Transcript
Varieties of Standard English
Rubén Salinas FritzParadigmas Lingüísticos
October 20th
• The term “standard” is associated to “educated” people
• It is used to be taught to EFL/ESL students.
• The term “standard” refers to grammar and vocabulary, not accent.
Which one of the following examples is Standard English?
• I haven’t got any• I ain’t got none• I haven’t got a bloody clue• I ain’t got no idea
• Worldwide, British English is the standard variety of English taught in universities and institutions
• RP (Received Pronunciation) is the most prestigious variety in the Commonwealth, and it’s spoken in the BBC, public schools and upper-middle and upper classes.
• North American English is also taught widely as a standard variety in many countries.
• Universities from all over the world are beginning to make flexible the standard language taught.
• Teachers need to be aware of different varieties in order to present one or two standard variety and asses their students to be able to understand two or more models.
The spread of English.
• English comes from the Germanic family: Jutes, Angles, Saxons and Frisians
• By the Middle Ages, English had replaced Celtic language from the island. The only languages which come from Celtic roots are Gaelic Scotish and Welsh.
• In 1800, almost the whole UK, Australia, New Zeland, India, Caribbean Islands, North America, South Africa and the Falkland Islands were colonized by England, so English was imposed in all continents.
• In terms of pronunciation, all these countries have their special accent and phonetic rules.
The RP Accent
• It was born in the south east of England.
• Advantages: It is not a regional accent, so it can be found in many parts of England. Also, it is used in mass media, so ESL students will have more chances to listen to it.
• Disadvantages: It’s only used by 3% or 5% of the population of England. It’s a social accent, in consequence, it is considered to be the upper class accent. Finally, this accent has many phonological rules, harder to acquire than, e.g., Scotish English.
RP vowels and diphtongs:
i: ɪ e æ ɑ: ɒ ɔ: u: ʊ ʌ ɜ: ə
əʊ aɪə aʊə eɪ aʊ aɪ ʊə eə oɪ ɪə
RP phenomenon: Vowels
• ʊə ɔ: Sure• Smoothing: aʊə ɑ:
Tower• Fronted U: u: ʉ: Boot
• eə ɜ: Pair• j ommision: Super
Near-RP accent: Vowels
• Final i: : Happy
• Difference: ɑ: and æ Pam /Palm
• Lack of ʌ But, Put
RP phenomenon: Consonants
• Dark L [ɫ] Hill, Jail• Glottal stop [ʔ] Better,
Fit• Non Rothic Far• Linking R Far away• Intrusive R Draw up
THE END
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