B-MEIS Newsletter - February 2022 (Plain Text Version)
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ARTICLES WORLD ENGLISHES : REPRESENTING DIVERSITY, CONTEXTS AND CULTURES Kirti Kapur, NCERT, New Delhi, India
This paper looks at how diversity, cultures and contexts have influenced the English language. The term World Englishes refers to the differences in the English language that emerge as it is used in various contexts across the world. World Englishes recognize and give due space to the socio-cultural and linguistic diversity globally. Linguists agree that the framework of World Englishes aims at social equity and inclusion. Figure 1 shows some examples of lexis and cultural markers. People in America would respond to “I was in the lift’/ ‘The lift didn’t come’, thereby meaning, ‘I was in the Lyft (taxi) ’/ The crane (to lift heavy items) didn’t come. In India the word elevator is not used commonly. The word for elevator is lift. According to Crystal (2003), when “a country becomes independent, there is a natural reaction to refrain from using the linguistic character imposed by its colonial past and to look for native languages to provide a symbol for nationhood. As a result, new ways of talking and writing develop and indigenous words become privileged” (p.145). David Crystal (2007) also said, “There are many cultural domains likely to motivate new words, as speakers find themselves adapting the language to meet fresh communicative needs” (p. 146). A Snapshot of Multicultural Realities
Understanding The Genesis of World Englishes It was Indian linguist Braj Kachru who is credited with formally theorizing on this phenomenon in his seminal work The Other Tongue: English across cultures (1992). He "emphasises that English in the postmodern era represents a repertoire of cultures, not a monolithic culture” (Kachru, 1992, p. 362). The following diagram (Figure 2) shows Kachru’s three circle model and the categorisation of different countries.
In World Englishes, theorized in mid 20th Century and in the 21st Century, we clearly see that localised and indigenised varieties of English have found a place in our day to day discourse. Here are a few examples of Indian words from different regional languages or Hindi that are now part of the Indian variety of the English register, words such as ‘sahib (sir), lathi (stick), chatni (dip with spices), dhoti (loin cloth), basti (slum), angrezi (English), namaskar (Hello) etc. have found a place in the Indian variety of English. There are typical Indian affixes such as ji, wallah e.g. Sir ji, rickshaw wallah. The pragmatic and functional use is clearly seen. The focus is clearly on the fact of language use. A socio-linguistic approach to language use would ask how is a language kept alive, in which spheres of society and in which forms? The lexical definition of World English is that it is a term that “refers to a movement to promote the use of English globally as an official lingua franca, a means of worldwide communication. There is, however, some concern about whether or not there should be a single standard form of this global language” (Dictionary.com, 2014). In the Macmillan Dictionary, Standard English is defined as “the form of spoken and written English that is considered acceptable by most people” (MacMillan Publishers Limited, 2014). In addition, in Language, Society and Power, Thomas et al. explain that “part of the ideology of Standard English is that it is the ‘correct’ form of the language and that other varieties are ‘incorrect’” (Thomas et al., 2004, p.182 ). Furthermore, they make clear that Standard English “is the dialect of institutions such as government and the law; it is the dialect of literacy and education; it is the dialect taught as ‘English’ to foreign learners; and it is the dialect of the higher social classes” (Thomas et al., 2004, p.173 ). Additionally, “…using Standard English in such high-status contexts as the ones mentioned above means that the status of Standard English is strengthened. Moreover, it means that to participate in the high-status functions/contexts, one is obliged to use Standard English” (Tioukalias, 2010, p.9). The above definition clearly signifies that non-standard and diverse varieties of English exist. World Englishes and ELT World Englishes is a term that has gained prominence in ELT with studies on diversity, contexts, and cultures. In the context of India, colonization by the British and subsequent use of English language by locals as well as diaspora led to the rise of an Indian register of English. Today, it is taught as a second language in India and is the associate official language. English is firmly part of the cultural imagery across the country. The emergence of various Englishes also has implications at the school level in terms of curriculum design, materials development, and pedagogical decisions. Indian English is abundantly used by students of English to express, write, and inform themselves about various subjects. We can find examples of Englishes in other contexts and cultures. While English is the language of communication and expression, we can say that it has become a language of global communication and people are encouraged to speak in English irrespective of variations in pronunciations, accents, grammar, use of words etc. These forms are known as varieties of English and are becoming part of the English as second language teaching and learning. Diversity, Contexts and Cultures We live in a multilingual and multicultural society. We meet diverse groups of people who speak in distinctively different tongues but the focus is on communication. “At the same time what is more noticeable is that when we interact with people from different countries, we hear English with a range of fluency which often deviates from the so-called standard English in terms of pronunciation, lexis, expression and grammar” (Kubota, 2001, p.69). The example given below shows the need to communicate with the larger audience. There are many such examples that one finds at the local level.
A socio-linguistic approach to language looks at the cultural contexts and functions of use of a given language including creation of new registers. Rather than focusing on the fact of language use, it studies the act of language use i.e. how is a language kept alive, in which spheres of society and in which forms? Localised and indigenised varieties therefore, are central to such a perspective. The concept ‘World Englishes’ also emerges from recognising that multiculturalism affects language use and gives rise to varieties with their own references, structures of meaning and impact. The impact of Englishes is visible in the media and the world of advertising. Many studies have been conducted to show the mixing of world Englishes accents and most notably mixing of scripts, using Roman script with non-Roman scripts. Such examples are plenty in the Indian context. World Englishes acknowledge divergent sociolinguistic contexts and are culturally appropriated and indigenously-customised varieties of English. These distinct varieties are scattered not only in countries where English is the mother tongue, but also in nations where it is used as an additional language and primarily as a foreign language. When a particular English deviates linguistically and pragmatically from the ‘standard English’ and adopts native forms to express socio-cultural norms and identity, it evolves into a new World English. As soon as English takes root in a particular country, it affects their culture and identity and is simultaneously affected by the local and indigenized lexis. At the same time, countries naturally tend to protect their distinctiveness. Conclusion World Englishes bridge gaps in cultural understanding because words that cannot be translated exactly can prove to be starting points for learner-led deliberations on language use and limits. This will not only encourage learners to look at their own language use critically but will enable them to go beyond the text to explore context, culture and meaning. A pragmatic approach to ELT will entail using Englishes to encourage familiarity and expression in the language before modeling as per the desirable normative or standard. Hence, we must move beyond the ‘the prescriptive view of language’ and adopt ‘the descriptive approach to language’ to make a case for diversity, contexts and culture. References Crystal, D. (2007). English as a Global Language. Cambridge. UK: Cambridge University Press Kachru, B.B. (1992). The Other Tongue: English across cultures. USA: University of Illinois Press Kubota, R. (2001). “Learning linguistic diversity from world Englishes.” The Social Studies. (92) (2). UK: Taylor and Francis Thomas, Linda; Wareing, Shân; Singh, Ishtla; Peccei, Jean Stilwell; Thornborrow, Joanna & Jones, Jason (Eds.). (2004). Language, Society and Power: An introduction (2nd revised Ed.) London: Routledge Tiokalias, Kaliopi. (2010). ‘Standard English versus General American - Which Variety is Preferred in Swedish Classrooms?’ Dissertation. Department of Language and Literatures: Gothenburg University Professor Kirti Kapur, a Fulbright Fellow, is an ELT expert and teacher trainer who has 33 years of experience in English language teaching. With over 100 papers (presented and published) to her credit, she has contributed to national and international studies on cultural contexts and TESOL. |
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