NATIONAL VARIANTS OF ENGLISH
Each area of the English speaking world has developed its own characteristics – mainly matter of vocabulary and pronunciation.
►Celtic languages
- predecessors of modern English language, still spoken in some parts of English Isles
Gaelic group – Scottish or Irish Gaelic (still spoken in Ireland), Manx(on the isle of Man, not spoken anymore)
Britanic Group – Welsh, Cornish(in Cornwall), Breton(in France)
►Welsh
- 2 million speakers in Wales, it is taught at schools in Wales as an obligatory subject, people try to preserve this language, in 19th century – 90% inhabitants of Wales spoke it.
- differences in vocabulary: bard, druid
►Scottish English
- different pronunciation: stone [sto:n], salt [so:t], aye [ai:] yes
- grammar differences: leafs, wifes, go – goed,
- differences in vocabulary: kirk = church, glen = valley, loch = lake, bonnie = good, bonny = beautiful, wee = small, dreich = dull, ben = mountain, to mind = to remember, janitor = caretaker, brae = bank of river, bairn = child, lassie = girl, lad = boy, bairns =children, dram = drink, outwith = outside, burn = stream, stay = live, ken = know,
►Irish English
- brought to Ireland by English and Scottish conquerors
- most of the words and expressions come from the Gaelic language of Ireland
- different pronunciation: tea [te:], join [džəin], pronunciation of “r” (car [ka:r]) and “th” (thin [tin]), stop [top], stress shifting: educate, Belfast
- differences in vocabulary because of Celtic influence: cleeve = basket, craic [kræk] fun, enjoyment, guards/ gardai [ga:r´di:] police, boreen [bo:´ri:n] narrow and quiet country lane, fleadh [fleæ:] festival of traditional music, Taoiseach [´ti:þk] Prime Minister,
- particular names: Sean [o:n]
►Canadian English
- in some parts of Canada they use accent reminiscent od Ireland (screech-rum, shooneen – coward)
- compromise of British English (spelling) and American English (spoken in mass media) with
exceptions : harbour, centre, cheque (BrE) X tire, aluminum (AmE)(-instead of BrE tyre,aluminium)
- different pronunciation: schedule: [sk…] - AmE, tune [tju:n] – BrE X tune [tu:n]- AmE
letter Z [zee] - AmE X [zed] - CanE
words like out, bout sound like oat, boat
- differences in vocabulary: washroom = public toilet
- own Canadian distinctive idioms and expressions: eh?- at the end of every sentence, turn off the tap, eat porridge, they put jam on their toast, gas in their trucks, munch potato chips and relax on a chesterfield (BrE –sofa, AmE – coach);
- words of Canadian origin: kerosene (paraffin), bushed (exhausted), muskeg (acidic soil),
puck and moose
Guess which one would a Canadian write? A) Tire Center B)Tyre Centre C) Tire Centre
►American English
-separate handouts
►Australian English
- Convicts from GB transported to Australia, both features of AmE and BrE
- standard is General Australian
- Australian slang is sometimes called STRINE
- interesting for its rich store of highly colloquial words and expressions (involves shortening words): endings: “-ie” and “-o” is then added: truckie (lorry truck driver), milko (delivers milk), beaut (beautiful) = great, biggie (big one), Aussie (Australian), Oz is short for Australia,
- differences in vocabulary: dingo, koala, bush = dense vegetation, ranch = station, goodday = hello, paddock = field, kiwi = bird, ocker (a person who is not well educated, does not behave in a polite way), play a didgeridoo [didžəri´do:] ancient Australian wind instrument producing long deep notes, Struth! (wow!,gosh!), bloke (man), mate (used for male), outback (wild uncultivated land, especially in the desert), etc.
- different pronunciation: see [səi]
►Black English
- is the term used for English originating in Caribbean islands and now is spoken in many parts of the UK, Canada and the USA.
- many of the words characteristic of Black English are particularly associated with the world of music: dreadlocks = Rastafarian hairstyle, beat = exhausted, chick = girl, dig = understand, jam = improvise, pad = bed, rap = street-talk, square = dull
►Indian English
- characterized by sounding more formal than BrE as it retained, in everyday usage, words that are found in more in classics of the 19th century literature than contemporary language:
The bereaved are condoled and the Prime Minister is felicitated on his or her birthday.
An Indian may complain of pain in his bosom (not his chest) and Indian bandits are referred to as a miscreant.
Vocabulary:rubber = pencil eraser , flat - 'Apartment house', pant - 'Trousers', diarrhoea - "loose motion", million = crore
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►South African English
- SA Republic – 10% of population, Africans (influenced by Dutch)
- differences in vocabulary: apartheid, boer = colonists, dorp (Dorf) = village, robot = traffic lights, mamba, takkies', 'tackie' or 'tekkie' for sneakers,'lekker' for nice, 'dagga' for cannabis, 'braai' for barbecue and 'jol' for a party
►Caribbean Englishes
- Jamaica, Bahamas – more influenced by AmE
Standard West Indian English
Caribbean English Grammar
feature / explanationzero indefinite article / the indefinite article, a or an, is occasionally omitted
In _ couple of days I foun, I got my own, I got a job.
zero past tense marker / verbs are left unmarked for tense, although other signals (adverbs of time, such as yesterday, last week etc.) often give linguistic clues about the timing of an event
I work_ on that job for a few months.
zero plural marker / nouns are left unmarked for plurality
My relative_, they were involve in this Community Association business.
►Malaysian English
(to shift = to move the house)
► Hong Kong English
(shroff = car park payment office)
►Singaporean English
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