Standard English - Notion and Variants - Essay Example

? Standard English- Notion and Variants Language is considered as the systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings. It is the mere medium of communication allowing expression and understanding of one’s say. Language indeed reflects and creates the perception of the world. Used as lingua franca in many regions, English is a West Germanic Language which has influenced the world to the extent of becoming a global language. However, the correct use of English “the Standard English” is crucial in a society subjecting to royalty, status and prestige. Variants of such are all observed and spoken having only minor linguistic, social and ideological differences. However, countries having English as their first language, owe to protect and preserve it from foreign influences, displaying minor differences at large. Since the dominancy of English with the British World dominance in the 19th Century, the English Language not only progressed but became the language of International Business, Diplomacy and Science. Being the official Language of United Nations and International Olympics Committee, English seems to be the common medium of communication between countries, owing to its effectiveness as a global language. It is estimated to be spoken by 750 million people around the world as their first language. However, the public debate about the English Language’s notion of standards has come into view since the 1980’s. The concern had resulted in the devising of a National Curriculum for English. But the drive for national individuality and integrity has failed to achieve the target as arthrography of every language is dependent on its context, pronunciation and structure. Standard English Standard English is notoriously hard to define. The concept and notion of Standard English lacks reference and base. Standard English is associated with authority, discipline and traditional, moral and social order.  It is a form of a dialect, with no local base of reference as to where it is originally originated from (AGER, MUSKENS and WRIGHT, 1993). Historically, English emerged from the combination of Celtic Language of the Britain inhabitants, which was mixed with the language of the emigrating Angles, Saxons and the Jutes. Hence, it is often taken as the different combinations of the linguistic features. In correct or more conceptual sense, it is taken as a written per formative. Orthography, grammar and vocabulary are chiefly what matter, or they in fact can be the definition of Standard English as different countries where English is chiefly used like U.S, U.K, New Zealand, Canada etc. all strive towards maintaining their international identity and so the variations in Standard English occur region wise in terms of pronunciation and context but the written grammar, vocabulary and orthography remains similar. Variations in Standard English’s notion The attitude towards Standard English and its identity is different to all. It differs on the ideological, social and linguistic differences or mindsets. The philosophy and anthropology of every language is based on its use, which in turn is influenced by the history, culture and traditions of the people using the language. Cultural and ideological mind frame influence lifestyle and so the dialect of the people living in a region or a community. Even in a country, national language spoken in different provinces is spoken in different pronunciations as regard to the cultural influence on the language. Similar is the case with Standard English- there is no standard pronunciation. It is the identity badge of a social group and must be handled properly and with all due respect (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001) A local unit comprising of members of common locality and primary interaction develop Speech community, contributing to the social effects of a society on a language. Thus, English is the mosaic of small speech communities as there exists Texas Speech community for there are London and Bostonians, Harvard speech community for there are Oxford and Berkeley, Chicano speech community for there are Spanish and English and so the list goes on, varying the context of use of English as a language. Standard English is in most common terms, the variety of English which carries “prestige”. Popular acclaim, political popularity, material fame or social class causes people to choose the language (English in this case) spoken by such successful people in their community. It depends on the dialect, pronunciation and the degree of mental level of these people, the Standard English defined in a community or a country. Apart from being spoken, Standard English is not widely produced. It is consistent only in writings to official authorities, business letters or tasks, where as it is not a common notation among the minority. It is also knows as Old British English as we know it (WARDHAUGH, 2002). Mostly, people generally speak a variety of regional English or mixture of regional and Standard English. “Queen’s English” or the “BBC English” is perceived to be the pure Standard English, which however is not used often and neither has awareness nor understanding. Mixings of hierarchy and diverse marriages within different communities are also the reason for the development of different dialects and influences of one language over another (THOMAS & WAREING, 1999). Migration is also an important factor, imposing cultural and linguistic mixing of words and pronunciation into another’s language and then the promotion of this varied language in other regions. More than One Standard English On the basis of the above phenomena’s we can conclude that for a region or a country, the Standard English is set by the prestigious people in a community and the pronunciation is therefore the derivation from the dialect of such people, which is commonly understood by minority but lacks the written Performa. Thus, Standard English is the criteria of standard of English Language set by a country itself. It depends upon the social development and awareness of the people and their cultural dis-uniformity in this regard. Hence for every country Standard English is different on the basis of their context, spellings and structure although having some basic notions which are same to all. World Standard English If we come across books, newspapers, magazines, articles or listen to the hosts or news-casters of the English centered world, we may come to realize that there does exist a World Standard English, laying common grounds in the world of existing variations. However, this is not the answer as it does not exactly give the notion of a uniform and regionally neutral language. Therefore, we can say that Standard English is not indeed a language, but a dialect which differs from other dialects by the means of its grammatical form and structure. Therefore, the differences which contribute to the changes in these dialects are regional and social, but on basis of written Performa they are almost the same. Relevance of the term to a country Countries where English serves to be the First language are focused to retain and restore their linguistic identity. The influence of other variants is a serious concern. Canadians do not want to be Americans and Australians do not want to be New Zealanders. Hence the fight to stand-out continues, owing to differences being exposed and emphasized at large. All the countries can be grouped in three categories. One follows American English, the other which follows British English and finally those (in Canada) where a mixture of both influences is experienced. However, the wide array of dis-uniformity fails to consider these grouping in regard of setting an International Standard English. The most noticeable feature or characteristic, which points towards a country’s strive for International Identity and integrity, is the use of different spellings and different grammatical contexts. The differences in teaching models and the use of language in an institution widely relates to it being varied in terms of its arthrography and structure, but it must be noticed that thee base however still remains the same (NORTON, 2000). The developmental criteria or state of a country also represents the Standard English it uses or comprehends in daily life. These will in turn determine the Standard being used nationally, depicting a country’s standard. Conflicting claims of truth and power is also the reason for a country to set its own Standard English, rectifying their prestige and power over others and their national honor. Both U.K. and U.S. have different Standard English- based on their dialects, albeit prestige, political and economic status. Since language defines culture, social and economic setback, for a country its individuality matters the most. And so the will to differ and safeguard national integrity explains to us the importance of Standard English for a country. Conclusion Maintaining a national identity and preserving it, is one of the most major concerns of a country as the will to stand-out is usually what every country wants on another. As the social war of domination continues, the safeguard of language is likely to be observed. Every country sets its language to be the most difficult for the other to adopt as they perceive their rich culture and social identity to be worthy of knowing, failing to see that a common medium of communication is needed to establish peace and harmony and bridge the differences promoting unity. Apart from promoting peace and unity, one must realize that a common language provides common platform and eases the degree of understanding too. References FAIRCLOUGH, N. (2001). Language and power. Harlow, Eng, Longman. NORTON, B. (2000). Identity and language learning: gender, ethnicity and educational change. Harlow, England, Longman. WARDHAUGH, R. (2002). An introduction to sociolinguistics. Malden, Mass, Blackwell. Top of Form THOMAS, L., & WAREING, S. (1999). Language, society and power: an introduction. London, Routledge. Bottom of Form Top of Form AGER, D., MUSKENS, G., & WRIGHT, S. (1993). Language education for intercultural communication. Clevedon [etc.], Multilingual Matters. Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Read More