Describes the processes by which distinctive varieties of English develop in areas where English functions as a second language. The distinctions between rhetorical and communicative norms for speech events in these varieties are discussed. (Author/AM)

Current practices and materials for teaching English as a second language (ESL) contain oversimplifications about English based on the assumption of a uniform language type and standard of usage, presented to foreign learners for pedagogical clarity. ESL teachers may be aware of the language's diversity but are not prepared to provide…

Discusses the significance of communication in the present-day world and the various factors affecting the comprehensibility of spoken English. Warns aqainst stressing fluency at the cost of correct pronunciation and against dogmatic preference for certain varieties of English. (IFS/WGA)

Focuses on the role of English and the evolution of a distinct variety of English in Hong Kong. Discusses this "emerging" Hong Kong English and examines how various political changes might affect a future Hong Kong identity, such that Hong Kong English might emerge into a public as well as academic reality. (23 references) (Author/CK)

Argues that English used in the Mid-Atlantic United States should replace British English as the educational standard in Europe as the English spoken by Europeans is increasingly influenced by American English. The article discusses the political aspects of learning a specific variety of English and points out that the development of Mid-Atlantic…

A careful study of second language varieties (SLVs) of English, which have not yet entered the mainstream of sociolinguistic research because of neglect and misunderstanding, shows that they are qualitatively different from the categories recognized in current sociolinguistic typology. SLVs provide some of the clearest evidence of sociocultural…

The manner in which English is being nativized in Europe is examined by focusing on German English. The recent historical development of the nativization of English in Germany and the attitudes that foster this practice are described. Among the topics addressed are: (1) the effects of the expansion of English use on the German language itself, (2)…

This paper contends that the World War II settlements, the birth of the United Nations, the invention of the computer, and the geometric growth of science and technology, all occurring accidentally at the same time, created the conditions which made English an important language. The paper notes the financial incentives in servicing international…

In Black English (BE), in addition to the motion verb "come," there exists a modal-like "come" which expresses speaker indignation. This "come" is comparable to other modal-like forms, identical to motion verbs, which occur in Black and non-Black varieties of English, and which signal various degrees of disapproval.…

Dialect writing in nineteenth-century America has been used as a source of evidence about popular American language and culture. Works employing dialect have been studied as documents embodying perceptions of the relation between character, role, and moral values on the one hand, and speech variety on the other. Critics have noticed the difference…

A survey of 98 Papua New Guinea technical university graduates in the applied sciences, engineering fields, and forestry investigated their language skill use and language needs in the workplace. Results indicate that, as in Papua New Guinea society in general, English and Tok Pisin are the two most important languages for technical communication…

Given continuing myths and misconceptions in the media and in the nation's schools about the language many African American students use, the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) believes the public deserves a statement reflective of the viewpoints of language and literacy scholars on Ebonics. The variety of Ebonics spoken by…

Owing to analyses of large spoken corpora the linguistic knowledge of conversation has grown in recent years exponentially. Up until now little of this knowledge has trickled down to the EFL classroom. One of the reasons, this paper argues, is the failure in the relevant literature to spell out clearly how teaching conversational grammar affects…

The development and present status of "Chicano Calo," a mixture of Spanish and English spoken in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, is surveyed. Originally a Romany (Gypsy) language, it is preeminently oral and has become fashionable in most sociocultural strata, but particularly among younger males to reflect mild rebellion.…

Presents the "Englishes" of children from different social backgrounds that are reflected in the forms and functions of their individual ways of communicating. Discusses implications of these language varieties for the classroom. (HTH)