Standard English: who needs it

1
Standard English who needs it?

• 10th Conference on English in South-east AsiaA
  Decade of GrowthUniversity of Brunei
  Darussalam12-14 December 2005
  
• Anthea Fraser GuptaSchool of English, University
  of Leeds

2
With a focus on
Standard English and Borneo
3
My arguments

• Standard English is accessible, visible, and
  important.
  
• There is one Standard English.
• The teaching of English should be realistic.
• The written English of Borneo is overwhelmingly
  standard.
  
• There is no English-using community in which all
  users of English can write Standard English.
  

The teaching of English in Southeast Asia is a
story of success, not failure!
4
What is Standard English?

• Written rather than spoken
• Range of varieties within Standard English
• Most strongly delimited in spelling and
  inflectional morphology most weakly delimited in
  lexis
  
• Codification follows the consensual usage of an
  international elite.

5
Variety within Standard English
That you on the 10th day of June, 1993, at about
1625 hours at House No. 124, Simpang 124, Kampong
Delima Satu, Jalan Muara, in Brunei Darussalam in
furtherance of your common intention both of you
committed robbery of cash amounting to B3,537.80
and in committing the said robbery caused hurt to
DAYANG SUHAILA BTE ABDULLAH, and that thereby you
have committed an offence punishable under
section 394 of the Penal Code and read with
section 34 of the same. source
A beach resort by the South China Sea.. Water
sports. Spa. A resort for family vacations,
romantic holidays or business. Ideal hotel for
high impact meetings and events . source
Looking for potential petrol station for sale
source
Topic Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Date 10th April
Time 2.00 pm - 4.00 pmsource
Hi Azmanovic... r u really thai?? I have a few
thai friends... source
6
Evidence and

• Written English.
• Importance of using attested examples.
• String search method.

first substantive paragraph of 60 urls, November
2005. bandar seri begawan to know site.bn (6
/6) BSB to know site.bn (6/6) to know
site.bn (first 8/63) kuching to know site.my
(20/270 last site on each of 1st 20 pages )
pontianak to know site.id (20/60 1st site,
then every 3rd back to beginning for last 2 due
to failed hits)
7
60 extracts from 60 urls

• 60 sites, of which 51 from an all-English
  url(the rest, all forums, had Malay/Indonesian
  English).

8
Relationship of texts to Borneo

• Hosted in Brunei, Indonesia, or Malaysia authors
  (where known) of many origins.
  
• All the Indonesian sites refer to Pontianak at
  some point all the Malaysian ones refer to
  Kuching (or use the Malay word kuching, in a
  couple of cases only), Brunei is in Borneo.
  Nearly all urls have some reference to or
  relationship with Borneo, though not necessarily
  the analysed extract.

9
The writers

• Difficult or impossible to identify individual
  writers of any kind of text, because of the
  production process, especially in corporate
  material.

10
A clear core and a muzzy edge
syntax
lexis
X
pronunciation
spelling
Clear
inflections
Only kia-su
11
Spelling
Only 31 words were not spelled as in ordinary
Standard English! (.5 of all words)
Brunei (9)
its (is)
Indonesia (12)
typo(6)
andd
expert (expect)
duriing
lastest
One (once)
contac
je ne sais qouis
comities
enviromental
exellent
mistake(12)
VolkWagen
moonsoon
phenomenae
transparant
past (passed)
complimentary
goverment
? rediculous
til
Thanx
2 (to)
u (you)
Hellow
sensational(13)
r
r
u
da (the)
izzit (is it)
n
ur
Malaysia (10)
12
Writers spell with care!
Punctuation and layout follow normal conventions
too only about 5 non-standard uses (or absences)
of apostrophes about 8 cases where I would have
used commas differently a missing question mark,
a missing space between words, and (in forums)
examples of lower case where normal practice
requires capitals.
13
Inflections
Inflections nearly always Standard! Exceptions
Brunei (1)
Indonesia (6)
I didn't mean to be funny-considering of what
have been going on through out the country.
Closing dates for applications for this year's
grants is 31 August 2003.
we should be proud of what those in the Municipal
Board has done for beautiful Brunei Darussalam
This include two successful Teach-Ins, a series
of CME talks, a public forum and the launching of
the Societys Homepage.
The bad things is there is irresponsible
teenagers and parents
in Asia people has more dedication of study
The roundabouts has been a bottle-neck for
traffic from USJ and also Sunway for a long time.
Since they were young they were teach to be
responsible
suddenly da wind direction change so drastic...
Malaysia (3)
14
Written English usually aims at Standard English
Of the 60 samples, only one was intentionally
written in a non-standard variety of Standard
English (Malaysian Colloquial English)! And only
it and two others used the kind of abbreviated
English associated with many Forums.
wah.......suddenly da wind direction change so
drastic.... wonder why????? oh want me 2 stuff f
or u izzit???? aiyo mata kuchin a bit....wat
ler....prefer iced mocha...hehehehehe
Malaysia Dog and Puppy Portal. Forum
Hello.. hello.. Hello all...Hi Azmanovic... r u
really thai?? I have a few thai friends... They r
nice 'n love party... I've never been there
(thailand) but i really want to visit ur country
so bad especially Koh Samui.. MMhhh... Beautiful
island, isnt it? Salam dari KLSCTV Forum.
15
Does it get there?

