abstract: Updates on the statistics of English. Starting with excerpt from David Crystal, How many millions use English? (ET1, 1985). The author says: Reading this article again, that almost a quarter of a century on, the most noticeable change, it seems to me, has been in the amount and colour of the author's hair! That aside, I am struck by my final comment: ‘I shall stay with this figure for a while’ – a billion. It appears I stayed with it for a decade. In the first edition of my English as a Global Language (1997: 61) I raised my estimate, suggesting a middle-of-the-road figure of 1,350 million. In the second edition (2003: 69), a ‘cautious temperament’, I said, would suggest 1,500 million. And these days, having read the more sophisticated assessments by David Graddol and others, I am prepared to revise upwards again in the direction of 2 billion. In short, we have moved in 25 years from a fifth to a quarter to a third of the world's population being speakers of English.
222 citations
TL;DR: The contemporary visibility and importance of English throughout the Asian region coupled with the emergence and development of distinct varieties of Asian Englishes have played an important part in the global story of English in recent years as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The contemporary visibility and importance of English throughout the Asian region coupled with the emergence and development of distinct varieties of Asian Englishes have played an important part in the global story of English in recent years. Across Asia, the numbers of people having at least a functional command of the language have grown exponentially over the last four decades, and current changes in the sociolinguistic realities of the region are often so rapid that it is difficult for academic commentators to keep pace. One basic issue in the telling of this story is the question of what it is we mean by the term ‘Asia’, itself a word of contested etymology, whose geographical reference has ranged in application from the Middle East to Central Asia, and from the Indian sub-continent to Japan and Korea. In this article, my discussion will focus on the countries of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, as it is in these regions that we find not only the greatest concentration of ‘outer-circle’ English-using societies but also a number of the most populous English-learning and English-knowing nations in the world.
219 citations
TL;DR: Rural failure in English learning and the socioeconomics of ELT are discussed in this article, where it was envisaged that CLT would develop learners' "communicative competence" and thereby strengthen the human resource development efforts of the Government of Bangladesh (NCTB, 2003).
Abstract: Rural failure in English learning and the socioeconomics of ELT. Over 24 million children learn English as a second/foreign language in primary and secondary schools in Bangladesh. These children start learning the language as a required subject in Grade 1 and continue learning it (if they don't drop out) until Grade 12, and later at the tertiary level. Officially, they are taught English communicatively using Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methodology, as it was envisaged that CLT would develop learners' ‘communicative competence’, and thereby strengthen the human resource development efforts of the Government of Bangladesh (NCTB, 2003). Nearly a decade has passed since CLT was first introduced in the national curriculum. It now seems appropriate to ask to what extent has it developed learners' competence and improved the declining standards of English in the country (Rahman, 1991).
120 citations
TL;DR: Okudaira as mentioned in this paper studied the process behind the adoption of English as the only official language in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and interviewed a number of key ASEAN figures.
Abstract: The Bangkok Declaration of 8 August 1967 heralded the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). While today all ten nations of Southeast Asia are members, the number of founder member states was only five: Indonesia; Malaysia; the Philippines; Singapore; and Thailand. Brunei joined in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Burma (Myanmar) in 1997 and finally, Cambodia, in 1999. In what may strike members of the European Union as particularly remarkable, the use of languages was not stipulated in the Bangkok Declaration. English has always been the sole official and working language of the group. In her study of the process behind this adoption of English as the only official language, Okudaira interviewed a number of key ASEAN figures and received answers, of which these are representative:
99 citations
TL;DR: The authors discusses the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) by engineering students and its effectiveness in content courses at a technical university, reporting the preliminary results of part of a study that investigates authentic and high-stakes speech events at a Swedish technical university.
Abstract: This article discusses the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) by engineering students and its effectiveness in content courses at a technical university, reporting the preliminary results of part of a study that investigates authentic and high-stakes speech events at a Swedish technical university. The main aim of my research is to find out what kind of divergence from standard morphosyntactic forms of English if any leads to disturbance, i.e. breakdown, in ELF speech.
