World Englishes

Vocabulary I World Englishes: (not)
just British and American
Professor Stephan Hughes
All these ...
Came from this.
American
British
Australian
Canadian
New
Zealander
Indian
Regionalism
What is Regionalism?
How does it differ from dialect and why is it
significant enough for you to learn about it?
A brief delve into the unique characteristics of
the three main regional forms of English:
British, American and Australian.
In addition to the three main regional forms,
we will look at some other forms
Vocabulary
Core language
Variety
Dialect
Jargon
Code
Vernacular
Slang
Pidgin
Lingo
Patois
Vocabulary
Core language
Language base which may vary according to
cultural and geographical differences but
comprehensible to speakers from different regions
or countries
Vocabulary
Variety
A language set that is distinguished from other
sets of the same language by features of
phonology, grammar and vocabulary and by its
use by a group of speakers who are usually set off
from others geographically.
Vocabulary
Dialect
A different form, condition or phase of a language
Vocabulary
Jargon
Vocabulary peculiar to a particular trade,
profession or group
Vocabulary
Code
A system used for brevity or secrecy of
communication, in which arbitrarily chosen words,
letters, or symbols are assigned definite meanings
Vocabulary
Vernacular
Native or indigenous as opposed to literary or
learned language
Vocabulary
Slang
Very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that
is characteristically more metaphorical, playful,
elliptical, vivid, and ephemeral than ordinary
language
Vocabulary
Pidgin
An auxiliary language that has come into existence
through the attempts by speakers of two different
languages to communicate and that is primarily a
simplified form of one of the languages, with a
reduced vocabulary and grammatical structure
and considerable variation in pronunciation
Vocabulary
Lingo
The language and speech of a particular group,
field or individual
Vocabulary
Patois
A regional form of a language, particularly French,
differing from the standard, literary forms of the
language
What is Regionalism?
Every major English speaking nation has its
own peculiar take on the English language
Broadly speaking, 3 major regions: Britain,
North America and Oceania (Australia and
New Zealand)
Variations do exist within these and other
areas but there are enough similarities to be
able to still classify these dialects as part of
the greater regional group.
How do they differ?

British English
Vicky Pollard
American English
Red Green
Scottish English
Freedom!
Australian English
Poida
Trinidadian English
Stand up
Indian English
Outsourced
Caribbean English
Russell Peters
Canadian English
Baba Brinkman
The differences are classic
Lift
Lorry
Cab
Flat
Tin
Nanny
Underground
Plaster
Rubber
Elevator
Truck
Taxi
Apartment
Can
Babysitter
Subway
Band-aid
Eraser
In fact, the last pair was the source of some

embarrassment for the British actress Emma
Watson. Click on the icon below to watch.
As Emma rightly discovers, its more than just a

few minor differences.
Pronunciation
Spelling
Vocabulary
Word-formation
Grammar
The area with the largest amount of differences

is most probably that of lexis, or vocabulary.
The Internet provides us with many lists of these
differences. Click here for an example.
Differences in spelling are also worth mentioning
here, given our focus is on the words of the
language. Click here for a summary of these
differences.
Thanks to the Internet, TV, films, political and

cultural ties, influential public figures
New words and expressions are slipping

into the other variety and vice versa (the
differences may still remain, though).
The result is what is being called

The Britishisation of American English
Words or expressions originally British being used
by Americans: Britishisms.
The Americanization of British English

Words and expressions originally American being
used by Brits: Americanisms.
Read more about it online. Click here for the article.
Here are some words and expressions that are

being used by speakers of the other variety.
British
Gormless
University
Go missing
Trendy
Natter
Gastropub
Sell-by date
Book a room
Chat somebody up
American
Clueless
College or university
Disappear
Hip
Chit chat
Food bar
Best before date
Reserve a room
Hit on somebody
The fact of the matter is that it is possible to hear

Americans say flat and lift instead of
apartment and elevator.
The same goes for Brits who might say the

mechanics and the service station instead of
the garage and the petrol station.
The two varieties are mutually inclusive.
The differences are still important.

Look at the lengths the editing team of Harry Potter
went through to americanize the books:
http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/potter.html
The differences will still remain especially when it

comes to slang, as Hugh Laurie and Ellen Degeneres
found out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYmrg3owTRE
Here are the American slangs from the video

Flossing = showing off
Ba-donka-donk = a curvatious female behind
Shawty = the pronunciation of shorty, used to refer
to a woman or a young child (Black English
Vernacular, or simply Ebonics)
Here are the British slangs from the video

Chin wag = chat, talk non-stop
To be chuffed to bits = to be delighted
Collocations vary in frequency
strong
Fixed
Weak
Anyone in their right mind would jump at the

chance of landing a job like that.
Tanya seems to have a knack for languages, so

its no surprise shes decided to take up
Mandarin Chinese.
She has quite an odd accent, which, like

everything else about her, is hard to pin
down.
Management hopes staff will rise to the

occasion and meet the new sales targets.
Are they all the same?

