- 16 May 2010 15:44
#13393603
I'm looking for some interaction with Slovenes regarding who have learned or are learning English. I am an English university student studying Linguistics and currently am working on a World Englishes module where we investigate the development and use of English around the world. I've chosen Slovenia as I have a few online friends from there, English is taught in schools as a second language and with pretty much 50% of Slovenia's GDP coming from business dealings with the rest of the world, Slovenes make a sensible decision for me.
For now I need some interviews with Slovenes who have learnt English at school or home and how they use it, their feeling for the language and its origins, I will anonymous these if necessary. I've got a Skype account (mrd_scifi) to use for text chat on the subject. if Slovenes want to contact me today (last minute, I know!)
There are close to 2 billion speakers of English in some form or other. Where 'native' speakers are concerned, 60 million are in the UK, 250 million in the US, with expats round the world and a lot of speakers of Engiish as a second language in other countries classing themselves as 'native' (1.5% of India's citizens regard themselves as such) We break speakers down in my environment to three classes:
1) Native speakers
2) English as a Second Language (ESL)
3) English as a Lingua Franca (ELF, sometimes seen as LFE)
The fact 2 billion people speak it and a lot of the growth nowadays is with ELF speakers, we understand that as English, we no longer "own" the language. In fact, language change and authority is likely to be made by ESL and ELF speakers as they come to back a particular register of English that they find most suitable for business dealings. ELF grows nominally where two countries want to do trade but traditionally do not know each others languages. They opt to translate their languages into English and meet in the middle.
You will see the British Council (government backed) is in many countries round the world offering staple training in English, promoting IELTS and Cambridge examination systems and saying the reason is to encourage students to go abroad for study, and to help people do business with the EU. If you look at the website for Slovenes, you will see how one side of English language learning is managed:
Whilst the British Empire is long gone, you can see how this form of language learning is made with some ideas of control and management. In our studies my university is near the front of World Englishes and we do not make any claims to ownership and try to change thought over "correct" English usage, leaning on "understandability" over absolute correctness. We are not the grammar nazi's In conversations online I only find myself interrupting and correcting people if they specifically ask me to do so, or if the language use is not clear. We hope that teaching of English around the world will become more flexible as a speakers first language grammar rules will of course affect how they learn and use English.
If you are not from a country whose official language is English then you are using it as a tool in the majority of cases. Whilst you want and need to be understood, you do not need to be 100% correct in your usage if the meaning gets across. The internet was primarily English language, but other languages have become evident and so the percentage of pages we see on the net is growing smaller for English. W're not trying to "take over" the world, we see China maybe doing that in future and wonder if English will stay such a popular ELF language or if Mandarin will a tempt to takeover its function as a tool between nations.
For now I need some interviews with Slovenes who have learnt English at school or home and how they use it, their feeling for the language and its origins, I will anonymous these if necessary. I've got a Skype account (mrd_scifi) to use for text chat on the subject. if Slovenes want to contact me today (last minute, I know!)
Braj Kachru's Concentric Circles
The inner circle refers to the traditional bases of English, where it is the primary language: it includes the USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The outer circle involves the earlier phases of the spread of English in non-native settings, where the language has become a part of a country's chief institutions, and plays an important 'second language' role in a multilingual setting: it includes Singapore, India, Malawi and over 50 other territories.
The expanding circle involves those nations which recognize the importance of English as an international language, thought they do not have a history of colonization by members of the inner circle, nor have they given English any special administrative status. It includes China, Japan, Greece, Poland and (as the name of this circle suggests) a steadily increasing number of other
states. In these areas, English is taught as a foreign language. David Crystal. (1997). English as a Global Language, Cambridge University Press.
There are close to 2 billion speakers of English in some form or other. Where 'native' speakers are concerned, 60 million are in the UK, 250 million in the US, with expats round the world and a lot of speakers of Engiish as a second language in other countries classing themselves as 'native' (1.5% of India's citizens regard themselves as such) We break speakers down in my environment to three classes:
1) Native speakers
2) English as a Second Language (ESL)
3) English as a Lingua Franca (ELF, sometimes seen as LFE)
The fact 2 billion people speak it and a lot of the growth nowadays is with ELF speakers, we understand that as English, we no longer "own" the language. In fact, language change and authority is likely to be made by ESL and ELF speakers as they come to back a particular register of English that they find most suitable for business dealings. ELF grows nominally where two countries want to do trade but traditionally do not know each others languages. They opt to translate their languages into English and meet in the middle.
You will see the British Council (government backed) is in many countries round the world offering staple training in English, promoting IELTS and Cambridge examination systems and saying the reason is to encourage students to go abroad for study, and to help people do business with the EU. If you look at the website for Slovenes, you will see how one side of English language learning is managed:
Code: Select all
http://www.britishcouncil.org/slovenia.htm
Whilst the British Empire is long gone, you can see how this form of language learning is made with some ideas of control and management. In our studies my university is near the front of World Englishes and we do not make any claims to ownership and try to change thought over "correct" English usage, leaning on "understandability" over absolute correctness. We are not the grammar nazi's In conversations online I only find myself interrupting and correcting people if they specifically ask me to do so, or if the language use is not clear. We hope that teaching of English around the world will become more flexible as a speakers first language grammar rules will of course affect how they learn and use English.
If you are not from a country whose official language is English then you are using it as a tool in the majority of cases. Whilst you want and need to be understood, you do not need to be 100% correct in your usage if the meaning gets across. The internet was primarily English language, but other languages have become evident and so the percentage of pages we see on the net is growing smaller for English. W're not trying to "take over" the world, we see China maybe doing that in future and wonder if English will stay such a popular ELF language or if Mandarin will a tempt to takeover its function as a tool between nations.