81 citations
TL;DR: The authors discuss some aspects of the current debates about the concept of English as a lingua franca, and use a recount of the pre-publication stages of the volume English in the World: Global Rules, Global Roles, co-edited by Rani Rubdy and myself as a starting point, to set the scene, and will move to more theoretical considerations in the second part of the paper.
Abstract: In this paper I wish to discuss some aspects of the current debates about the concept of English as a lingua franca. In doing so, I will use a recount of the pre-publication stages of the volume English in the World: Global Rules, Global Roles, co-edited by Rani Rubdy and myself (2006) as a starting point, to set the scene, and will move to more theoretical considerations in the second part of the paper.
65 citations
TL;DR: The authors provided some clarifications concerning the concept of English as a Lingua Franca (henceforth ELF) and the relationship between ELF and the World Englishes paradigm, and the distinction between form and function.
Abstract: In this paper I wish to respond to the article published in ET94 by Saraceni while at the same time providing some clarifications concerning the concept of English as a Lingua Franca (henceforth ELF). In his article Saraceni raises three main questions (and a number of related debatable comments which I will quickly deal with in my final remarks) regarding: 1) the nature of ELF and its speakers, 2) the relationship between ELF and the World Englishes (henceforth WE) paradigm, and 3) the distinction between form and function. I will address each of these questions, and in so doing consider a number of notions concerning the ELF research field.
56 citations
TL;DR: The sociolinguistics of a small community of English users as discussed by the authors have influenced the status, functions and forms of English within the territory of Macau, which is a very small community.
Abstract: The sociolinguistics of a small community of English users. A journalist for a local Macau English-language newspaper recently wrote to me and several other friends and asked us to describe Macau with one word. Many words came to mind: historic, multicultural, casinos, growth, etc.; but the word I chose to suggest does not necessarily come to mind until one has lived here, small. Indeed, Macau is a very small community. At the end of September 2007, the resident population was 531,400 and the territory occupied 28.6 sq km, although the largest concentration of population lives within the 9.3 sq km area of “Peninsular Macau” (DSEC, Macao, 2008). In terms of both population and land mass, then, Macau is a very small community, and this fact has influenced the status, functions and forms of English within the territory.
46 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that people of all ages learn languages best, inside or outside a classroom, by not treating the languages as an object of study, but by experiencing them as a medium of communication.
Abstract: A study of the need for attention to cultural aspects of task-based learning and teaching of English as a foreign language. In recent years applied linguistics has seen a move away from a linguistic syllabus to one built around the sequencing of real-life, communicative tasks. This shift, it is argued, offers a richer exposure to language use, while providing the motivation required for students to build on their existing language repertoire. Proponents claim this use of the language satisfies what is known about second language acquisition, by furnishing contexts that make the learning process closer to real-life language situations, as: ‘People of all ages learn languages best, inside or outside a classroom, by not treating the languages as an object of study, but by experiencing them as a medium of communication.’ (Long & Robinson, 1998:18)
39 citations
TL;DR: The authors discusses the tension between speaking English with a Malaysian accent and the need for a pronunciation model from another variety, typically British English, in the teaching of English in Malaysia, and suggests how this tension can be alleviated.
Abstract: An examination of the give and take between local varieties and the expectations of classroom English. Like a microcosm of World Englishes, English in Malaysia is spoken in a multitude of accents characterizing different ethnic groups, socio-economic, education, language and geographical backgrounds. It is also not unusual for Malaysians to accent-switch according to context. Amidst the cacophony of local accents arise issues about whether such accents are correct or good or acceptable. This paper discusses the tension between speaking English with a Malaysian accent and the need for a pronunciation model from another variety, typically British English, in the teaching of English in Malaysia. Based on ongoing research on the pronunciation of Malaysian English, this paper suggests how this tension can be alleviated.
35 citations
TL;DR: To what extent does the distinctiveness of Nigerian English come through in text messages?
