Transcript 229: english world-wide

NAME: NURUL NAJWA BINTI MOHAMAD (176042)
LECTURER’S NAME: DR. Vahid Nimehchisalem
229: ENGLISH WORLD-WIDE
4. SOUTH ASIA, 5. SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA, HONG KONG,
6. THE CARRIBEAN, 7. CANADA
PAGE 317-322
4. SOUTH ASIA
• Indian features of pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax – British
regarded with condescension during the days of the Empire, have
received more appropriately neutral descriptions from linguists.
• Certain pronunciations >> systematic influence of Indian
languages.
• In some varieties of Indian English, [v] and [w] are not
distinguished, and [t], [d], [l], and [r] are pronounced with
refrolection.
• Indian English is rich in coinages – eg, speed money ‘bribe’,
bakshish ‘tip’.
• The future of English in India and South Asia will be determined
by a complex set of social, political, and linguistic forces.
• English – transitional language with Hindi until 1965 but
continued to be used as an official language
• Spoken and written by minority of the Indian society
• The variety of English recognized as standard in India, Pakistan
and in Bangladesh and will continued to be affected by the culture
and native languages in South Asia and serve as the medium for
Western influences on the culture.
5. SINGAPORE, MALAYSIA,
HONG KONG
MALAYSIA
• The development of English as a second language is because of
the influence of background languages (the Chinese dialects
Hokkien, Cantonese, and Mandarin; Malay and the southern
Indian Tamil) and effects of different language policies instituted
by the governments.
• Malay peninsula has been among the most important trading areas
>> mixed cultures and once ruled by the Portuguese, the Dutch,
and the British.
• Singapore was separated from the main land >> English
used as a language of government, business, and
education.
• A policy of promoting Bahasa Malay as the official
language made the usage of English decreased (it was
hard to compete internationally in commerce.
• Recently, the Malaysian government has reemphasize
English.
Singapore
• English as one of the four official languages and the main
medium for administration, commerce, industry, and education
>> prospered in International trade and domestic economy.
• However, Lee Kuan Yew expressed concern over the loss of
Asian values and began to promote the use of Mandarin.
“English is for getting on in life, for practical use. But for moral
behavior we must learn Chinese, our own language.”
• Malaysia and Singapore >> the tensions between the
international language and the language of ethnic and
cultural identity. Bilingualism and multilingualism will be
essential to both countries in the future.
Hong Kong
• Similar with Singapore because of its British colonial history.
• The main difference is homogeneous population (97% Chinese)
• English is much less frequently used for oral communication among Hong
Kong’s Cantonese-speaking Chinese than among the Chinese in Singapore.
• Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia (Similarities)
• The lack of an ending to mark the third person singular present
tense of the verb (the omission). E.g., “This coffee house – very
cheap,” in contrast with standard British and American English
“This coffee house is very cheap” and as an auxiliary “My brother
– working,” instead of “My brother is working.”
• In phonology, British and American English is with a “stress-timed
rhythm.” Stressed syllables recur at equal intervals, unstressed
syllables are unequally spaced in time (including Singaporean
English, syllables recur at equal intervals of time, stressed or
unstressed.)
6. THE CARIBBEAN
• Rise a question whether Jamaican Creole is a separate language or
a point of continuum that is charged political question with
implications for educational policy, the legal system, and the mass
media.
• Spanish presence during the 16th century (can be seen in Puerto
Rico), both Spanish and English survive side by side as well as in
Belize, Panama and Guyana.
• However, for most of the anglophone Caribbean islands (Jamaica,
Barbados, Trinidad, and Tobago) – the most relevant languages
are those of the west coast of Africa.
• Ewe, Twi, Efik, Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa, and other African languages
– used by slaves (17th, 18th, 19th centuries)
• Final syllables in Jamaican Creole frequently have rising tone,
reflecting the West African Tone language spoken by the slaves
(carried their own phonology into their reinterpretation of a
Germanic language with light and heavy stresses).
• Forms of nyam (to eat) –Verbs in Wolof and Fula
• Na:ma (flesh, meat) – Noun to food in Hausa
• One of the most characteristic Jamaicanisms, juk (to prick, poke,
spur, jab, or stab) – to F. G. Cassidy’s suggestion of Fula Jukka (to
spur, poke, or knock down).
• Part if the vitality of Caribbean English is in the formation of
compounds – loan-translations of African metaphors: door mouth (a
doorway).
• The speech of the Rastafari has given new forms to pronouns: ‘you’ is
eliminated for being divisive and ‘I and I’ is used instead, as well as for
‘I’ and for ‘me’.
• Jamaican English received the words reggae and ska.
• The example of Jamican English:
mi granma chier
“my grandmother’s chair”
Him did go down Hope Ruod
“He/she went down Hope Road”
7. CANADA
• Has more common with United States while retaining a few
features of British pronunciation and spelling.
• British items (chips, serviette, and copse) – frequently in the west.
• American items ( French fries, napkin, and grove) – East
• British spellings (eg, colour and pronunciations (schedule)) occurs
throughout Canada among more highly educated and older
speakers.
• There are number of words with meanings that are peculiarly
Canadian. Aboiteau (dam), Bluenose (Nova Scotian), Creditiste
(member of the Social Credit party), Digby chicken (smoke-cured
herring) and etc.
• The Dictionary of Canadianisms published in Canada’s Centennial
Year – allows historical linguists to establish the sources of
Canadian English.
• Many early settlers in Canada came from United States and the
influence has always been strong.
• It is difficult to differentiate what belongs to Canada from what
belongs to the United States and General North American.