• In terms of the clearly-defined areas of Standard
  English, spelling and inflectional morphology,
  yes.
  
• In terms of the muzzy areas, its hard to define,
  because Standard English includes a great deal of
  variation, but on the whole, yes.

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Ongoing grammatical change

• In 21st century English change takes place in
  areas of tension, where rules for usage are hard
  to define, and where there is variation. Use of
  the versus zero is one such area. The verb is
  another, especially concord, and verb phrase
  choice.
• For example (in order of frequency)

This is the first time I have eaten breadfruit.
present perfective OR This is the first time I
am eating breadfruit. present continuous
OR This is the first time I eat breadfruit. simp
le present OR This is the first time I ate brea
dfruit. simple past
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Four from the same place

• i think this is the first time i have worn
  leather shoes since high school graduation.
  
• This is the first time I am wearing glasses to
  work, and my colleagues can't stop commenting on
  how different I look.
  
• I'VE WORN BLACK-BANDS BEFORE, BUT THIS IS THE
  FIRST TIME I WEAR ONE ONLY KNOWING THIS PERSON BY
  READING ABOUT HER.
  
• This is the first time I wore it all year,
  Mitchell said. I just kind of feel like its a
  good time to wear it.

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Many choices in verb group
Commonest everywhere.

• Once, I was sitting on a bus and overheard some
  individuals from. an opposing party, who had
  celebrated rather too well, starting to tell how
  they had done it, not noticing that I was sitting
  in the corner listening to them. Speech by W
  Ross, MP
• I was sitting on a bench on the right as you come
  in the door, just a few feet away from it. Mrs.
  Mayer came in and sat down beside me. Statement
  by witness to government enquiry in Scotland
• I did not fully understand this until last year
  when I was sat on a Bill Committee examining what
  is now the Mental Capacity Act which is how we
  deliver new protection for those who need it.
  Speech by Liam Byrne, MP
• I remember it well I was sat on a wall in the
  middle of Ely, in my constituency. Speech by
  Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales
  
• Not long after my conversation with Daniel, I was
  seated on a plane bound for home following
  meetings in Washington, DC. Editors note,
  Ancestry Magazine

Usual passive. Non-passive fairly rare, often
elevated.
Rare outside UK.
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Idiom and grammar

• Idioms are fixed expressions outside the norms of
  grammar. Here is an example of two similar
  grammatical constructions giving rise to a new
  idiom that cannot be analysed grammatically (US
  and UK texts).