Abstract: In the history of the English language certain
developments have left significant linguistic
marks on the language. As new developments
and cultural forms occur, new words and styles
of expression evolve with them and spread.
This is true of the new linguistic style that is
associated with the Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) revolution in Nigeria
since 2001. GSM has brought with it a variety
of English that is situationally distinctive and
context sensitive (Awonusi, 2004:45).
TL;DR: This article found that learners of English from "expanding circle" countries such as South Korea find new opportunities of advancing their English proficiency by traveling to countries where English is the dominant language.
Abstract: Learners of English from ‘Expanding Circle’ countries like South Korea find new opportunities of advancing their English. There is a considerable body of knowledge about the experiences of students who go abroad to continue to learn their language of choice in a natural setting where it is the dominant language. The current position of English as the most dominant international language results in a new phenomenon related to language learning abroad. It is reported that children, and sometimes families, travel abroad to countries where they believe they could improve their English proficiency. This phenomenon seems to be particularly true for learners of English in traditional Expanding Circle contexts, for example, South Korea, where the increase in the status of English is widely reported in academic.
TL;DR: An analysis of home page spellings in relation to the accents they evoke and of such synchronous media as instant messaging, chatrooms and ICQ and asynchronous ones including SMS text messages, blogs, email and homepages.
Abstract: An analysis of home page spellings in relation to the accents they evoke. One of the most obvious developments connected with modern electronic communication is the opening up of an area of publicly visible language from what Sebba (2003a) calls the partially regulated zone of spelling. This zone appears in such synchronous media as instant messaging, chatrooms and ICQ (‘I seek you’) and asynchronous ones including SMS text messages, blogs, email and homepages.
TL;DR: The authors reflect on the spread of English in South Africa, especially in the wake of the large-scale changes following the collapse of apartheid in the early 1990s, which allowed freer mixing of young South Africans of all backgrounds than had been hitherto possible in a segregated society.
Abstract: This article reflects on the spread of English in South Africa, especially in the wake of the large-scale changes following the collapse of apartheid in the early 1990s. These changes allowed freer mixing of young South Africans of all backgrounds than had been hitherto possible in a segregated society. In particular, schools formerly reserved for Whites, opened their doors to initially small, then increasing numbers of pupils from other race groups: viz. Black, Coloured and Indian (this group is sometimes described as black in the general sense, in lower case, or non-whites in former apartheid-speak). The term Coloured in South Africa denotes communities of multiple ancestry, whose background encompasses the now obsolescent indigenous Khoe-San languages of the country as well as Bantu, European and Asian languages.
TL;DR: In 2002, Tom McArthur, then editor of English Today, visited Helsinki and asked Irma Taavitsainen and Paivi Pahta whether the use of English in Finland was becoming more like its Nordic neighbours.
Abstract: In 2002, Tom McArthur, then editor of English Today, visited Helsinki and asked Irma Taavitsainen and Paivi Pahta whether the use of English in Finland was becoming more like its Nordic neighbours. In an article in ET76 they answered with a cautious ‘yes’. Now the authors provide us with an update, with examples of how English is currently used in Finnish public communication.
TL;DR: The authors look at two concepts from functional linguistic that are often confused: genre and register, and look at what the concepts mean, how they differ, and how they can be used for the analysis of texts.
Abstract: In this article, I look at two concepts from functional linguistic that are often confused: genre and register. I look at what the concepts mean, how they differ, and how they can be used for the analysis of texts.
TL;DR: The drive to improve is a marked feature of the culture, and much has changed in the past twenty years as mentioned in this paper, as has the number of competent English speakers, education has been freed up, English introduced into primary schools, and listening tests established in national exams, yet the peculiarities of Japanese English continue to adorn the country's buildings, goods and items of clothing.
