Who speaks English today

World EnglishesLesson 3

English Today

3 groups of users:

Those who speak English respectively as- a native language = ENL- a second language = ESL- a foreign language = EFL

Neat classifications become increasingly difficult

Who speaks English today?

English as a Native Language (ENL)- Language of those born and raised in one of the countries

where English is historically the first language to be spoken (i.e. mainly the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand)

- ~ 350 million speakers

English as a Second Language (ESL)- Language spoken in a large number of territories which were

once colonized by the English (e.g., India, Nigeria, Singapore)- ~ 350 million speakers

Who speaks English today?

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) - Language of those for whom it serves no purposes within their

own countries- Historically, EFL was learned to use the language with its

native speakers in the US and UK - ~ 1 billion speakers with ‘reasonable competence’

Difficulties with the three-way categorization

ENL is not a single variety of English Pidgins and creoles do not fit into the categorization. There are large groups of ENL speakers in ESL

territories and vice versa. It is based on the concept of monolingualism, but bi-

or multilingualism is the norm. It is based on the basic distinction between native

speakers and non-native speakers, with the first group being considered superior regardless of the quality of their language. (cf. McArthur 1998)

Pidgins and creoles

Definition pidgin

A pidgin is a language with no native speakers: it is no one’s first language but is a contact language.

(Wardhaugh 2006: 61–3) Definition creole

In contrast to a pidgin, a creole is often defined as a pidgin that has become the first language of a new generation of speakers.

(Wardhaugh 2006: 61–3)

Models of the spread of English

Streven (1980): World map of English Kachru (1985/1988): Three circle model of World

Englishes McArthur (1987): Circle of World English Görlach (1988): Circle model of English Modiano (1999): The centripetal circles of

international English

Three circle model of World Englishes

Kachru (1992: 356) Most useful and influential model World Englishes divided into 3 concentric circles:

1. Inner Circle:

~ ENL countries, ‘norm-providing’

2. Outer Circle:~ ESL countries, ‘norm-developing’

3. Expanding Circle: ~EFL countries, ‘norm-dependent’

Limitations with Kachru’s model

Based on geography and history, rather than the speakers’ use of English.

Grey area between Inner and Outer Circles as well as Outer and Expanding Circles.

The world’s bilingual or multilingual speakers are not taken into account.

Difficulty of using the model to define speakers in terms of their proficiency in English.

Does not account for the linguistic diversity within and between countries of a particular circle.

The term Inner Circle implies that speakers from ENL countries are central, and may thus be interpreted as superior.

Recap

What do the acronyms ENL, ESL and EFL stand for and what do they refer to?

Name some of the difficulties with the tripartite categorisation into ENL, ESL and EFL speakers.

Explain Kachru’s three-circle model of the spread of English. Highlight its advantages as well as limitations.

The English Today debate

English Englishes Outer Circle Englishes still regularly regarded as Interlanguage: learner language which has not yet

reached the target Fossilized language: language used when learning

has ceased short of native-like competence Expanding Circle Englishes even less accepted

The English Today debate

Controversy between Randolph Quirk and Braij Kachru, Journal English Today, early 1990s

Non-native Englishes as ‘deficit’:

Quirk: “Language varieties and standard language” Non-native Englishes are inadequately learned versions of

‘correct’ native English forms Non-native Englishes are not valid as teaching models

Non-native Englishes as ‘difference’:

Kachru: “Liberation linguistics and the Quirk Concern” Criticizes Quirk’s deficit linguistics position Highlights four false assumptions of Quirk’s argument

Recap

What is Quirk’s position with regard to the English spoken in Outer Circle countries? Which role should Outer Circle Englishes play in education and language teaching according to Quirk?

What are Kachru’s arguments against Quirk’s position? According to Kachru, which false assumptions underlie Quirk’s position? How does Kachru see the role of English in Outer Circle countries?

Teaching English today

Challenging the premise that NS is best teacher: NS is expert informant, but not necessarily expert

instructor (Widdowson 1994) NNS teachers and students have shared experience

of learning English asset (Seidlhofer 1999)

But:

Authority of NS teacher still upheld in teaching materials

NS teachers still sought most