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Kvitka-Osnovianenko Ukrainian Language and Literature Faculty
Department of Practice of English Oral and Written Speech
Year 3
Independent Study. Term II
Module 6. English in the World
I. Reading
Before reading the text, study the information below:
*English pronunciation is divided into two main accent groups, the rhotic (pronounced /roʊtɪk/) and non-rhotic, depending on when the sound typically represented in spelling with the letter R is pronounced. Rhotic speakers pronounce written /r/ in all positions, while non-rhotic speakers pronounce /r/ only if it is followed by a vowel sound, and not always even then.
**A stative verb describes a state rather than an action or event, and is not usually used in progressive forms, for example 'belong' in the sentence 'this book belongs to me'.
Scottish English
The type of English spoken in Scotland is more difficult to define than elsewhere in the UK. From the time of the Union of Parliaments in 1707, the official written language of Scotland became aligned with that of England. As such, Standard English has been used as the language of religion, education and government and so it became the socially prestigious form adopted by the aspiring middle classes. Unlike in England, however, Standard English continued to be spoken with a variety of local accents. RP has a negligible presence in Scotland (unlike Wales, for example, where it retains a certain degree of prestige in some areas). This means that even the most socially prestigious forms of English spoken in Scotland contain elements that are characteristically Scottish.
Alongside Standard Scottish English, the local vernacular language, Scots, a dialect descended from Old English and closely related to Northumbrian dialects has maintained a strong presence, especially in rural communities. There has been heated debate among linguists for many years as to whether Scots constitutes a dialect or a distinct language in its own right. It has recently been officially classified as a ‘traditional language’ by the Scottish Executive and recognized by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, but even in Scotland experts remain divided over the issue. Whatever its status — language or dialect — large numbers of speakers would certainly claim to speak Scots, not English. Indeed Scots boasts a literary tradition dating back long before Robert Burns in the eighteenth century and still thriving today, as demonstrated by contemporary authors such as Irvine Welsh.
Vocabulary. Scottish English has a number of lexical items which are rare in Southern British English (and possibly other forms of Standard English). General items are outwith, meaning "outside of"; wee, the Scots word for small; pinkie for little finger and janitor for caretaker. Examples of culturally specific items are caber, haggis, and landward for rural.
There is a wide range of (often anglicized) legal and administrative vocabulary inherited from Scots, e.g., depute /ˈdɛpjut/ for deputy, proven /ˈproːvən/ for proved, and sheriff substitute for acting sheriff.
Often, lexical differences between Scottish English and Southern Standard English are simply differences in the distribution of shared lexis, such as stay for "live" (as in: where do you stay?); doubt for "think the worst" (I doubt it will rain meaning "I fear that it will rain" instead of the standard English meaning "I think it unlikely that it will rain"). Correct is often preferred to right (meaning "morally right" or "just") when the speaker means "factually accurate".
Phonology. While pronunciation features vary among speakers (depending on region and social status), there are a number of phonological aspects characteristic of Scottish English:
Scottish English is a rhotic accent.
While other dialects have merged /ɛ/, /ɪ/, /ʌ/ before /r/, Scottish English makes a distinction between the vowels in herd, bird, and curd.
Many varieties contrast /o/ and /ɔ/ before /r/ so that hoarse and horse are pronounced differently.
Cot and caught are not differentiated as in some other dialects.
In most varieties, there is no /æ/:/ɑ:/ distinction; therefore, bath, trap, and palm have the same vowel; cat and cart are distinguished only by means of the r; and marry rhymes with starry.
/θs/ is often used in plural nouns where southern English has /ðz/ (baths, youths, etc); with and booth are pronounced with θ.
Grammar. Syntactical differences are few though the progressive verb forms are used rather more frequently than in other varieties of Standard English, for example with some stative verbs (I'm wanting a drink). The future progressive frequently implies an assumption (You'll be coming from Glasgow). “ I’ve not heard” is often used for “I haven’t heard”. Prepositions are used differently. The compound preposition off of is often used parallel to English into (Take that off of the table).
Idioms:
The use of "How?" meaning "Why?" is distinctive of Scottish, Northern English and Northern Irish English. Note that in Scottish English, the first person declarative I amn't invited and interrogative "Amn't I invited?" are both possible. Contrast Standard English, which has "Aren't I?" but no contracted declarative form. (All varieties have "I'm not invited".)
Scots and Scottish English. As many Scots use both Scots and Scottish English depending on the situation, there is a strong influence of Scots, and sometimes it is difficult to say whether a Scots form also belongs to Scottish English or whether its occasional appearance in Scottish English is simply code-switching. Borderline examples might be aye for "yes", ken for "know" (Ken what I mean?), or no for "not" (Am I no invited?). The touchstone is whether the speaker would feel comfortable using these in a very formal situation.
a) Decide whether the following statements are true or false:
1. Scottish English should not be confused with Scots.
2. The upper classes of Scotland consider it prestigious to speak with the RP accent nowadays.
3. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages put an end to the discussion over the status of Scots.