Abstract: Starts with excerpt from John Dougill, English as a decorative language (ET12, 1987). Twenty years on English still decorates Japan. At the end of the 1980s, Japan's bubble economy burst and the country has been rectifying the ills of the past ever since. The drive to improve is a marked feature of the culture, and much has changed in the past twenty years. The number of ‘international Japanese’ has grown, as has the number of competent English speakers. Education has been freed up, English introduced into primary schools, and listening tests established in national exams. Yet the peculiarities of Japanese English (called Janglish or Engrish by some) continue to adorn the country's buildings, goods and items of clothing.
TL;DR: This paper explored university English teachers' perceptions of the role of English today in Taiwan from two aspects, the ownership of English and acquiring target language culture in the English language classroom, and found that teachers are an important and if not the most important influence in the language classroom.
Abstract: This study aims to explore university English teachers' perceptions of the role of English today in Taiwan from two aspects – the ownership of English and acquiring target language culture in the English language classroom. The concept of English as an international language (EIL) or English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been discussed extensively in the ELT field for many years. Theoretically the concept promotes the idea that English is no longer a possession of any particular English-speaking countries and that there are many different varieties of Englishes. Since teachers are an important – if not the most important – influence in the language classroom, their perceptions are likely to affect the students profoundly. In spite of the theoretical discussion of EIL, in reality, what do university English teachers in Taiwan think about the role of English today? In the study, five experienced teachers were invited for a focus group interview to discuss these issues. The results suggest that university English teachers in Taiwan are facing a dilemma and struggle to follow the notion of EIL (or ELF) in the classroom.
TL;DR: For instance, Kachru as discussed by the authors introduced the world to Braj's famous "Three Circles of English" model, which has been widely accepted as the model with the best fit for English as she has been spreading.
Abstract: Starts with an excerpt from Braj B. Kachru, The sacred cows of English (ET16, 1988). The ‘Sacred Cows’ article has been a seminal piece for many reasons. It introduced the world to Braj's famous ‘Three Circles of English’ model. At roughly the same time, in the late 1980s, three pioneers in the field which was then known as ‘English as a World Language’ or ‘New Englishes’ came up independently with the idea of representing the spread of English in terms of concentric circles. Tom McArthur's ‘wheel model’ appeared in ET July 1987. Manfred Gorlach, then editor of the journal English World Wide came up with a similar model, with some minor changes in a conference paper of 1988. It was only fitting that the co-editor of the third journal in the field, World Englishes, should have his own say. And it is in fact Braj's model that has come be the most widely accepted as the model with the best ‘fit’ for English as she has been spreading.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The authors analyzed the use of four Chinglish idioms on the Internet and found that the use can be more expressive in some settings, and more significantly, it reflects Chinese identity.
Abstract: ABSTRACT The English language has developed and spread around the world as a global language. As a variety of English in China, it has also formed some distinct features. This paper first introduces the status quo of the English language in China, and then by analysing the use of four Chinglish idioms on the Internet, argues that the use of Chinglish idioms can be more expressive in some settings. The Internet use of Chinglish idioms shows the actual state of language diversity and creativity, and more significantly, it reflects Chinese identity.
TL;DR: The authors analyzed the use of four Chinglish idioms on the Internet and found that the use can be more expressive in some settings, and more significantly, it reflects Chinese identity.
Abstract: The English language has developed and spread around the world as a global language. As a variety of English in China, it has also formed some distinct features. This paper first introduces the status quo of the English language in China, and then by analysing the use of four Chinglish idioms on the Internet, argues that the use of Chinglish idioms can be more expressive in some settings. The Internet use of Chinglish idioms shows the actual state of language diversity and creativity, and more significantly, it reflects Chinese identity.
TL;DR: This paper investigated the notion of translated English and found that translated English texts differ from comparable non-translated texts in English, the target language (TL), in the sense that they have specific properties that cannot be found in the latter.
Abstract: This paper investigates the notion of ‘translated English’, in contrast to ‘non-translated English’. Its focal point is that translated English texts differ from comparable non-translated texts in English, the target language (TL), in the sense that they have specific properties that cannot be found in the latter. Translated English, therefore, is a distinct variety of English. What makes it distinct is that, on the one hand, translated English texts, regardless of the source language (SL), have been found to share significant lexical, syntactic, and textual features and, on the other hand, they are inevitably SL-specific, exhibiting unique characteristics due to, among other factors, features of the source language and the translation tradition involved.
