set iv - e world standard

Instituto de Estudios Superiores Belén PROFESORADO EN INGLÉS Historia de la Lengua Inglesa

1

World Standard English SET IV: MODERN ENGLISH (1500 - PRESENT DAY) AND AFTER

A STANDARD DIALECT We have already seen that English varies in “form” according to the place or social

class where the speaker comes from. In this way, each English-speaking country in the

world uses a form of the language, a “dialect.” Within a country we find variations from one

city to another, and even within the same city, from one social group to others.

However, in spite of the varieties, there is a “common core” dialect which transcends

these differences and keeps the speakers unified. It is the Standard language of the

country. Now a new question arises: what are the characteristics of that standard? Let

us read in the copies titled “Standard English” (page 110) the box called “What is

Standard English?” and find them out:

1- _________________________________________________________________

2- _________________________________________________________________

3- _________________________________________________________________

4- _________________________________________________________________

5- _________________________________________________________________

Once defined the Standard English of an English-speaking country, another

questions appears: “Is there a World Standard English?” If you read the text “World

Standard English” on page 111 of your copies, you can have many ideas in order to solve

this point.


2

GLOBISH Why is it important to know or determine the existence of a World Standard English?

It is not only because English is spoken worldwide and it is the main means of

communication in fields such as business and medicine, for instance. A World Standard

English can be the greatest achievement of the next period of development in the History of

the English Language.

Meanwhile English continues evolving and spreading around the world, new varieties of it

appears in different countries as well as social groups. Although there is not yet a definite

world standard, we can assume there is an early step towards it. Let us read the following

article:


3

As the article says, Globish is a new

variation of English. A kind of dialect, but without

geographical place of “residence,” as Cockney

English, for example, which is spoken in the East

part of London. Besides, Globish does not have

the prestige which the Queen’s English has or the

BBC English also has. But Globish does have its

own linguistic features regarding grammar, style and especially vocabulary. Even more,

there already are books as well as academies offering courses for learning and

understanding it.

Globish seems to be the new standard, or at least the new “means of

communication.” With voices in favour of it as well as against it, it is the new phenomenon

in the world of business.

ACTIVITIES A. READ THE TEXT AGAIN AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. What sort of English is Globish?

2. Who speaks it?

3. How does jean-Paul Nerriére describe Globish?

4. How many words does Globish contain?

5. Why did people at the meeting not understand Jim and Bill?

B. FIND WORDS IN THE TEXT WHICH MEAN....

1. The act of travelling from one place to another =

2. A person who makes or thinks of something new =

3. The most important part of something =

4. The people who you work with =

5. People who learn English as their first language =

C. WRITE THE FULL CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE KOREAN AND THE COLOMBIAN

Maybe Globish becomes the new world standard in a few years and we will have to

teach it. Perhaps Globish follows the path of Esperanto and never becomes a standard but

remains as the language of a few. These are just speculations we are making right now.

Nevertheless, it surely sets the topic of the future of English, our next lesson’s theme.


4

SOURCES Crystal, David: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language - BCA - 2nd

Edition, England - 2007

SOARS, Lis & John: New Headway Pre-Intermediate. 3th Edition Oxford University

Press, England - 2009. pp. 7

set iv - e world standard

Education