4. Scots is mostly used by city-dwellers.
5. The Scottish English statement “Mary stays in Glasgow” means that Mary has been living in Glasgow for a certain time as a guest or visitor.
6. The sound /r/ is pronounced in the syllable coda by Scottish English speakers.
7. The word Sam rhymes with palm in Scottish English.
8. The words serf, curl and third have the same vowel in Scottish English.
9. Scottish English has some special contracted forms.
10. In Scottish English sheriff substitute means a police officer of low rank.
II. Reading
Canadian English
"In Canada we have enough to do keeping up with two spoken languages without trying to invent slang, so we just go right ahead and use English for literature, Scotch for sermons and American for conversation." (S. Leacock)
Canadian English, for all its speakers, is an under-described variety of English. In popular dialectological literature it is often given little acknowledgement as a distinct and homogeneous variety, save for a paragraph or two dedicated to oddities of Canadian spelling and the fading use of British-sounding lexical items like chesterfield, serviette, and zed.
There is a small body of scholarly research that suggests that if there is such a thing as a Canadian English, all its unique characteristics are being lost. In fact, Lilles (2000) goes so far as to claim that there is no such thing as a distinct Canadian English, and argues that the notion of Canadian English is a myth, fabricated to reinforce a fragile Canadian identity. As evidence, he cites the lack of phonological and orthographic standardization for Canadian English, the paucity of distinct Canadian vocabulary, and the appearance of regionalisms associated with various parts of the United States. Sutherland (2000) quickly rebuts by pointing out that Canadian English is more than a "network of regionalisms", and that a variety can be distinct by more than its vocabulary.
Spelling
Canadian spelling of the English language combines British and American rules. Most notably, French-derived words that in American English end with -or and -er, such as color or center, usually retain British spellings (colour, honour and centre), although American spellings are not uncommon. Also, while the United States uses the Anglo-French spelling defense (noun), Canada uses the British spelling defence. (Note that defensive is universal.) In other cases, Canadians and Americans stand at odds with British spelling, such as in the case of nouns like tire and curb, which in British English are spelled tyre and kerb. Words such as realize and recognize are usually spelled with -ize rather than -ise. The etymological convention that verbs derived from Greek roots are spelled with -ize and those from Latin with -ise is preserved in that practice.
Canadian spelling rules can be partly explained by Canada's trade history. For instance, the British spelling of the word cheque probably relates to Canada's once-important ties to British financial institutions. Canada's automobile industry, on the other hand, has been dominated by American firms from its inception, explaining, why Canadians use the American spelling of tire and American terminology for the parts of automobiles.
Vocabulary
Attorney vs. barrister vs. lawyer vs. solicitor: An attorney is anyone who conducts somebody else's business. Many attorneys are lawyers. In the UK, solicitors prepare cases and barristers plead them in court, but in Canada a lawyer can do either or both, so the distinction doesn't mean much. Use the less pretentious lawyer.
Allophone: Someone whose first language is neither English nor French.
Anglophone: Someone who speaks English as a first language.
Bill vs. check: Canadians ask for the bill.
Billion: The British say that a billion is a million million (1,000,000,000,000). American say that a billion is a thousand million (1,000,000,000) and insist that a million million is actually a trillion. The Canadian Press agrees with the Americans.
Boot vs. trunk: Canadians store their jumper cables in the trunk of their cars.
Can vs. tin: Younger Canadians tend to eat out of cans, while older Canadians often eat out of tins.
Chemist vs. drugstore vs. pharmacy: Canadians don't go to chemist’s, at least not when they need aspirin.
Chesterfield vs. couch: Canadians may sit on either, depending on where you are in the country and how old you are. Couch, sadly, appears to be predominant now, although many Canadians use sofa.
Chips vs. fries: Menus will usually specify fries or French fries, unless they are serving fish and chips. Canadians tend to use chips in spoken language, but chips can also refer to what the British call crisps (the snack that comes in bag). Canadians usually put vinegar on their chips, rather than ketchup.
Click: Canadian slang for kilometre. "I drove 50 clicks last week."
College: A Canadian college is very different from an American college. An American college is a limited version of a university, one that can grant only bachelor's degrees. A Canadian college is at best a halfway house between high school and university. Most can only grant diplomas, although many of the older colleges now grant degrees and are actually called university colleges. Adding to the confusion, colleges in Quebec are known as cegeps.
Eh?: A famous Canadian way of ending sentences. Save this for quotations and for instances when you are playing up the Canadian identity of something. (In case you were wondering, it usually means "don't you think?")
Elevator vs. lift: Canadians take elevators.
Faucet vs. tap: Canadians turn on the tap.
Floor vs. storey: Floor is preferred in Canada. Note that the first floor of buildings in Quebec is actually the second floor in the rest of the country.
Francophone: Someone who speaks French as a first language, as opposed to an anglophone.
Gas vs. petrol: Canadians fill the tanks of their cars with gas.
