South Asian English. In A Companion to the History of the English Language (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture) edited by Momma, Haruko, and Matto, Michael. London: Basil Blackwell Publishers, 2008, pages 404-412
Societal Multilingualism" in Sociolinguistics and Language Teaching, edited by Sandra Mckay and Nancy Hornberger, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1996, Pp. 47-70
Bilingualism in South Asia: Regional Profile and Verbal Repertoires" Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 6, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986, Pp. 169
“Diglossia and Multilingualism in Urban Contexts” in The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistic, edited by Carol Chapelle. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2013
The Languages of India in New York". In The Multilingual Apple , edited by Ofelia Garcia and Joshua A. Fishman. Berlin: Walter De Gruyter & Co. 1997, Pp. 194-212
Speech acts in an indigenised variety: sociocultural values and language variation
English around the World
In studies of non-native varieties of English (hereafter NNVE's), with few exceptions (D'... more In studies of non-native varieties of English (hereafter NNVE's), with few exceptions (D'Souza 1987; Kachru 1982, 1983, 1986; Smith 1983), not much attention has been paid to what may be called the pragmatic aspects of language use. By pragmatic aspects, I mean topics such as how certain speech acts, such as informatives, directives, commissives, etc. (cf. Austin 1962; Searle 1969) are performed in these varieties. Since NNVE's differ from native varieties in the performance of speech acts more than in formal properties, it is possible that the pragmatic approach may succeed in capturing the uniqueness of a NNVE where structural analyses fail to do so. Recent studies have shown that there are important cross-cultural and cross-linguistic differences in the way the ‘same’ speech act is performed in different languages. For example, Olshtain and Cohen (1983) have pointed out that an apology in Hebrew is less likely to include a ‘promise of forebearance’ or ‘an offer of repair’ (for the damage) that is there in English. They also observe that the two languages differ in both the range of offences for which an apology is offered and the intensity of the expression of regret. (For other cross-cultural differences see Apte 1974; Loveday 1982; Sridhar and Sridhar 1986, Sridhar in press; Wolfson and Judd 1983).
Linguistically and culturally, all varieties of World Englishes are an interesting and a dynamic ... more Linguistically and culturally, all varieties of World Englishes are an interesting and a dynamic phenomenon: interesting, because after years of contact of the native languages with English, distinctive varieties are emerging all around the world; and dynamic, because the English language is constantly evolving and changing in many cultures around the world, as the expressive resources of the English language are constantly being used to express nuances of local cultures and sensibilities. Language acculturation consists of a variety of processes of language change by which a language, not one's own, is modified to serve as an effective vehicle for the expression of one's own sociocultural and cognitive experiences. Acculturation, therefore, signifies one, some, or all of the following processes: introduction of loanwords, idioms, and derivational processes from substratum languages; use of calques, or loan translations of phrases, idioms, constructions; intrasentential mixing of units of different levels of complexity from various languages (code mixing); code switching; introduction of language-specific conventions of speech acts and discourse types; and even poetic conventions from other languages. These processes are often at work in the transformation of a foreign language into a second language. Keywords: bilingualism; second language acquisition; sociolinguistics
The increasing mobility of people implies an increasing number of students who start mastering tw... more The increasing mobility of people implies an increasing number of students who start mastering two or more languages. A number of educational institutions provide schooling for different populations of migrant children. International schools are one type of these providers. In order to assist students coming from various language backgrounds, international schools that provide for migrant students have one language of instruction that is, in most cases, different from the language of the host country and from the mother tongues of many students in the school. In that environment, students begin to acquire a second language as soon as they enter an international school, and sadly, their mother tongue development tends to be neglected. Students who follow an international curriculum learn at least two languages, but the lack of sufficient knowledge of their mother tongue impacts their development of literacy and their academic achievement in general. This paper consists of two parts. The first part gives the theoretical implications for the importance of mother tongue maintenance. The second part presents findings from a small-scale study conducted in one international school where the language of instruction is English. The study was carried out with students who acquire two or more languages simultaneously. It deals with the language development of several students in that school and their perspectives on the importance of the mother tongue and the role of English in their education. The findings indicate that students whose mother tongue is maintained seem to have better success in school. mother tongue maintenance, English as an Additional Language, international education.