The problem was (that I did not understand their
language nominal clause)."
What the problem was was that we had to go right
away
(What the problem was nominal clause) was (that
we had to go right away nominal clause)
The problem was that I did not understand their
language."
A clause that is the subect of was2???
The problem was was that we really werent a club
band
(The problem was ) was (that we really werent a
club band nominal clause).
A clause that is the complement of was1???
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Syntax and idiom hard to know whats standard
(examples)
Brunei
Indonesia
Department of Social Services of Indonesian
Republic year of 2003 had done so many researches
there was in fact no land to speak of in the
Sungai Bera Holding Basin -- just a huge
depression in the ground filled with oily mud
where the egrets shy away from exploring for food
verbs
Or perhaps you are disheartened because you fail
to win that dream job?
The Frame of reference that base the research on
is students who have A personality type and B
personality type.
our school had won the first place in skills
competition
They were received by prisons deputy director
adolescent's knowledge on their reproductive
health is still low
the
Any franchisor interest to have a franchisee in
Manjung, Perak ??
As recent as 3 years ago
words
Malaysia
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In Standard English?

• A text is in Standard English, as a whole, if it
  is targeted at Standard English, and if it is
  dominantly in a kind of English that
  knowledgeable users would agree is Standard.
• In 57 texts the target was Standard English only
  5 of these failed to dominantly hit that target,
  all of them from Indonesia.

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Texts with many errors

• Nama D.P. Tick gelar Raja Muda Kuno
• Propinsi Vlaardingen Kota  Belanda
• Pesan L.S.
• I am searching people to exchange dokumentasi
  sejarah kerajaan2 Kab. Ketapang.Espacualli I like
  to know more about Pemangku Panembahan Tengku
  Zainuddin of Sukadana and the chief of dynasty
  Simpang.In fact everything interesting for me.
• Hormat sayaD.P. Tick gRMKsecretary Pusat
  Dokumentasi Kerajaan2 di Indonesia "Pusaka"
  
• Tanggal 13 Februari 2005, Minggu 1113

Kantor Informasi dan Pengolahan Data Elektronik
Kabupaten Ketapang. Forum.

The scheme of executive summary from all result
of the researches, intentionally to give benefits
to all related stakeholders, and also as
socialization material, so the dissemination of
this book could answer the societys curiosity on
research products of Research and Development
Center (Puslitbang) UKS. This year researches had
brought new shade by involve some of university
such as Muhammadiyah Jakarta University, Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta University, and STKS
Bandung.
Social Issues in Indonesia Research Report.
23
This visit brings to six the number of ASEAN
countries that I have had to opportunity to visit
as Philippine President. This is a splendid
opportunity on our part to reaffirm the
friendship, goodwill, and diplomatic relations
between our two countries, as well as our full
commitment to the progress of our region.
SIBU Over 80 shipbuilders from throughout the
State attended a Yanmar Marine Sales and
Technical Seminar here yesterday to know more
about the latest innovations in marine technology
Before you proceed any further, you must read the
whole of this Agreement to know and understand
the terms and conditions governing your access
and use of IDBB Internet Banking and the Services
provided by IDBB and its Subsidiaries
SOME OF THE ENTIRELY STANDARD
Mambo has been developed for the masses. It's
licensed under the GNU/GPL license, easy to
install and administer and reliable. Mambo
doesn't even require the user or administrator of
the system to know HTML to operate it once it's
up and running.
Welcome to the world of the UNESCO Office,
Jakarta. I trust that you will find this is a
Report with a difference. That is, you will find
this Report tells you a story that, as you read,
you will increasingly enjoy.
With strategic infrastructure development,
together with the on-going commitment of the
Federal and State Governments to the development
and industrialisation of Sarawak, coupled with an
encouraging research and development environment,
all augurs well for Sarawak.
24
On Wednesday, 5th June 2001, the first of the
Level 3 competition was held in Tutong. In this
round, Hanah and Sundar were asked to participate
for an hour where the IT literacy was tested. The
following day, all the four students participated
in the Level 3 skill competition which took place
at MTTSR
The faculty made good progress during the year in
terms of research. A number of programmes were
initiated in Geotechnical Engineering and
Telecommunications Engineering.
In less than a month when the department enforced
the law, your department caught nine people for
littering our beautiful peaceful, clean country.
It is also good to know if, the areas up to the
Brunei International Airport are included within
this law?
SOME OF THE OVERWHELMINGLY STANDARD
Like other developing countries in the South East
Asian region Indonesia is undergoing an
epidemiological transition. Communicable diseases
tend to decrease, while non-communicable diseases
and accidents tend to increase.
Water is a basic need for human life. Its
position cannot be replaced by anything else. Are
we aware of this? Unfortunately, our attention to
drinking water is not up to what it should be
Eversince they widened the roads leading to it,
the volume of traffic has increased while the
roundabout is still 2 laned. I would suggest
demolishing them and cover up the moonsoon drains
so we could install "intelligent traffic lights"
to smoothen the traffic flow.
25
Written English and Borneo
A good standard.
26
Complaints everywhere
the government outlined itsreasons for wanting
to lift Spain's low standard of English
proficiency .. Spain, 11 February 2005
Hong Kong is losing out to the mainland because
of a decline in English standardsin recent years
Hong Kong, 26 January 2005
English language experts interviewed felt that
the standard of written and spoken English here
had declined in recent years. Singapore,29 Sept.
2003
Employers are fed up with young people applying
for jobs who cannot spell, add up or speak
properly. UK, November 1995
the poor standard of English at all levels,
schools and universities Sri Lanka, 11 April,
2003
He said it was an indisputable fact that the
standard of English has declined to a level that
was too low to cope with the nation's needs.
Malaysia, 7 May 2001
Although English is our very important second
language, our standard of English these days is
very disappointing. Bangladesh, 23 September
2005
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Decades of growth

