scholarly journals Attitudes Towards Exogenous and Endogenous Uses of English: Ugandan’s Judgements of English Structures in Varieties of English

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Christiane Meierkord
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Population ◽  
American English ◽  
The West ◽  
Indian English ◽  
British English ◽  
International Media ◽  
The North ◽  
Language Variety ◽  
Grammatical Structures ◽  
Over Time

Uganda is a former British protectorate, where English has contributed to the country’s linguistic ecology since 1894, when the British established a protectorate over the area of the Buganda kingdom. Over time, Ugandan English has developed as a nativised second language variety, spoken by Uganda’s indigenous population. At the same time, due to migrations, globalisation and the influence of international media and the Internet, its speakers have increasingly been in contact with varieties other than British English: American English, Indian English, Kenyan English, and Nigerian English may all influence Ugandan English. This paper looks at how Ugandan English can be conceptualised as a variety shaped by other varieties. It reports on the results of acceptability tests carried out with 184 informants in the North, the Central and the West of Uganda and discusses how speakers assess individual grammatical structures used in Ugandan English and in those varieties they are potentially in contact with.

scholarly journals On the native/nonnative speaker notion and World Englishes: Debating with K. Rajagopalan

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-611
Author(s):  
John Robert SCHMITZ
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
American English ◽  
World Englishes ◽  
The Other ◽  
The West ◽  
Indian English ◽  
British English ◽  
Nonnative Speaker ◽  
The World ◽  
Australian English

ABSTRACT In a series of three articles published in the Journal of Pragmatics (1995, henceforth JP), the purpose of the papers is to question the division of English spoken in the world into, on one hand, "native" varieties (British English, American English. Australian English) and, on the other, "new/nonnative" varieties (Indian English, Singaporean English, Nigerian English). The JP articles are indeed groundbreaking for they mark one of the first interactions among scholars from the East with researchers in the West with regard to the growth and spread of the language as well as the roles English is made to play by its impressive number of users. The privileged position of prestige and power attributed to the inner circle varieties (USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) is questioned. Rajagopalan (1997, motivated by his reading of the JP papers, adds another dimension to this questioning by pointing to the racial and discriminatory stance underlying the notions "native speaker" and "nonnative speaker" (henceforth, respectively NS and NNS). Rajagopalan has written extensively on the issue of nativity or "nativeness"; over the years, Schmitz has also written on the same topic. There appears, in some cases, to be a number of divergent views with regard to subject on hand on the part of both authors. The purpose of this article is to engage in a respectful debate to uncover misreading and possible misunderstanding on the part of Schmitz. Listening to one another and learning from each another are essential in all academic endeavors.

A rose by any other name? Learner English and variety–status labelling: the case of English in South Korea

English Today ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Jung Song
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
American English ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Indian English ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
British English ◽  
Outer Circle ◽  
The Face ◽  
Inner Circle

One of the major achievements of Braj Kachru's (1991) ‘liberation linguistics’ is that it has squarely placed Outer Circle varieties such as Indian English, Nigerian English and Singaporean English on a par with Inner Circle varieties such as American English and British English – in the face of negative attitudes, ranging ‘from amused condescension to racist stereotyping’ (Bruthiaux, 2003: 160). Following in Kachru's footsteps, many scholars have demonstrated that these Outer Circle Englishes are legitimate varieties of English, with distinct characteristics and with growing numbers of native speakers (e.g. Deterding, 2007; Jowitt, 1991; Sailaja, 2009). Indeed these Outer Circle English varieties are increasingly used, in respective countries, not only as the major or default medium of communication but also in the context of important domains such as education, media, government, literature and popular culture. The Kachruvian perspective has also given rise to the ‘egalitarian’ view that Inner Circle English speakers are no longer the only ones who can lay claim to the ownership of English. Outer Circle English speakers are now thought to be as much custodians of English as Inner Circle English speakers are.

scholarly journals The pluperfect in native and non-native English: A comparative corpus study

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devyani Sharma
Keyword(s):  
American English ◽  
Standard English ◽  
Present Perfect ◽  
Indian English ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Multidimensional Distribution ◽  
British English

