The resources below are a collection of real-life authentic materials related to attitude towards variation in English. They can be adapted in a similar fashion to materials used in the textbook Introducing Global Englishes (Galloway & Rose, 2015), and on the book's companion website.
Videos on attitudes to varieties of English
Attitudes towards the Boston Accent
A video titled "Class helps locals lose their Boston accent" published by The Boston Globe. Uploaded on Jul 15, 2011, at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ketrhWr58wA
Want to see more videos like this? See those below.
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Attitudes towards the Cumbrian Accent (Northern England)
The following are a collection of news articles, which report on a teacher in England being told to "sound less Northern", by an inspector from a government educational review organisation (Ofsted)
Singapore's Speak Good English Movement
The following are links to information on the Speak Good English Movement in Singapore.
- The official website, which includes pages such as "Pronunciation guide - say it right!", and "English as it is broken"
For more videos like this, see those below...
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"The Queen of Grammar" show
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Singaporeans judged as speaking incorrectly
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The following are links to information on the Speak Good English Movement in Singapore.
- The official website, which includes pages such as "Pronunciation guide - say it right!", and "English as it is broken"
- "The Queen of Grammar" show on The SpThe Queeneak Good English YouTube channel
Swift's proposal for language standardisation
In 1712, Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, wrote a document entitled “A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue” in the form of a letter to the Earl of Oxford, advocating reform of the English language, because it was plainly less refined than the languages of Italy, Spain and France. Swift argued that the reason for English’s impurity was a history of heavy and uncontrolled influence from foreign forces. He referred to Elizabethan times as being the pinnacle of English language purity, after which it was corrupted by speakers, writers and poets, who adapted the language to suit their needs, and allowed foreign and fabricated words to contaminate the language.
Discussion questions:
1. What do you think of Swift’s proposal?
2. This chapter stated Milroy’s (2007) view that there is “usually a tradition of popular complaint about language, bewailing the low quality of general usage and claiming that the language is degenerating” (p. 138) which still rings true today. In what way are complaints like Swift’s still in popular discourse today?
3. How is linguistic diversity viewed in a context you are familiar with?
4. Have there been any attempts at standardisation?
Discussion questions:
1. What do you think of Swift’s proposal?
2. This chapter stated Milroy’s (2007) view that there is “usually a tradition of popular complaint about language, bewailing the low quality of general usage and claiming that the language is degenerating” (p. 138) which still rings true today. In what way are complaints like Swift’s still in popular discourse today?
3. How is linguistic diversity viewed in a context you are familiar with?
4. Have there been any attempts at standardisation?