Goodbye: This is the Canadian spelling. Note the lack of a hyphen.
Holiday vs. vacation: Canadians generally go on vacations.
Housecoat: A housecoat is the kind of bathrobe you can wear to get the morning paper, and not worry about being seen by the neighbours.
Kerfuffle: This Scottish word refers to a flurry of agitation, as in, "There was quite a kerfuffle after Mike asked for the project three days early."
Loonie or loony: This is a colloquialism for Canada's dollar coin. The plural is loonies. The nickname comes from the loon on the coin.
On side: Used frequently in Canada to mean that you're in agreement, this term may come from hockey, where players can be offside.
Pissed: Pissed is now common on American television shows, where it means annoyed, although in Canada it can also mean drunk. If a Canadian is annoyed, she is pissed off.
Riding: In Canada's Parliament and in provincial assemblies, elected members represent ridings, roughly equivalent to congressional districts in the United States.
Serviette: Canadians refer to serviettes instead of table napkins, especially if they (the napkins, not the Canadians) are made of paper. This is fading with time.
Sneakers: Canadians prefer running shoes or simply runners.
Sniggler: A sniggler is someone who takes the parking spot you wanted, or who otherwise does something perfectly legitimate, but which nonetheless inconveniences or annoys you. (This isn't a real word, but it is incredibly fun to say aloud. Try it and see for yourself.)
Soda vs. pop vs. coke: Canadians drink pop. Ask for a soda and you'll get soda water. Avoid referring to coke unless you mean a product made by Coca-Cola.
States: The US of A is almost always referred to as the States, except in writing, when it becomes the US.
Stockholder vs. shareholder: Canadians are usually shareholders.
Washroom: Canadians head for the washroom when they need to use the toilet. Bathrooms are places with bathtubs in them.
Zed: This is the proper way to pronounce the last letter of the alphabet.
Pronunciation and regionalism
Generally, Canadian pronunciation is almost identical to American one, especially in Ontario, which was first settled by Americans who supported George during the Revolution. There are some small differences, however. The most famous difference is the ou sound in words like house and out, which sound to American ears like hoose and oot. (Some say the words sound more like hoase and oat). Canadians also tend to pronounce cot the same as caught and collar the same as caller. Keen ears will hear a Canadian distinction in certain vowels: the i comes out differently in knife and in knives, in bite and in bide, and in price and in prizes. Many Canadians also will turn t sounds into d sounds, so Iron Maiden will seem to be a "heavy-meddle" band and the capital appears to be "Oddawa."
There are also pronunciation and vocabulary differences in three Canadian regions. In Quebec, the accent is an interesting combination of Jewish and French influences. Quebec anglophones have freely adopted French words, such as autoroute for highway and depanneur for corner store, as well as French constructions, such as take a decision and shut a light. In Quebec, people take the Metro instead of the subway, belong to syndicates instead of unions and attend reunions instead of meetings.
In Atlantic Canada, accents are more influenced by Scottish and Irish sounds, especially in Cape Breton and in Newfoundland. Newfoundland has hundreds of distinctive words, many of them derived from its fishing industry. One common Newfoundlandism is outport, meaning a small coastal community, which brings us to the endless rivalry between townies (people from St. John's) and baymen (people from outports and, to their great consternation, inland communities such as Gander and Corner Brook). In the Ottawa Valley, the accent is heavily influenced by the Irish who settled the area. The accent here is even more close-mouthed than it is elsewhere in Canada.
As time goes on and Canadians watch more American TV, Canadians everywhere are beginning to sound more like Americans.
Complete the chart using the dictionary and the information from the text
| British say | American Say | Canadians Say |
| boot | trunk | |
| vacation | vacation | |
| petrol | ||
| shareholder | ||
| bill | check | |
| lift | elevator | |
| can (n) | ||
| faucet | tap | |
| chemist’s | drugstore |
III. English in Use
For questions 1-15, read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there. If a line is correct, put a tick (√) at the end of the line. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word at the end of the line. There are two examples at beginning, (0) and (00).
WHY AM I LEARNING ENGLISH?
| English is the most widely spoken language in the world | √ | |
| today. It is a quite amazing how the use of English has | a | |
| become so widespread. The English is not as easy as Esperanto, | ||
| which was especially written for to be as easy as possible for | ||
| people to learn, and yet the Esperanto is spoken by very few | ||
| people around the world. For many people English is not as | ||
| more beautiful a language as French but it seems too late for | ||
| French to catch up with English as an international language. | ||
| German is a quite a useful language if you are in business | ||
| in Europe but it is not half as easy to learn so as English, | ||
| and people say it doesn’t sound as if pleasant as English. | ||
| English has become so important that it is becoming the more | ||
| and more essential to know it if you want to get a good job. | ||
| There are also so many of films and so many songs which are | ||
| in English. It is too much early to say whether English will remain | ||
| as influential as it is today but it seems like difficult to stop its | ||
| growth. It looks like it will be a world language for a long time |
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