http://www.englishforums.com/search/pro.htm?q=tag%3aNumbers+tag%3aLazy+EnglishSearch results for 'tag:Numbers tag:Lazy English' matching tags 'Numbers' and 'Lazy English'en-USCSMOD (Build: 3256.36449)http://www.englishforums.com/English/AmericanEnglishLazyEnglish/2/bjwq/Post.htm#7666Thu, 11 Sep 2003 09:11:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:7666Mike in JapanPerhaps the outcome will not be decided by the English speaking countries, but by the educational policies of the developing countries. <br /> Learning English is now compulsory in China, the most populated and most rapidly developing country in the world. I'm not sure of its policy regarding the version of English taught, but China's choice would add great numbers to the users of the version chosen. I'll try to find out, just as a matter of interest. I have a student who is from China and speaks with a slightly British accent, I'll ask her when I next see her. <br /> English, the American flavour, is also compulsory at Japanese (hardly a developing country) schools, but unfortunately few students reach a practical level of ability. <br /> Right now I am trying to pin-down the Australian Department of Education on their exact policy, but as with many Govt. bodies, they don't always state things clearly. <br /> What do you think of the English used by people in or from India, (the sixth most populous country)? <br /> <br />http://www.englishforums.com/English/AmericanEnglishLazyEnglish/bjcz/post.htm#7553Wed, 10 Sep 2003 03:28:34 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:7553pemmican>> Thanks Pemmican for your well thought out comments. You strike me as a diligent language scholar, so I greatly appreciate what you have to say. <br /> <br />Thank you very much, Mike, but I wouldn't say I strike you <img src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif" alt="Smile [:)]" /> This is just the way I see it. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />>> Of course only a fool would argue that the popularization of American English should or could be reversed, so do you think we may see the day where American English is regarded as the international standard, and British is regarded as classical English? <br /> <br /> <br />This is an interesting question, but I wouldn't say so. I would still rather say that both American and British English will be their own versions of the English language. <br />"Classical English" vs. "International English" would mean that American English will replace the British English which will then just remain in poetical usage, but I'm quite sure that won't happen (at least not that quickly). <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />>> As a teacher I am concerned as to whether it is more appropriate to teach British English, American English or both. When teaching professional people and academics, I always lean toward British English, whilst for regular folk interested in English for travel, entertainment etc, I probably lean toward American English. <br /> <br /> <br />I think you choose a good way when you're teaching this way. <br />If I taught, I'd also stick to either British or American English - first of all just to have a basis and to avoid misunderstandings. As soon as the learner got used to the language, I would introduce also the other variant. <br />Showing differences in pronunciation, spelling, vocabulary, etc. is the best way. <br />This can surely be handled in the same way as idiomatic expressions are taught. <br /> <br />I don't think the differences between these "Englishes" are that great so just dealing with them in a way of comparing them to each other will certainly do - and: showing the differences in this case doesn't mean learning another language! <br />I'd say 98% of Grammar, Pronunciation, vocabulary, etc. are the same in both AE and BE, people from the US can usually understand people from the UK and the other way round, so there are just a few aspects that should be dealt with in school, mainly to show that there are differences and how to use them. <br /> <br />When e.g. a teacher teaches BE, then his students will be able to speak BE. As a further step then the AE should be mentioned, which wouldn't mean that the students have to have a command also of AE, but they should be able to notice that e.g. AE "truck" is the synonyme word for BE "lorry", that the pronunciation /faest/ is just the American way to say /fa:st/, or that the past participle form of get -> "gotten" is the American form of British "got", etc. <br />The students don't have to use the American variant then, but they should keep in mind that there are differences and be able to realize them, that's all. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />>> The English speaking media is now dominated by American productions, and so many non native English speakers are influenced by American English, but internationally, who have the weight of numbers - British style language users or American style users? I would hazard a guess that it's the Brit. style users. When one considers that the countries on the following list and a multitude of other nations have deep historical if not current connections with Britain and British English, I think it is quite likely that the use of Bitish English is far more widespread and popular than one might think at first glance. <br /> <br /> <br />Oh yes, I do think so, too. <br />Also in German schools they teach British English. The reason I was given was just the one that "England is closer", so the chance that a German