One of the challenges in characterizing non-native varieties of English is accounting for variant uses of ostensibly standard English forms. The present corpus study examines both quantitative and qualitative aspects of pluperfect use in Indian English (IndE), British English (BrE), and American English (AmE). IndE is found to differ from native usage by associating had + V-ed with present perfect and preterite meanings. Licensing of pluperfect contexts by time adverbials is also found to be significantly lower in IndE. AmE shows the lowest overall use of the pluperfect and the highest use of disambiguating adverbials. Thus, AmE and IndE show distinct patterns of divergence from BrE. Variation within IndE exhibits a tendency for greater non-nativeness in regional (vs. national) press and in bureaucratic (vs. press) registers, suggesting a multidimensional distribution of IndE nonstandardness in India. These nonstandard uses are shown to convey new pragmatic meanings deriving from ambiguity in the native system and reinforcement from substrate languages. Finally, these changes are evaluated in relation to the broader tense–modality–aspect system of IndE as well as those of other non-native Englishes which exhibit similar characteristics.

scholarly journals The Development of Labial Clusters in the Aśokan Rock Edicts

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 160-172
Author(s):  
Yasuko Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Consonant Clusters ◽  
The West ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Over Time

The original range of consonant clusters in Indo-Aryan reduced significantly over time, developing into geminates, homorganic nasal-stop clusters, and sonorant-h clusters in Middle Indo-Aryan. Early Middle Indo-Aryan, as represented in the Aśokan inscriptions, however, still maintained the original clusters, or what appear to be transitional stages of the extensive changes. Salient among those cluster changes that are observed in the Aśokan inscriptions are the changes tm, tv> tp and dv > db in Girnār in the west; sm, sv > sp in Shāhbāzgaṛhī and Mānsehrā in the north-west; and mh > mbh in Kālsī in the north and in Dhaulī and Jaugaḍa in the east. The idiosyncratic nature of these changes lies in the development of a stop from m or v, where the more usual changes would be loss or assimilation of m after a stop and of v after a stop or a sibilant, while sm and hm would normally change to mh. This paper examines the manner assimilation of the “labial” clusters (that is, the clusters with m or v that normally do not incur assimilation of the adjacent consonant) in the Aśokan Rock Edicts. It discusses the conditions, the motivation, the course of the change of m/v to a labial stop, and the dialectal differences associated with this change.

scholarly journals Translating Foreign Languages and Non-Native Varieties of English in Animated Films

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenza Minutella
Keyword(s):  
American English ◽  
Personal Communication ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
British English ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Language Variety ◽  
Animated Films ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Accented English

The aim of this paper is to explore how foreign languages (i.e., languages other than English) and non-native varieties of English are used in Anglo-American animated films and to investigate the strategies adopted in Italian dubbing to deal with such multilingual features. The paper combines insights into professional practice with a close examination of a specific case study. The film Despicable Me 2 (dir. Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Illumination Entertainment, 2013) has been chosen for analysis since it displays more than one language and several language varieties (British English, American English and foreign-accented English). The film also exploits visual and verbal stereotypes which enhance the comedic elements of the film. This multiplicity of voices and identities through language variety represents a challenge for audiovisual translators. By analysing the representation of characters and drawing on personal communication with Italian dubbing practitioners, the article aims to unveil how linguistic variation, multilingualism and diversity are dealt with in dubbing. The article will show that, although general trends may be identified as far as foreign languages and non-native varieties are concerned, the solutions offered by dubbing professionals often depend on a variety of factors and agents.

On the variation of fragmental constructions in British English and American English post-match interviews

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-241
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Reber
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Relative Frequency ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
American English ◽  
Football Players ◽  
British English ◽  
Specific Analysis ◽  
Grammatical Variation ◽  
Grammatical Structures

Abstract This article takes a cognitive, interactional perspective on pluricentricity and examines the use of fragmental constructions in a mid-sized dataset, drawing on recordings of British English and American English post-match interviews (PMIs), i.e. media interviews conducted with football players after matches in the British and North American top leagues. It examines what types of fragmental constructions are deployed in the PMIs and whether the use and distribution of such constructions vary between the British and American “communities of practice” (Lave/Wenger 1991). The study finds that the quantity and quality of fragments largely differ, with the British English data showing a higher relative frequency of fragmental constructions, more grammatical variation, and a use of fragmental constructions which do not necessarily draw on latent grammatical structures from the prior speech for meaning-making. It has been suggested by Biber et al. (1999) that clausal elliptical structures are generally less typical of American English. The present genre-specific analysis suggests an interdependence between fragmental constructions and their routinisation and frozenness, interactional constraints, as well as deviant sports and media cultures shared by these communities of practice, which can be treated as a form of “enregisterment” (Agha 2007).

scholarly journals The Cowie Line

2006 ◽  
Vol 135 ◽  
pp. 119-161
Author(s):  
Gordon J Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Second World War ◽  
World War ◽  
The West ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Complete Survey ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
The Town ◽  
Second World ◽  
Over Time

