We are pleased to inform you that RELO Beijing Damon Anderson hosts a monthly Web Chat on language and culture, discussing issues of interest to teachers and future teachers of English. Tuesday, July 14 the topic will be “World English or World English-es?”
Here are the details:
Topic: “World English or World English-es?”
When: Tuesday, July 14 at 1:00 pm Jakarta Time (2 p.m. Beijing Time)
Where:
https://statedept.connectsolutions.com/englishroundtable
(log-in required)
Who: Teachers and students of English, anyone who is interested in sharing their English-learning and -teaching experience!
Please see also:
http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/relo_ea.html
The Discussion:
There is a great discussion in the field right now concerning whether we should be talking about a standard World English or about World Englishes.
It is true that English has become a lingua franca and that it is being used either as an official or non-official language in most countries throughout the world. Check out this web site for the list of countries in which English is an official language:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_where_English_is_an_official language.
The question is, which English is being used in these countries? English is a world language and so does not belong to any one country or culture. Many people tell me that they prefer to learn American English, while others prefer British or Australian or Canadian English. What about English in other countries?Linguists have long said that a language is a reflection of culture and that language is defined by its users. This can be demonstrated in looking at how different languages treat time. In English it is a tangible (you can make time, buy time, sell time, steal time, kill time), whereas in some other languages it is an intangible (most Asian languages). Many students of English have found such items in the English language difficult to understand and learn because it is different from their culture and understanding. Some non-mother-tongue users of English have found certain forms in English difficult to use because culturally these forms are different from their native cultures. One example of such a form could be the forms of address, which in English may not always demonstrate enough politeness or respect, according to some cultures.
As a result of this, many users of English in different countries are beginning to adapt English by embedding their culture into English and using English, but within their own cultural context. Some users are adding such things as new kinds of tag questions, single syllable markers such as la or na, or adding forms of address. This is resulting in different Englishes.
This concept of different Englishes is to be differentiated from poor translations in which English is being translated incorrectly or the local language is being translated incorrectly into English. As more and more people throughout the world use English through all the social networking tools now available, they are creating more new vocabulary and forms of English.
How do we classify these changes which are not necessarily generated by the “native speakers” of English, but are being accepted by the majority of users? So, in our English Roundtable chat we would like to discuss this issue and hear your thoughts and examples. Should we be talking about a standard World English or World Englishes? What implications does your stance have on our profession and the teaching of English locally?
Please join us and share your thoughts and insights with us on this controversial topic.
Please don’t miss this exciting web chat as you will be discussing about language and culture with many people from other countries.
We look forward to having you in the web chat!
====================
The RELO Resource Center
Gedung Balai Pustaka 6th Fl (AMINEF)
Gunung Sahari Raya No. 4
JAKARTA 10720 Â Indonesia
Phone: +62-21-352-0622 – Fax: +62-21-351-6919
Email: english.indonesia@gmail.com
=====================
