World Englishes

j
 Standard Language Ideology
j j

Topic-103: jWhat jis jStandard jlanguage jI? j

What jis jStandard jLanguage?

• The jterm j‘standard’ jbegan jto jbe j japplied jto jlanguage jand jliterature jin jthe j18th jcentury. j
• Historically jwas jused jfor jthe jbattle/war jflag jof jEngland jin ja jbattle jin jthe j12th jcentury
• Used jin jthe jarmies jto jrefer jto jthe jflag jof ja junit jor jregiment
Standard jlanguage
• The jvariety jof ja jlanguage jwhich jis jconsidered jthe jnorm
• Used jfor jeducational jpurposes
• A jyard jstick jfor jmeasuring jthe jother jvarieties
Standard jlanguage
• Is ja jprestige jvariety
• Spoken jby ja jminority jof jpeople jwith jpower jand jposition jin ja jsociety
Standardization jof ja jlanguage
Language jstandardization jis jthe jprocess jby jwhich jconventional jforms jof ja jlanguage jare jestablished jand
jmaintained

Codification
• The jmethods jused jto jcomplete jthe jprocess jof jstandardization
Standard jEnglish
Codification
• These jmethods jinclude jthe jcreation jand juse jof:
• jdictionaries

• jstyle jand jusage jguides

• traditional jgrammar jtextbooks

Standard jEnglish
Codification
• The jterm j jwas jpopularized jin jthe jearly j1970s jby jlinguist jEinar jHaugen
• He jdefined jit jas ja jprocess jthat jleads jto j"minimal jvariation jin jform"
Standard jlanguage
• Language jvarieties jdo jnot jhave jprestige jin jthemselves
• They jacquire jprestige jwhen jtheir jspeakers jhave jhigh jprestige
• This jexplains jthe jprestige jand jpower jattached jto jstandard jEnglish.

Topic-104: jWhat jis jStandard jlanguage jII? j

Bases jof jstandard jEnglish

Grammar
• Grammar jmore jthan jpronunciation
• Grammar jis jfixed jand juniform
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Grammar
Educated jspeakers jmay jdiffer jin:
• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary
• Idiom
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
First, j…it jreally jought jto jbe jcalled j‘the jgrammar jand jcore jvocabulary jof jeducated jusage jin jEnglish’…. jit
jis jnot jthe jwhole jof jEnglish, jand jabove jall jit jis jnot jpronunciation jthat jcan jbe jin jany jway jlabeled

j‘Standard’, jbut jonly j... jits jgrammar jand jvocabulary. j

(Strevens jcited jin jKachru j& jNelson, j2006)

Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Writing
• Associated jmore jclosely jwith jwriting jthan jspoken jforms
• Easily jrecognizable jin jwritten jforms
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Writing
Associated jmore jclosely jwith jwriting jbecause:
• A jblend jof jvocabulary jand jgrammar
• Established jmore jclearly jthrough jspelling jthan jpronunciation
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Writing
• Written jEnglish jis jmore jrule-governed jthan jspoken jEnglish j
• Role jof jpublishers
• More juniformity jand jfewer jdivergences jin jwriting j
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Language jideology
• Social, jcultural jand jeconomic jfactors
• Undue jimportance jgiven jto jthe jvariety jselected jas jthe jstandard

Topic-105: jStandard jlanguage j

Bases jof jstandard jEnglish

Grammar
• Grammar jmore jthan jpronunciation
• Grammar jis jfixed jand juniform
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Grammar
Educated jspeakers jmay jdiffer jin:
• Pronunciation
• Vocabulary
• Idiom
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
First, j…it jreally jought jto jbe jcalled j‘the jgrammar jand jcore jvocabulary jof jeducated jusage jin jEnglish’…. jit
jis jnot jthe jwhole jof jEnglish, jand jabove jall jit jis jnot jpronunciation jthat jcan jbe jin jany jway jlabeled

j‘Standard’, jbut jonly j... jits jgrammar jand jvocabulary. j

(Strevens jcited jin jKachru j& jNelson, j2006)

Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Writing
• Associated jmore jclosely jwith jwriting jthan jspoken jforms
• Easily jrecognizable jin jwritten jforms
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Writing
Associated jmore jclosely jwith jwriting jbecause:
• A jblend jof jvocabulary jand jgrammar
• Established jmore jclearly jthrough jspelling jthan jpronunciation
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Writing
• Written jEnglish jis jmore jrule-governed jthan jspoken jEnglish j
• Role jof jpublishers
• More juniformity jand jfewer jdivergences jin jwriting j
Bases jof jstandard jEnglish
Language jideology
• Social, jcultural jand jeconomic jfactors
• Undue jimportance jgiven jto jthe jvariety jselected jas jthe jstandard

Topic-106: jLanguage jStandards

Language jstandards
• Prescriptive jlanguage jrules jwhich jtogether jconstitute jthe jstandard
• Formally jtaught jand jconformed jto j
• These jrules jmay jchange jover jtime
Criticism jof jlanguage jstandards
• Create jdiscrimination
• Work jagainst jthe jpoor, jwomen jand jminorities
• Need jto jbe jbroadened
Process jof jstandardization
Comprises jfour jstages
• Selection
• Codification j
• Elaboration jof jfunctions
• Acceptance
Selection
• The jmost jcritical jstage
• Involves jselection jof jone jvariety jas jthe jstandard
• Led jby jthe jpolitically jand jsocially jpowerful
• Protects jand jpromotes jthe jinterests jof jthe jsame
Selection
Involves jthe jselection jof:
• An jexisting jvariety jwith ja jhigh jdegree jof jpolitical jand jsocial jacceptance
• Different jfeatures jfrom jseveral jvarieties
Codification
• Involves jthe jwriting jand jdevelopment jof:
• grammar jtextbooks
• style jand juse jguides
• Dictionaries
• Allows jpeople jaccess jto jthe jstandard jforms
Elaboration jof jfunctions
• Capability jof jperforming ja jwide jrange jof jfunctions jin jgovernment jand jeducation jdomains
• New jvocabulary jand jconventions jare jadded
Acceptance
• The jselected jvariety jhas jto jbe jaccepted jby jthe jrelevant jpopulation
Paradox jof jstandardization
• A jsymbol jof ja jstate’s jindependence
• A jstrong junifying jforce
• A jsymbol jof jinferior jstatus jof jthe jpoor jwho juse ja jregional, jsocial jor jethnic jdialect
Paradox jof jstandardization
• Standardization jof ja jlanguage jmay jbe jchallenged jor jquestioned je.g. jthe jstandard jEnglish j

Topic-107: jNon-Standard jEnglishes

Non-British jvariety jcontroversy

• Recognition jof jAmerican jEnglish jas ja jvariety jdifferent jfrom jBritish jEnglish
• Reservations jin jrecognizing jinstitutionalized jvarieties jin jthe jouter jcircle
Varieties jconsidered jnon-standard
• All jthe jregional jnative jspeaker jdialects jof jEnglish
• All jthe j‘New jEnglish’ jvarieties
• Until j1970s jeducated jAustralian jEnglish
Non-Standard jEnglishes j
Lack jof jacceptance jof jnon-standard jvarieties jmay jbe jdue jto:
• Attitude jtowards jrace jin jthe jUS
• Attitude jtowards jclass jin jthe jUK
Non-Standard jEnglishes j
Standardization jand jcodification jof j jouter jcircle jEnglishes:
• Singaporean jStandard jEnglish
• Indian jStandard jEnglish
Attitudes jwithin jthe jouter jcircle
• Often jconsidered jsecond-best jcompared jto jthe jstandard jEnglish jof jthe jinner jcircle
Attitudes jin jthe jinner jcircle
• Unlikely jto jattract jthe jsame jdegree jof jprestige jas jnative jstandard jEnglishes jin jUK, jNorth jAmerica
jand jAustralia

• Considered ja jresult jof jfossilization

Attitudes jin jthe jinner jcircle
• Learners jof ja jsecond jlanguage jstop jshort jof jtarget-like jattainment j(the jnative jspeaker's
jcompetence) jin jsome jor jall jlinguistic jdomains