Sociolinguistic theory and non-native varieties of English
Lingua, 1986
... Bangbose (1971) has pointed out that this is true of Nigerian English as well, where Hausa, Y... more ... Bangbose (1971) has pointed out that this is true of Nigerian English as well, where Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo speakers can be identified by their English (see also ... transfer of structural features from the mother tongue adds to the diversity of nonnative varieties used in ...
Anyone who undertakes to do an overview of so large an area as studies on “the South Asian biling... more Anyone who undertakes to do an overview of so large an area as studies on “the South Asian bilingual's verbal repertoire and the functional allocation of languages” within so small a space as permitted by this review deserves her predicament. The problem lies in the complexity and diversity of the situation, and the danger of inanity resulting from oversimplification. However, since the alternative is to wait for book-length treatments which have yet to be written, and in the meanwhile, suffer the omission of a prime example of a multilingual region from a volume devoted to multilingualism, I shall compromise by treating only the broadly representative situations and trends and ignoring the (sometimes more interesting) particularities of a given language or an individual contact situation.
Language and literacy issues in India are reviewed in terms of background, steps taken to combat ... more Language and literacy issues in India are reviewed in terms of background, steps taken to combat illiteracy, and some problems associated with literacy. The following facts are noted: India has 106 languages spoken by more than 685 million people, there are several minor script systems, a major language has different dialects, a language may use different scripts, several languages have varieties due to caste or religion, and many minor languages do not have a script. More than 63 percent of the total population is illiterate, especially among the rural population and among women. Literacy campaigns since 1937 are described and reasons for their failure are discussed including both organizational and conceptual problems. India's multilingual, multiethnic, and multicultural nature is cited as a cause of many of the problems involved in implementing successful literacy programs, since there is a conflict regarding the medium of literacy instructicn. Examples are cited, however, of some minority groups that are demanding to receive literacy in the dominant state language. It is concluded that more information on reading research, ways to facilitate communicative competence, and data collection are needed. Contains 9 references. (LB)
... English in Indian bilingualism. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Sridhar, Kamal K. PUBLI... more ... English in Indian bilingualism. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Sridhar, Kamal K. PUBLISHER: Manohar Publications (New Delhi). SERIES TITLE: YEAR: 1989. PUB TYPE: Book (ISBN 8185054673 ). VOLUME/EDITION: PAGES (INTRO/BODY): xix, 177 p. ...
Societal multilingualism and world Englishes: Their implications for teaching ESL
This paper explores the extent to which the research insights in two well-defined areas within th... more This paper explores the extent to which the research insights in two well-defined areas within the field of sociolinguistics, namely, bilingualism / multilingualism and world Englishes, need to be incorporated in the teaching of ESOL and in our teacher training programs. While the former includes notions like speech communities, verbal repertoire, language transfer, code-mixing/switching and domains, the latter is concerned with issues like identity and target model norms. The contributions of the above fields are critical particularly now for no longer are ESL users primarily from the post-colonial communities, nor is English primarily a language to communicate exclusively with the native speaker. This paper introduces some of the relevant socio-linguistic concepts and offers concrete suggestions for incorporating critical research insights from bilingualism/multilingualism and world Englishes, in the hope that it would help prepare teachers for the 21st Century and beyond, whether in ESL-using country like India or any of the inner circle countries.
Braj Kachru is a major figure in linguistics and English studies, and he has left us an intellect... more Braj Kachru is a major figure in linguistics and English studies, and he has left us an intellectual legacy that speaks to a wide range of fields in language studies, including sociolinguistics, variation studies, bilingualism and multilingualism, applied linguistics, second language acquisition, and teaching English as a second or foreign language. This article sets out to provide a detailed and nuanced study of the intellectual trajectory of one of the most influential figures in contemporary sociolinguistics and English studies.
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