Review of Nelson, Cecil L., Zoya G. Proshina Daniel R. Davis. 2020. The Handbook of World Englishes. 2nd edn. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley - Blackwell. 816 p. + xxx p (original) (raw)
Related papers
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,
Cultures, Contexts, and World Englishes by Yamuna Kachru and Larry E. Smith
World Englishes, 2009
If Yamuna Kachru and Larry Smith had supplied a sub-title for their book, it might have been 'promoting sensitivity to linguistic diversity', since this is the underlying theme that unifies this work. It is presented in three parts: (I) scholarly approaches to the analysis of cultures, verbal interaction and intelligibility; (II) the linguistic building blocks that form interlocutors' exchanges; and (III) conversational and writing styles. The sensitivity that the authors advocate is rooted in a belief that diversity -of Englishes and cultures -can be negotiated ad hoc, whereas ethnocentricity and outdated norms need to be counteracted. The argument is presented convincingly across a range of parameters; overarching political and ideological issues are relegated to a brief concluding chapter. Each part has a short introduction summarising themes, and each chapter has ideas for practical follow-up.
Review of World Englishes: A Critical Analysis
2016
Main themes and issues covered by this book A summary of distinctive features in the book with comments Looking beyond the established criticism of measuring intelligibility and acceptability of Outer Circle (OC) varieties of English in relation to Inner Circle (IC) variety, readers are encouraged to adopt discursive practices that evoke differences in (OC) varieties of Englishes. The procedure is similar to the sociolinguistic processes (foundation, stabilization, nativization, differentiation (p. 54)) that happened with modern English starting with Old and Middle English.
A Cultural History of the English Language
This work however, is presented from a different perspective. It does not see English as only one of several languages that emerged from Germanic heritage, grew into a distinguished culture, and spread its influence by global expansion, but also as the most influential European language in the world since the time of the Romans. With demonstration of how English is similar to and different from Greek, Latin, modern European languages, Arabic, and Chinese and through the examination of the historical events that cultivated these distinctive characteristics, it explains the reason why English, rather than French, German, or Italian has become the most widely spoken and read language in the world. It traces this exceptional and lasting influence less in the terms of colonial expansion or cultural imperialism than in the diverse, adoptive and adaptive capacity of English as a literary language. In short, instead of surveying the soil that nurtured English, this work provides a panoramic glimpse from a place where the world seems remote and its long span of history has shortened and became almost immediate. From this spot, English differs from other languages, as demonstrated by the following unique features.
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.
A History of English: A Sociolinguistic Approach
2001
Part I: Introduction: The Time Periods of English. Language Change. Sources of Information on Language Change. Linguistic Preliminaries. The Sounds of English, and Symbols Used to Describe Them: Consonants. Vowels. Structure of The Book. Part II: The Pre-History of English: Timeline of Events 1. The Indo-European Period. The Indo-Europeans and Linguistic Relatedness: The Beginnings. The Development of Historical Linguistics. Genetic Relatedness. Linguistic Developments. The Indo-European Language Family: Family Tree Relationships. The Indo-European Family. Indo-Iranian. Indic. Iranian. Armenian. Albanian. Balto-Slavonic. Slavonic. Baltic. Hellenic. Italic. Celtic. Brythonic. Goidelic. Germanic. East Germanic. North Germanic. West Germanic. Low Germanic. High Germanic. Yiddish. From Indo-European to Germanic: Prosody. The Consonant System: Sound Shifts. Grimm's Law. Verner's Law. The Second Consonant Shift. Possible Explanations For The High German (Second) Sound Shift. The V...
Emergence of English Language the Global Spread English & Its Images Over World: A Linguistic Study
2016
No country and no culture can claim sole ownership of the English language. The Sociolinguistics of English is emergent due to demand in the world of communication. Though India is multilingual state still English is used by all community accepted wisdom of sociolinguistics perspectives. Focusing WE theory and pedagogy aspect, The Present study attempts to discuss the Sociolinguistics of English in India in the field of applied linguistics. The rising status and the rapid spread of English over the past four hundred years has led to the emergence of transplanted varieties of English in variegated socio-cultural and linguistic contexts, Indian English is one such variety. English spoken in India is deeply linked with the society, culture and the people. The function of English in India is different from that it performs in the native context. The defining factors such as the cultural plurality and presence of different languages have given India a distinct place in the multilingual c...