TL;DR: The need for attention to the spoken word and phonetics in the teaching of English world-wide has been highlighted by as discussed by the authors, who argue that English is increasingly becoming a world language.
Abstract: An analysis of the need for attention to the spoken word and phonetics in the teaching of English world-wide. It is a truism that English is increasingly becoming a world language. Even in China a ‘craze for English’ has been, in view of the fact that over 200 million children (about 20% of all children in the world) now1 learn English in Chinese schools. McArthur has estimated that c.250 million Indians use English every day. All these speakers of English use it their own way. This localisation of English has been variously detected, for example in Hong Kong. It is also well known from versions of African English and, in fact, from most English varieties that have been attributed to the ‘Outer’ or ‘Extended. However, as early as 1983 Kachru voiced a caveat: ‘A large majority of the non-native speakers of institutionalised varieties of English use a local variety of English, but when told so, they are hesitant to accept the fact’.
TL;DR: Cheshire as mentioned in this paper concluded that as more people take care to remove masculine bias from their own English, so the language will gradually stop distorting our perceptions of women, concluding that "the twenty-two years that have passed represent pretty much a generation of speakers, making this a good time to consider whether or not my confidence was misplaced".
Abstract: Starts with excerpt from Jenny Cheshire, A question of masculine bias? (ET1, 1985). The author says; My 1985 article ended on an upbeat note, confidently predicting that as more people take care to remove masculine bias from their own English, so the language will gradually stop distorting our perceptions of women. The twenty-two years that have passed represent pretty much a generation of speakers, making this a good time to consider whether or not my confidence was misplaced. How successful have language reforms been?
[...]
TL;DR: The authors describe structural and semantic features of these words and present a glossary with a sprinkling of specimens gathered from a variety of sources, and describe the structural, semantic, and syntactic features of the Knock-Knock Words.
Abstract: ABSTRACT A foray into an oddity of word-making. Outside the province of jokelore, this type of abbreviation appears to have escaped notice in the literature on word-formation, perhaps because its productivity, besides being quite low, can best be seen in the most informal – and therefore supposedly ‘abnormal’ and ‘disreputable’ – levels of discourse. Of course, one does not have to be a genius to be aware that most knock-knock words (KKWs) stand as much chance of surviving as a snowball in hell. However, they are to be cherished for the unique insight they provide into language play and linguistic creativity at large. In what follows, I will describe the structural and semantic features of these words and present a glossary with a sprinkling of specimens gathered from a variety of sources.
TL;DR: This article organized a Symposium/dialogue on English in India and Indian English held during January 4-6, 2007 at the The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, India.
Abstract: The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, India organized a symposium/dialogue on English in India and Indian English held during January 4–6, 2007 at the The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, India. It was devoted to a discussion of the issues addressed in the keynote paper by Rajendra Singh, which some 23 scholars from throughout the world had been invited to respond to. Although a few of the invited scholars were not able to attend, they were kind enough to send their papers and we had a very productive and lively discussion in which the academic staff of CIIL and local journalists, students, and educationists also participated. This report is organized as follows: in section 1, we summarize the keynote address and all the full-length responses to it; in section 2, we summarize the brief comments and observations that were presented or tabled by the invited respondents; in section 3, we offer concluding remarks and a brief summary of Singh's responses to the interventions summarized in sections 1 and 2.
TL;DR: Rundell and Penny Stock as mentioned in this paper wrote about the Corpus revolution in 1992 and predicted that computer processing power and storage capacity would carry on doubling each year, and it was already clear that the arrival of the corpus would revolutionize the work of dictionary-makers.