• By every reasonable measure there has been an
  increase in English skills over the last 50
  years.
  
• Participation in education has risen.
• More children and a higher proportion of
  children, learn English at school.
  
• More children and a higher proportion of
  children, study in English medium.
  
• At every level, more people, and a higher
  proportion of people, gain qualifications in
  English.
  
• More people can speak English, and more people
  can speak English extremely well.
  

The standard of English in Southeast Asia has
risen and is still rising,
28
Edited texts needs editors

• The standard of written English in the texts from
  the three countries is high, comparable to texts
  from any country.
  
• Few texts for public distribution are the
  responsibility of one individal.
  
• Many people need to be able to read Standard
  English, and write informally or in draft form,
  but a smaller number of people need to be able to
  do final polishing of texts.

29
But we should all accept some diversity of
style...
nonhuman
Writers of English can choose whether to mark a
high level of sentience in a non-human animal by
selecting who rather than which. An examination
of texts relating to foxhunting on the world wide
web showed that, in reference to the non-human
animals involved in foxhunting, writers were most
likely to use who in reference to foxes, and
least likely to use it in reference to horses.
Those who support fox hunting are more likely to
recognise the sentience of the fox than those who
oppose foxhunting. This is linked to those who
enjoy hunting presenting the fox as an active
creator in the hunt, and a worth opponent.
selecting the word, who, rather than which.
most likely to use the word, who, in reference to
foxes,
in reference to horses.
Those who support foxhunting link the sentience
of the fox to the enjoyment of the hunt by
presenting the fox as an active creator of the
hunt and a worthy opponent.
30
Who can do Standard English?

• It has to be taught.
• Associated with high scholastic achievement in
  the medium of English.
  
• Or high-level qualifications in English as a
  foreign language.

SOME NON-NATIVE SPEAKERS DO STANDARD ENGLISH
BETTER THAN SOME NATIVE SPEAKERS.
31
You learn what you need

• The reason all countries think they are failing
  is that they have unreasonable expectations.
  
• People need to see a reason for learning English
  in order to learn it. This can be fostered, but
  only if the need is realistic plenty of people
  wont need English in their adult lives.
• If a high standard of English is not attained at
  school it is not a disaster for the individual
  because
  
• people can develop skills later, if they see a
  need
  
• only some people will need the most advanced
  skills in English.

These facts apply in all countries.
32
What is important

• To give the opportunity to as many children as
  possible to attain a reasonable standard of
  English at school (especially comprehension and
  enjoyment). But other things may matter more.
• To provide opportunities for the learning of
  English at all levels of education and for
  adults, to allow those who did not see the need
  earlier to develop English skills when they do
  need to.
• To foster professionalism in the writing of
  English and promote editorial skills in English
  specialists.

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End