would come to the UK is bigger than s/he would come to the US. (Stupid statement btw in my opinion.) <br /> <br />I agree according to the spreading of British English but I've to add that in most of these regions, people have been speaking English for decades or centenaries already, that means also here, the Britih English has developed and put forth own idiomatics or differ somehow in vocabulary or pronunciation (compare maybe the Australian English to the British one - they are certainly similar, maybe more similar than AE compared to BE, but they do have differences)...http://www.englishforums.com/English/AmericanEnglishLazyEnglish/bwmv/post.htm#7433Tue, 09 Sep 2003 01:33:05 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:7433Mike in JapanThanks Pemmican for your well thought out comments. You strike me as a diligent language scholar, so I greatly appreciate what you have to say. <br /> <br />Of course only a fool would argue that the popularization of American English should or could be reversed, so do you think we may see the day where American English is regarded as the international standard, and British is regarded as classical English? <br />As a teacher I am concerned as to whether it is more appropriate to teach British English, American English or both. When teaching professional people and academics, I always lean toward British English, whilst for regular folk interested in English for travel, entertainment etc, I probably lean toward American English. <br /> <br />The English speaking media is now dominated by American productions, and so many non native English speakers are influenced by American English, but internationally, who have the weight of numbers - British style language users or American style users? I would hazard a guess that it's the Brit. style users. When one considers that the countries on the following list and a multitude of other nations have deep historical if not current connections with Britain and British English, I think it is quite likely that the use of Bitish English is far more widespread and popular than one might think at first glance. <br /> Aden (Yemen) <br />Ascension Island <br />Anguilla <br />Australia <br />Bahamas <br />Bahrain <br />Barbados <br />Basutoland (Lesotho) <br />Bechuanaland (Botswana) <br />Bermuda <br />British Cameroon <br />British Guyana (Guyana) <br />British Honduras (Belize) <br />British Somaliland (Somalia) <br />British Solomon Islands <br />Brunei <br />Burma (Myanmar) <br />Canada <br />Cayman Islands <br />Ceylon (Sri Lanka) <br />Cook Islands <br />Cyprus <br />Falkland Islands and dependencies <br />Egypt <br />Fiji <br />Gambia <br />Gibraltar <br />Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Kiribati & Tuvalu) <br />Gold Coast (Ghana) <br />Grenada <br />Hong Kong <br />India (included Pakistan & Bangladesh) <br />Iraq <br />Ireland <br />Jamaica <br />Kenya <br />Kuwait <br />Malaya (West Malaysia) <br />Maldive Islands <br />Malta <br />Mauritius <br />Montserrat <br />Newfoundland (Canada) <br />New Hebrides (with France) Vanuatu <br />New Zealand <br />North Borneo (Sabah) <br />Nyasaland (Malawi) <br />Oman <br />Papua New Guinea <br />Palestine (Falestin/Israel) <br />Pitcairn Island <br />Qatar <br />Rhodesia (Zimbabwe and Zambia) <br />Sarawak (East Malaysia) <br />St Helena <br />St Kitts <br />St Lucia <br />St Vincent <br />Seychelles <br />South Africa <br />Swaziland <br />Tanganyika (Tanzania) <br />Tonga <br />Transjordan (Jordan) <br />Trinidad <br />Tristan Da Cunha <br />Trucial Oman (United Arab Emirates) <br />Turks and Caicos Islands <br />Uganda <br />Western Samoa <br />Zanzibar (Tanzania) Aden (Yemen) <br />Ascension Island <br />Anguilla <br />Australia <br />Bahamas <br />Bahrain <br />Barbados <br />Basutoland (Lesotho) <br />Bechuanaland (Botswana) <br />Bermuda <br />British Cameroon <br />British Guyana (Guyana) <br />British Honduras (Belize) <br />British Somaliland (Somalia) <br />British Solomon Islands <br />Brunei <br />Burma (Myanmar) <br />Canada <br />Cayman Islands <br />Ceylon (Sri Lanka) <br />Cook Islands <br />Cyprus <br />Falkland Islands and dependencies <br />Egypt <br />Fiji <br />Gambia <br />Gibraltar <br />Gilbert and Ellice Islands (Kiribati & Tuvalu) <br />Gold Coast (Ghana) <br />Grenada <br />Hong Kong <br />India (included Pakistan & Bangladesh) <br />Iraq <br />Ireland <br />Jamaica <br />Kenya <br />Kuwait <br />Malaya (West Malaysia) <br />Maldive Islands <br />Malta <br />Mauritius <br />Montserrat <br />Newfoundland (Canada) <br />New Hebrides (with France) Vanuatu <br />New Zealand <br />North Borneo (Sabah) <br />Nyasaland (Malawi) <br />Oman <br />Papua New Guinea <br />Palestine (Falestin/Israel) <br />Pitcairn Island <br />Qatar <br />Rhodesia (Zimbabwe and Zambia) <br />Sarawak (East Malaysia) <br />St Helena <br />St Kitts <br />St Lucia <br />St Vincent <br />Seychelles <br />South Africa <br />Swaziland <br />Tanganyika (Tanzania) <br />Tonga <br />Transjordan (Jordan) <br />Trinidad <br />Tristan Da Cunha <br />Trucial Oman (United Arab Emirates) <br />Turks and Caicos Islands <br />Uganda <br />Western Samoa <br />Zanzibar (Tanzania) <br /> Is this relevant? I think to English teachers it is. There are now more non-native English speakers than native ones. This trend will continue. Will the 2-3 hundred million Americans (and a few tens of millions of non-native Am. Eng. users) popularize American English at the expense of the British English which is now spoken by a VASTLY larger number of people? Would it be an improvement?