The indigenization of English in North America
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Salikoko S. Mufwene
Abstract
indigenization is interpreted below as the adaptation of a language to the communicative habits and needs of its speakers in a novel ecology. Thus North American Englishes are as indigenized as those of Asia and Africa. The equation for indigenization is the same, although the outcomes vary according to geographical ecology, the nature of ethnolinguistic contacts, population structure, modes of language “transmission,” and the timing of particular changes. These factors and others account for variation not only from one colony to another but also within each colony. Traditional distinctions such as “native” vs. “indigenized” Englishes and “creole” vs. “non-creole” varieties are simply socio-ideological and can be dispensed with in studies of language evolution.
Abstract
indigenization is interpreted below as the adaptation of a language to the communicative habits and needs of its speakers in a novel ecology. Thus North American Englishes are as indigenized as those of Asia and Africa. The equation for indigenization is the same, although the outcomes vary according to geographical ecology, the nature of ethnolinguistic contacts, population structure, modes of language “transmission,” and the timing of particular changes. These factors and others account for variation not only from one colony to another but also within each colony. Traditional distinctions such as “native” vs. “indigenized” Englishes and “creole” vs. “non-creole” varieties are simply socio-ideological and can be dispensed with in studies of language evolution.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Series editor’s preface ix
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction xv
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1. Focus on
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1.1 Africa
- Deracialising the GOOSE vowel in South African English 3
- Codifying Ghanaian English 19
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1.2 The Caribbean
- Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics 39
- Rhoticity in educated Jamaican English 61
- Standard English in the secondary school in Trinidad 83
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1.3 Australia and New Zealand
- Australian English as a regional epicenter 107
- Finding one’s own vowel space 125
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1.4 Asia
- Language in Hong Kong 143
- The roles of English in Southeast Asian legal systems 155
- Not just an “Outer Circle”, “Asian” English 179
- “Where’s the party yaar !” 207
- Innovation in second language phonology 227
- Intelligibility assessment of Japanese accents 239
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2. The global perspective
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2.1 Comparative studies
- World Englishes between simplification and complexification 265
- Global feature — local norms? 287
- The shared core of the perfect across Englishes 309
- Word-formation in New Englishes 331
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2.2 New approaches
- The indigenization of English in North America 353
- Perspectives on English as a lingua franca 369
- A discourse-historical approach to the English native speaker 385
- World Englishes and Peace Sociolinguistics 407
- New voices in the canon 415
- Index 433
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Series editor’s preface ix
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction xv
-
1. Focus on
-
1.1 Africa
- Deracialising the GOOSE vowel in South African English 3
- Codifying Ghanaian English 19
-
1.2 The Caribbean
- Corpus linguistics meets sociolinguistics 39
- Rhoticity in educated Jamaican English 61
- Standard English in the secondary school in Trinidad 83
-
1.3 Australia and New Zealand
- Australian English as a regional epicenter 107
- Finding one’s own vowel space 125
-
1.4 Asia
- Language in Hong Kong 143
- The roles of English in Southeast Asian legal systems 155
- Not just an “Outer Circle”, “Asian” English 179
- “Where’s the party yaar !” 207
- Innovation in second language phonology 227
- Intelligibility assessment of Japanese accents 239
-
2. The global perspective
-
2.1 Comparative studies
- World Englishes between simplification and complexification 265
- Global feature — local norms? 287
- The shared core of the perfect across Englishes 309
- Word-formation in New Englishes 331
-
2.2 New approaches
- The indigenization of English in North America 353
- Perspectives on English as a lingua franca 369
- A discourse-historical approach to the English native speaker 385
- World Englishes and Peace Sociolinguistics 407
- New voices in the canon 415
- Index 433
