Lexicology (Lecture Fourteen)
2011.12.08
Globalization
Glocalization rves as a means of combining the idea of globalization with that of local considerations.
Globalization:
four phas
a.during 17th and 18th centuries, with the establishment of colonized lands in
America, Canada, Australia. New Zealand, the English language began to spread to the colonized countries.
b.during 18th and 19 centuries, owing to the industrial revolution, the leading place成都医保查询
夕成语of the English language has been further strengthened. People from more countries had to learn the language in order to acquire the new technol ogies.
c.from the end of 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century: American
became the superpower after two world wars. And lots of international organizations choo English as their official language.
d.from the late 20th century: with the development of computer and internet, English
has again played a crucial role in international communication.
The current situation of the language
The “inner circle” reprents the traditional bas of English: the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Anglophone Canada and South Africa, and some of the Caribbean territories.
Next comes the “outer circle,” which includes countries where English is not the native tongue, but is important for historical reasons and plays a part in the nation's institutions, either as an official language or otherwi.
Finally, the “expanding circle” encompass tho countries where English plays no historical or governmental role, but where it is nevertheless widely ud as a foreign language.
Localization:
1. Standard British English (narrow n)
The received pronunciation of British English, originally bad on the speech of the upper class of southeastern England and characteristic of the English spoken at the public schools and at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
Other way of defining it:
舞台剧⏹Oxford English
⏹Queen’s English
拈花一笑⏹BBC English看相面部
2. As an international language, the English language has a num ber of vari eti es.
British English
American English
沈文秀
Australian English
Canadian English
Singapore English
………
And there are many differences between the varieties in the pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
Video: English in Singapore (8: 30:30---32:50)
Growth of American English
1. Colonial America
The establishment in 1607 of the ttlement which the explorers called Jamestown marked the beginning of British colonization in America.
By 1732 the original thirteen English colonies had been t up. The language the early immigrants brought with them was Elizabethan English, the language spoken by Shakespeare, Milton and Buny
an, which belonged to the early stage of Modern English. It had some differences from prent-day English in spelling, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.
2. After independence
Following American independence, famous persons like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Noah Webster begin to consider that the country should have a language of its own.
I n 1806, Noah Webster coined the more preci term “American English” in The American Spelling Book”, which marks the independence of American English. Webster proclaimed that his countrymen had not only the right to adopt new words but were obliged to modify the language to suit the new circumstances, geographical and political, in which they were placed.
打卤面的家常做法Many great writers, such as Ernest Hemingway, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, and O. Henry helped to promote the development of the American English.
3. The future of American English
The development of American English was not a plain sailing. At first, the English dislike the American pronunciation and grammar, they maintained a negative attitudes towards American Englis
h. They even rejected it as “barbarous”, “corrupt” and “sacrilegious犯渎圣罪的”.薛丁山怎么死的
Since the Second World War, the United States has become literally the leader of the western world, American English has been developing and changing. American English today is no longer just a transplanted language from Britain, but a variety or national standard of English in its own right with its own peculiarity in spelling, pronunciation, grammatical usage and vocabulary.
Characteristics of American English
1. Conrvativeness and creativeness
American English has prerved a number of old features of the language which have disappeared in English itlf.
American English also has a great hospitality to the foreign expressions and a readiness to form new words and idioms.
2. V erbo and plain style in writing
The verbo style is found in American official writing, but the simple language is ud in popular writing such as in advertiments, n ewspapers an d m ag azines.
3. Heterogeneity
In the cour of its development, American language has borrowed numerous of words from other languages. It probably adopted more foreign words than British English.
For example, from the local Indians
From other European languages, such as French, the Dutch and the Spanish.
From some African languages
Now it is borrowing more words from even more languages throughout the world. (Japane: sushi, karaoke, Chine: coolie, kowtow; Tagalog Philippine塔加路族人(语)boondocks)
Difference between British English and American English
Difference in pronunciation, spelling, meaning and usage.