Abstract: Starts with an excerpt from Michael Rundell and Penny Stock, The Corpus revolution (ET30, 1992). An update on the rise and rise of electronic language corpora and their impact on dictionaries. How dramatically the world has changed since Penny Stock and I wrote about the ‘Corpus Revolution’ in 1992.At the time, it was not hard to predict that computer processing power and storage capacity would carry on doubling each year. It was already clear, too, that the arrival of the corpus would revolutionize the work of dictionary-makers – hence the title of our articles. These changes were well under way in 1992 and, sixteen years on, their effects are still being felt. In the process, dictionaries have got dramatically better – if by ‘better’ we mean that the description of language they provide corresponds more closely to the way people actually use words when they communicate with one another.
TL;DR: In this article, an analysis of dialect variability in the use of BE in the island of Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines was carried out and it was shown that there may have been contact between some combination of speakers of a Carib language or languages, French, English, African languages and/or possibly a relatively new creole-like or contact variety of English.
Abstract: ABSTRACT An analysis of dialect variability in the use of BE in the island of Bequia. Bequia (pronounced /bekwei/) is the northernmost of the Grenadine islands in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Like most of the Caribbean, Bequia has a long history of language contact, but most of the evidence for this must be inferred. It appears that the Carib population living on the island before European colonization settled Bequia in successive waves of migration ultimately originating from the coast of South America indeed the name ‘Bequia’ is said to derive from a Carib word becouya, meaning ‘Island of the clouds’, but as yet I have been unable to trace this etymon reliably to a particular Carib language. Based on what we know about St Vincent, and the limited mentions of Bequia in the eighteenth century, we can infer that, at times, there may have been contact between some combination of speakers of a Carib language or languages, French, English, African languages and/or possibly a relatively new creole-like or contact variety of English.
TL;DR: This paper presented a selection of articles on English in various contexts and settings, with a significant focus on education in the first four articles, where Van Rooy describes the language experiences of South Korean academics and their families in a small town in South Africa.
Abstract: This issue presents a selection of articles on English in various contexts and settings, with a significant focus on education in the first four. Susan Van Rooy describes the language experiences of South Korean academics and their families in a small town in South Africa, and the consequences of their stay abroad for their English language proficiency. She reminds us that not all EFL learners of English have the ‘Inner Circle’ mainstream as their model: Potchefstroom, South Africa offers a mix between Inner and Outer Circle, probably having more features of the latter. Christian Burrows writes about methodologies of EFL classrooms in Japan, where cultural constraints make TBL (Task-Based Learning) more challenging than its Western proponents realise. The next two articles emphasise the need to pay attention to colloquial spoken language. Manfred Markus writes about the need to focus on phonetic accuracy in EFL teaching, or at least to try and replicate mainstream norms as much as possible. Fan Xianlong contributes a paper on the ever-changing spoken norms of the mainstream, based on his experiences as a visiting scholar in the United States. Although many of the features he describes are well known to Western sociolinguists, the article presents a refreshing perspective of how complex the notion of ‘target language’ must be to users of ESL and EFL. More often it is a moving and mystifying target, with its cultural and political minefields that find their way into everyday usage.
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of the changing trends in colloquial American English from the viewpoint of a visitor and their implications for teaching English in China is presented, based on the investigation I made among native English-speaking Americans, it tries to give an account of some salient trends of American English in daily communication.
Abstract: ABSTRACT Changing trends in colloquial American English from the viewpoint of a visitor and their implications for teaching of English in China. Knowing that language changes and an appreciation of current changes is of great importance for foreign-language learners as it helps enable them to have a good command of the current language so as to strengthen their ability to communicate with native speakers with facility. The reality Chinese learners of English face is, however, that they hardly have opportunities to be exposed to natural spoken forms of the target language around them, let alone access to its current changing trends. This paper aims to present such information. Based on the investigation I made among native English-speaking Americans, it tries, from a descriptive pragmatic point of view, to give an account of some salient trends of American English in daily communication. It takes everyday spoken American English as the object of study, for it is the kernel part of the language for social interaction. It is this part of the language that first undergoes changes in response to various social events, and that, having much to do with the study of language use, deserves our special attention.