The Cowie stop line, running west from the town of Stonehaven, the county town of the historical county of Kincardineshire, some 19km south of Aberdeen, has been recognized for some time as a well-preserved example of a Second World War anti-tank obstacle, but has not hitherto been described in detail. Its purpose was to stop any German force landing in the north-east penetrating into Angus and further south. To work effectively the line was extended to the west, by defences at the Bridge of Dye (on the Strachan–Fettercairn road) and the Devil’s Elbow (on the Braemar–Blairgowrie road) and planned demolitions on the Inverness–Perth road and railway. It originally comprised a dozen pillboxes, over 5km of anti-tank barrier, eight small and one large groups of anti-tank cubes and other defensive features. This paper outlines the strategic background, how the Cowie Line fitted into it, how the Line was constructed, and how its intended function changed over time. The results of the first complete survey of the surviving remains are also presented.

scholarly journals Contemporary English – a challenge for non-native speakers

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 85
Author(s):  
Jana Beresova
Keyword(s):  
Popular Culture ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
American English ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
British English ◽  
New Words ◽  
American Popular Culture ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Grammatical Structures

The paper focuses on contemporary American English and its challenge for those who are exposed to it as non-native users. Due to globalisation, the two main varieties of English (British and American) are becoming closer than they used to be as native speakers of both communicate directly and influence their varieties significantly. The traditional differences between British English and American English are less meaningful, however, English nowadays develops rapidly. The focus of research is based on current trends in both grammar and vocabulary, analysing contemporary American literary prose as many new words and new ways of using grammar in British English come from American English due to the influence of American popular culture and media. Contemporary literary prose is a valuable material of natural written and spoken language. In the paper, both speeches (that of the narrator and characters) are analysed, focusing on expressions and grammatical structures which are likely to attract a non-native reader. The selected samples of the language are discussed and systemised with an aim to generalise some trends typical for contemporary English. Keywords: contemporary English; vocabulary; grammar; informal language;

scholarly journals UVO AND OUN UNDERGROUND ACTIVITY IN THE TERRITORY OF POLISSYA VOIVODESHIP (1928 – 1939)

2016 ◽  
pp. 4-9
Author(s):  
Ya. Antoniuk
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Population ◽  
The West ◽  
Liberation Movement ◽  
The North ◽  
West Part ◽  
National Liberation Movement ◽  
Strong Position ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Blue Line ◽  
Dark Blue

The article examines characteristic features of Ukrainian Military (UVO) and Ukrainian Nationalists Organizations (OUN) cells creation and activity in the territory of Polissia voivodeship, the Second Polish Republic. That is to say, on the lands which now belong to Belorussia. It is proved that local indigenous population – 'Polishchuks' – actively supported the Ukrainian national liberation movement. The first UMO cells emerged there almost simultaneously with the neighboring Volyn. Moreover, Kovel district became the spread center of Ukrainian nationalists influence on the north. At that time the main OUN means of activity was 'dark-blue line' tactic, when they achieved the influence on legal Ukrainian organizations and propaganda spreading. The strong position among communist underground organizations, which were the main rivals of Ukrainian nationalists, was the regional peculiarity of the locality. It was ascertained that Polissia district leadership's flexibility of UNO allowed to conclude a temporary truce with them and to form the largest anti-Poland rebellion unit in the West part of Ukraine, called 'Polissia Lozovi Cossaks'. Afterwards, it appeared as the precursor of transformation of liberation movement to more extensive level and rise of the first Ukrainian Rebellion Army subordinate units in the territory of Polissia district.

scholarly journals Where do negative stereotypes come from? The case of Indian English in the USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan Kutlu ◽  
Caroline Wiltshire
Keyword(s):  
Language Attitudes ◽  
American English ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Indian English ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
British English ◽  
Communication Problem ◽  
Immigrant Populations ◽  
The Usa ◽  
American English Speakers

Language attitudes inform social stereotyping, which in turn affects linguistic judgments (Fiske, Cuddy, & Glick 2007). Nonstandard varieties are particularly subject to negative stereotypes, being evaluated as “less friendly” and “hard to understand” (Giles & Watson 2013). In this study, we investigate attitudes towards Indian English, a variety of English spoken by one of the largest immigrant populations in the USA (approximately 2.4 million), to understand the roots of linguistic stereotyping towards this variety of English. We compared attitudes of American English speakers towards Indian English and British English. Our results show that while American English speakers do not explicitly indicate any communication problem with Indian English, they disfavor Indian English compared to British English. This disfavoring of Indian English aligns with Raciolinguistic theories, suggesting that post-colonialism, especially Whiteness, is a factor in language prestige and how different varieties are perceived.

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