varieties

varieties

• 1.
  Varieties of English(es)and Academic Literacy(ies): Finding a ‘voice’ English Language Centre, King’s College London www.kcl.ac.uk/elc
• 2.
  University/Academic English asa variety of English Look at many languages in the world Many varieties within one ‘language’ What makes the difference between varieties? What happens when you use the ‘wrong’ one? What happens when you use the ‘right’ one? How can we learn new varieties? What is ‘university English’ like?
• 3.
  1. Many waysto say “hello”: Kaixo Hola As-Salāmu `Alaykum Shalom Bonjour Ciao Previet E kú isé Ola Labas Hej Konichiwa Ni Hao Sawatdi Merhaba Szia Bok Guten Morgan Iska waran __________
• 4.
  Words from otherlanguages in English Cola Alcohol Assasin Ketchup Taboo Wiki West Africa (Temne/Mandinka) Arabic Arabic Chinese Hawaiian Hawaiian
• 5.
  Words from otherlanguages in English Shampoo Thug Cash Magic Yo-yo Elephant and Castle Vampire Indian Indian Persian Persian Tagalog Spanish Turkish
• 6.
  How else couldyou say these expressions from India/Pakistan? Eve-teasing Opticals Himalayan blunder Bearer Freeship Waiter Scholarship Glasses Female harassment Big mistake
• 7.
  What about theseexpressions from Jamaica/Nigeria/Ghana ? Sweet mouth Fathers Cry waters Go-slow Bush meat Tears Game Traffic jam Relatives Flatter
• 8.
  2. “Hello” inYoruba [morning, honorific] E kú àárò [afternoon, honorific] E kú òsán [evening, honorific] E kú ìròle [night/before midnight] E kú alé [night/after midnight] E kú áísún [to a person at home] E kú alé [to a person at work] E kú isé [to a person returning] E kú àbò [to a person sitting] E kú ìjokòó [after long absence] E kú àmójúbà [morning non-honorific] O kú àárò [afternoon, non-honor.] O kú òsán [evening non-honorific] O kú ìròle [night/before midnight] O kú alé [night/after midnight] O kú áísún
• 9.
  One meaning, manywords Hello Hi Hiya Good morning Morning Good afternoon Good evening Greetings Hey Howzitgoing? How do you do? Wassup? Others:_______ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________
• 10.
  One word manymeanings Argument: I had an argument with my wife last night. My argument is that more money should be spent on encouraging young people to go to university. Field: You often see cows and sheep in the fields in the countryside. The scanner works by producing a strong magnetic field . In my field , languages and linguistics, culture is seen as very important.
• 11.
  3. What makesthe difference between varieties? Who is using them? Background Age Personality Feelings Who they are speaking to? Relationship Power What is the context?
• 12.
  4. What happenswhen you use the ‘wrong’ variety? No such thing as ‘wrong’ variety, only different than the group or expectation (It might be on purpose as a joke) You may not be understood You may be misunderstood You will (always) be judged Often negative (dismiss, make fun) Your ideas (arguments) may not be heard or noticed, only your ‘style’
• 13.
  5. What happenswhen you use the right variety? You are ‘accepted’ and ‘understood’ Your ‘voice’ is ‘heard’ Your idea, message or argument is heard, rather than your language variety You become one of the group Gain status and confidence Able to control some aspects of the group Eventually you can even decide who is ‘in’ or ‘out’ Just like wearing the ‘right’ clothes / listening to the ‘right’ music
• 14.
  6. How canyou learn new varieties? Start by listening Spoken words and phrases, accents, pronunciation Link to the situation Copy what you have heard (the majority, cool people) Make it yours, find your ‘voice’ The new words/phrases ‘disappear’ into your vocabulary
• 15.
  Move on toreading Reading for ideas Pick up vocabulary and grammar Try to write Copy what you have seen Make it yours Get feedback Find your ‘voice’
• 16.
  7. What is‘university English’ like? Varies by: Subject Genre Context Personal preference Formal style (long words, ‘posh’ or political sounding) Repetitive structure (intro/background, for/against, conclusion) Evidence based (rather than opinion?) Critical
• 17.
  Some examples Imet this guy who was messed right up with fever. He went down the docs and got these nang pills which sorted him right out. One patient made a complete recovery after receiving a prescription for the fever reducing tablets from his GP. No way they should’ve gone into Iraq. Everyone can see it was all lies what Bush and Blair were saying. It is widely agreed that the reasons given by Bush and Blair for invading Iraq have turned out to be at best inaccurate and at worst deliberately misleading, with the result that the policy now appears to have been a complete mistake.
• 18.
  Conclusion Bad newsLots of words to learn Need to read and listen to stuff until the style ‘disappears’ Must practice speaking/writing and get feedback Need to learn the big names/ideas in your subject Variation even within your subject Never finish learning the variety(ies)
• 19.
  Good News Youare already experts at learning new styles Principles are the same: Communicate ideas best when your voice is heard Share the style of the group Use support, base your ideas (arguments) on evidence (big names) Find your voice so you can communicate your ideas without worrying about the language (so much) Hopefully there will be some interest as you go deeper into a subject you choose
• 20.
  Summary Look atmany languages in the world Many varieties within one ‘language’ What makes the difference between varieties? What happens when you use the ‘wrong’ one? What happens when you use the ‘right’ one? How can we learn new varieties? What is ‘university English’ like?
• 21.
  Varieties of English(es)and Academic Literacy(ies): Finding a ‘voice’ English Language Centre, King’s College London www.kcl.ac.uk/elc
• 22.
  The question is:(How much) do you want to join the group? How to say “hello” in many languages: http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/hello.htm Words from India/Pakistan: http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/words/activities/indian_english01.html Words form Jamaica/Nigeria/Ghana: http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/words/activities/jam_wa_english01.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_English_words_of_foreign_origin For a copy of this presentation email Andy at: [email_address] Agur (“goodbye” in Basque)