TEFL 1 – The world of English

TEFL 1 – The world of English A. The place of English • English is not the language with the largest number of native or first language speakers. Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL 1 – The world of English A. The place of English • English is a lingua franca. • Definition - Lingua franca: a language widely adopted for communication between two speakers whose native languages are different from each other’s and where one or both speakers are using it as an L2. Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL 1 – The world of English A. The place of English Lingua franca • In Ancient Times in the western world: Ancient Greek • In Middle Ages in Europe: Latin Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL 1 – The world of English A. The place of English • English is one of the main languages of International communication • Even people who are not speakers of English often know words such as: bank, chocolate, computer, hamburger, hospital, hot dog, hotel, piano, radio, restaurant, taxi, telephone, television, university and walkman. Many of these words have themselves been borrowed by English from other languages of course. Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL 1 – The world of English • The place of English A1 The numbers game • English: L1 or L2? Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A1 The numbers game • Bray Kachry (1985): 320-380 million: L1 250-350 million: L2 Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A1 The numbers game • David Crystal (1995 &1997) In 75 territories where English ‘holds a special place’ (not only Britain, the USA, Australia, Canada, etc. but also places such as Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Nigeria): 277 million L1 98 million L2 (350 million if L2 speakers in e.g. Canada or Australia) Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A1 The numbers game • Between 600-700 million people in the world speak English (L1 or L2) • B. Kachru 1983 prediction: “… If the spread of English continues at the current rate, by the year 2000 its non-native speakers will outnumber its native speakers” Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A1 The numbers game • Even if English will not remain dominant among world languages, it will remain a vital linguistic tool for many business people, academics, tourists and citizens of the world who wish to communicate easily across nationalities for many years to come. Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A2 How English got there • A colonial history • Economics • Travel • Information exchange • Popular culture Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A3 Where English fits Battle for a place among other languages • dubbed films • Internet growth of other languages (54% EN 1999 dropping) • Battle with local languages • Linguistic and cultural imperialism Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A4 The future of English • What happens as more and more people appropriate it for their own use? • Will it split into varieties that become less mutually intelligible? • Will it continue to march over the globe crushing all in its path? • Will it be the only language left? Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English • The place of English A4 The future of English Graddol (1997) future possibilities: • Hispanic as a language community is the fastest-growing in the USA • Internet and the WWW: 80% English in 1990s to drop around 40% by 2010 Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles • Is English just ONE ENGLISH or has it got many forms, depending on who speaks or writes it and where they do this? (difference in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar) Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles e.g. China, Russia 100-1000 million Expanding Circle Outer Circle Outer Circle e.g. India, Singapore 150-300 million Inner Circle e.g. USA, UK 320-380 million Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles ENGLISHES: • British? USA? Australian? South African? Canadian? Sri Lankan? Nigerian? Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles British, which British? • British Isles, London, Scotland, Ireland, Yorkshire, etc. Examples: • Londoner: get a take-away meal • Scottish person: order a carry-out. Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles • American English, which American English? • Australian English, which Australian English? Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles • Factors determining type of English: • Geographic • Region • Social class • Ethnic grouping • Sex Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B2 Appropriate models of English Which English to teach? Factors: • Work with the variety that best reflects the teacher’s own language use, always provided that this will be understood by most other English speakers in the world • Expose students to others as well • Consider students’ needs (what the students are most likely to come into contact with) • Consider resources Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B3 General or Specific General • All-purpose language: different language skills, topics from a range of sources, basing their selection of content more on student interest and engagement. Communicate on a general social level and to cope with the normal range of texts which educated language users experience outside their professional lives. • Decision based – when we do not know how, why or when students will need the language in the future; give them language with the broadest range of use possible. Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL – The world of English B. Varieties of English B1 Three circles Specific: • ESP (English for Specific Purposes) • EAP (English for Academic Purposes) • EST (English for Science and Technology) • Business English • Other Dr. Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous

TEFL 1 – The world of English