ELT-746 – WORLD

ENGLISHES
Subject of presentation: Images of World English – Writing English as an International
Language
Student: Ege ÜLKÜ
Instructor: Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Meryem AKÇAYOĞLU
 DEFINING ‘WORLD ENGLISH’

• English, like all other languages, does not have a clear point of origin and a tangible end goal where
the language will cease to develop further. Rather, languages come about as a result of various
nomadic tribes settling on a vast plot of land and needing to communicate both domestically and
internationally. History has contributed significantly to how societies view sounds and letters
differently, and languages are the end result of peoples in societies attempting to communicate
with each other. In addition, imperalistic policies by English-speaking countries has allowed the
quick spread of the language of English even in the most remote regions of the world.
• However, not all English users may not pronounce the words the same way. Factors like mother
tongue and lack of substitute voices may affect pronounciation and usage significantly. ‘World
English’, in this context, refers to the differing usages of English as adapted by different
countries.
 WRITING ‘WORLD ENGLISH’

* Academic discussion on this subject mostly relates to English Language Teaching (ELT) and
attempts at inter-cultural communication. English is a universal language, and it is gaining more
popularity worldwide each year. It has also allowed dissimilar groups of people to communicate
easily, this is because English is less rule-demanding than either French or German, and English-
language movies are more well-regarded than foreign-language ones.
* In ELT, the challenge is to untangle both the cultural effects on the target language, and to
ingratiate less keen learners on to the necessity of English. In addition, the field of linguistics must
be carefully applied here so as to achieve an acceptable standard of English.
 CONCEPTIONS OF ‘WORLD ENGLISH’

• Smith (1976)’s research was one of the earliest in the field, and concerned the subject of
‘International Language’. He made a distinction between ‘International Language’ (a universally-
used language requiring L2 teaching) and ‘Auxiliary Language’ (the main? language with which
a speaker thinks or talks, referring to L1 languages).
• Smith(1987)’s research concerned itself with outlining the ethical limitations of ‘World English’,
and detailing several characteristics of ‘International Language’.
 LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM

• Historically, English-speaking countries were one of the earliest proponents of imperialism and
sought to create a globe-spanning economic network based on class relations. One of the ways
they tried to achieve this was with the use of language; once a target country was conquered,
their fates were inextricably linked to English colonialist rule and English. Even after imperalism
faded away following the end of WW2, the languages in former colonies didn’t and they
continue to use and promote English universally rather than their own.
• In the present day, the imperialistic effect is more economic than political. Both USA and UK are
two of the leading economies in the world, and many countries prefer to develop ties with the
English language rather than sever them by ignoring it.
 LINGUISTIC QUESTIONS IN WORLD
ENGLISH
• ‘’If the standard variety of English is the American or British version, are the Indian, Nigerian
and Korean Englishes actually English? If they aren’t, can they be classified as a kind of
interlanguage or place-holder speaking system until English can be fully grasped?’’
• As can be seen, while all 5 countries speak English, the latter 3 do not speak English in a way
consistent with standardized English. Their version of English is heavily accented, pragmatically
tied to certain professions rather than daily language and does not allow for flexibility beyond
achieving academic or political goals. In countries where English is not the main language, and
where they may be hundreds of different languages, considerations have to be thought of.
Linguistically, this means knowing each society’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to
English, and actualizing success progressively.
 LANGUAGE SPREAD VIA SECOND
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
• Cultural acclimation, societal demands and peer pressure can heavily contribute to language
learning but they only play an instrumental role for the learners, it is up to them to know, understand
and apply it in their daily lives. Languages can be demanded, drilled, repeated and forced down, but
they can’t be given pre-taught for the learners, they must be analyzed and ground down into smaller
chunks for effective processing.
• Similarly, English may be a language used the world over, but it doesn’t mean that they are accepted. If
some learners had decided not to go through with learning English, it wouldn’t have spread so quickly
around the world. Today, the urgent need for economic development has made the existence of a
universal language necessary. The goal then should be to integrate all countries into this universal
language, and that starts with acclimizating speech to communities to English (macroacquisition).
ENGLISH SPREAD AND LANGUAGE CHANGE:
THE ‘’NEW ENGLISHES’’
• According to recent estimates, 80% of the approximately 2 billion English speakers today are bi-
lingual (Romaine, 1995; Crystal, 1997). Brutt-Griffler(2002) implicitly divides English into two
categories: New/Indigenized/Nativized English and Old English.
• Old English refers to the standard version and culture of English, and remains a constant in ELT
classrooms. Its forms and grammar rules show little deviation from one year to the next.
• New Englishes, on the other hand, are Englishes transformed through the lens of the national
languages. This kind of deep colloboration between L1 and L2 results in ‘language change’, or
alterations in standard English. These alterations do not serve to create an independent language,
but to mold a language to suit their own ends. If left unchecked, this may create a linguistic
chasm across both Englishes which the ELT community may not be able to fix.