The Typology of Asian Englishes: Setting the agenda (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Asian typology of English: Theoretical and methodological considerations
John Benjamins Publishing Company eBooks, 2011
This paper looks at the emergence of Asian English varieties in terms of the evolution of new grammatical features. I propose that, in order to reach a thorough understanding of how the unique combination of grammatical features that define specific Asian Englishes come about, we must approach these features from a typological and evolutionary perspective which allows us to contrast them not only with Standard English varieties but also with the Asian languages with which these come into contact. As restructured vernaculars, Asian English varieties are de facto contact languages, and, as such, evolve as a consequence of selection of features from a multilingual pool. In this pool, features of Asian varieties play a significant role in determining the output grammar and must therefore be appreciated in their own right. In order to illustrate these points, I introduce an evolutionary view of contact language formation, and I present a set of features typical of Singlish, which are all instances of replication of Asian, not English, features.
World Englishes: The study of new linguistic varieties (review)
The Canadian Journal of Linguistics / La revue canadienne de linguistique, 2011
As recent as it is, the field of New Englishes has seen phenomenal growth since its inception in the early 1980s. The term just celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary (Pride 1982), and a number of introductions, handbooks, and collections of articles have appeared of late. But, as Mesthrie & Bhatt (M&B) themselves ask, '[i]f the field is well served by books and articles, why the appearance of one more' (p. 2)? The answer to this question is what also recommends the book to readers of this journal: M&B's aim is not just to synthesize previous research and 'identify gaps in the field' (p. 2) but to make the connection with other outcomes of language contact, such as pidgins and creoles. Their emphasis is on 'the linguistic forms characteristic of new varieties of English and on ways of describing and understanding them' (p. 3); the main body of the book thus consists of an account of the morphology and phrasal syntax (Chapter 2), cross-clausal syntax (Chapter 3), lexis and phonology (Chapter 4), and pragmatic and discourse features (Chapter 5) in various New Englishes. This structural, descriptive approach is entirely in line with what is customary in the field (but has been regretted by, e.g., the contributors to Singh 1998, according to whom such an approach fails to do justice to the sociopolitical nature of the subject). In Chapter 1, M&B first define terms and concepts and place their subject historically and geographically as well as within the discipline. Their discussion of distinctions within what they label the 'English Language Complex' (p. 3) is detailed but concise, and both clarifies issues and pinpoints their controversial nature. In entitling their book 'World Englishes, ' M&B signal that their interest includes phenomena like Euro English and exceeds the bounds of the second-language varieties of English which originated through education in former colonies and are now summarized under the heading 'New Englishes. ' M&B rightly point to the problems inherent in the term nativization (p. 11), which is often used to denote the acculturation of the former colonial language to local circumstances, as in the adoption of indigenous words for flora, fauna, topography, or cultural phenomena, but simply refers to the formation of a first language in, for instance,
World Englishes: The Study of New Linguistic Varieties, by Rajend Mesthrie and Rakesh M. Bhatt
Changing English, 2010
The main focus of this book is on linguistic structure, in particular on the linguistic forms characteristic of new varieties of English, and on ways of describing and understanding them. In this, the book makes an extremely useful contribution to the field. It is less successful in its attempt to cover and explain current trends in the spread of English, which is the aim of the final chapter.
1992
Four working papers from the 1992 Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota session, are presented. The first, "English Borrowing in Thai as Reflected in Thai Journalistic Texts," by James Kapper, looks at patterns of the influence of the English language on Thai. It is concluded that English has permeated Thai culture and society deeper than the level of the specialized bilinguals who introduced many of the loan words. "Preposed and Postposed Adverbials in English," by Stephen H. Levinsohn, describes the differences in meaning resulting from placing adverbial clauses before or after the main verb in an English sentence. In "The Role of Language in the Dissolution of the Soviet Union," by David F. Marshall, the dynamics of multiple languages and cultures, ethnic mobilization, and the dissolution of the USSR are explored. It is proposed that government policy concerning multilingualism was less to blame for ethnic tensions than Russian ethnocentrism. "Tone in Komo," by John Paul Thomas, is an analysis of sound patterns in Komo, a sub-Bantu language, focusing on tonal patterns. Rules and processes for each of three strata of tonal processes is outlined. (MSE)
Word Formation in New Englishes. A Corpus-based Analysis by Thomas Biermeier
World Englishes, 2010
Reviewed by ANDY KIRKPATRICK * The main focus of this book is on linguistic structure, in particular on the linguistic forms characteristic of new varieties of English, and on ways of describing and understanding them. In this, the book makes an extremely useful contribution to the field. It is less successful in its attempt to cover and explain current trends in the spread of English, which is the aim of the final chapter. The first chapter provides a summary of the development of world Englishes and the globalization of English, and adopts McArthur's term the 'English language complex' (ELC) as the cover term for all varieties of English. McArthur's ELC comprises 'metropolitan standards', 'colonial standards', 'regional dialects', 'social dialects', 'Pidgin Englishes', 'Creole Englishes', 'English as a second language', 'English as a foreign language', 'immigrant Englishes', 'language-shift Englishes', 'jargon Englishes', and 'hybrid Englishes'. The authors query some of these classifications, and also consider the extent to which it is possible to determine when a child's or adult learner's language becomes 'English proper' or 'an accepted community norm' (p. 7). Chapters 2, 3 and 4 deal with the structural features of new Englishes and these provide the real meat of the book. Chapter 2 is concerned with morphology and what the authors call 'phrasal syntax'. In their own words, the authors' main focus is to seek 'to establish similarities among the recurrent features of New Englishes' (p. 39). Using data from a selection of South and Southeast Asian Englishes, Sub-Saharan and Amerindian Englishes, along with Irish English, the authors provide a range of linguistic examples including articles, number, gender, pronouns, tense, aspect, modality, prepositions and conjunctions. Given their interest in establishing similarities, it is surprising that there is no discussion of work on vernacular universals (VUs). The relationship between VUs and language contactinduced change, and the extent that these can be distinguished, have become key questions in contact linguistics (Filppula, Klemola and Paulasto 2009: 8). Chambers (2004: 129) has proposed candidates for VUs which include final consonant cluster simplification; conjugation regularization or leveling of irregular verb forms; default singulars or subjectverb non-concord; multiple negation of negative concord; copular absence or deletion. These features are all reported in many of the varieties of new Englishes described by the authors. And although the authors later state that the 'relative contributions of the