Fixed collocation
Fixed expression
Idiomatic expression
Idiom
Another area in which huge differences lie

Idioms
(although some are used in both
varieties)
What does the video tell us about

The type of language used by native speakers?
The shelf life of idiomatic expressions and
slang?
For the list of expressions used in the video,
click here.
Idioms
* Expressions or phrases peculiar to a
given community of speakers with the
same cultural background and previous
knowledge of the world.
Idioms differ from fixed expressions in

that:
1. The former act on a culturally and
figuratively semantic plane
2. The latter is limited to a more literal
or concrete prism.
I haven't got the foggiest.

I have no idea.
Just a second.
Hold your horses.
Idioms can be formed by:

* Noun or prepositional phrases
by all means; green with envy
* Clauses or periods
You can't have your cake and eat it.
Idioms are usually organized/

arranged
* In word groups related to specific areas
Work/Employment
- slug your guts out
- get the sack
- cook the books
Health/State of mind
- green about the gills
- in the pink
- feel like a million dollars
Prepositions
* By parts of speech
- in/out of fashion
- at long last
- on the fly
Verbs
- get one's own back
- lose heart
- take the cake
* By communicative function
- On top of that
- Can we leave it at that?
- At the end of the day
What do the following idioms on the

next slides have in common
semantically?
Have a lot on your plate

Have fingers in many pies
Wear many hats
Have a cow
Have monkeys
Have a fit
Here are some more idioms
If you make a lot of money quickly, you make

money hand over fist.
If you can go wherever and whenever you want,
the world is your oyster/playground.
If you spend your life savings to throw a big party
or celebration, you push the boat (out).
If someone is so thin, he/she is nothing more
than skin and bones.
If you face a problem head-on, you take the bull
by the horns.
If someone makes a mess of something, he/she

makes a pigs ear of it.
If you refuse to do something, you wont do it for
all the tea in China.
If you look very angrily at someone without
speaking, you look daggers at them.
If something is quite easy to understand, its as
plain as pie.
If you change the rules to make things more
difficult for a person, you move the goalposts.
Here are some idioms using parts

of the body
The scientists of the IPCC highlighted the

need to FACE up to the facts and take
immediate action. (accept reality)
Never afraid to SHOULDER the blame in

defeat, Guardiola is also quick to withdraw
from the media glare in victory, preferring
instead to let his players take the acclaim.
(take responsibility)
Finally, the question on all our minds is who

should FOOT the bill? (pay the price)
Mr. de Ruiter, who will be travelling to South

Africa this weekend, will HEAD a
team of experts in the areas of: the electoral
process; law; the media; conflict resolution;
security, and logistics. (coordinate)
In recent years, Port Wine producers have

been finding new and ingenious ways to sell
their wines, keeping the R&D departments on
their TOES (not allow a person to rest)
I then learned that I had to construct my

characters on paper, I had been so observant
for such a long time, and that I
actually had a good EYE for filmmaking. (have
a natural talent for)
Increasing urbanization must go HAND in

HAND with improving public transport. (go
together with or come as a result of)
In short, the film is like an invitation to

THUMB a ride through the mind of a youthful
Che Guevara and of his friend Alberto
Granado, riding pillion on one same
motorcycle for eight months, having left
Buenos Aires in 1952, and on through Chile,
Peru and Venezuela. (travel in someones
vehicle for free)
Otherwise we have a permanent problem

here, a permanent pain in the
BEHIND* for the whole of Europe. (a
nuisance)
Finally, don't forget to be polite, or you

may 'put your FOOT in it' and say something
embarrassing. (make an untimely comment)
Given the very serious financial crisis in Turkey

since the beginning of the year, the
government has had to play by EAR
(improvise/make do)
Whatever brave FACE we put on it, the

outcome of the Barcelona Summit was indeed
a disappointment. (have a positive outlook in
spite of the facts that prove otherwise)
Whatever their plans for the future, they

always have the answer on the tip
of their TONGUE: "I want to go to university
and study philosophy. (be in ones immediate
memory)
According to Ponciano (1995) Foulkes himself,

following his reading at the London
Psychoanalytic Society, of the article "On
Introjection" was given the cold
SHOULDER by Klein's friends, Jones and
Rickman, and little by little distanced himself
from their theoretical positions. (ignore
someone)
It was a scandal, and a scandal that no

one has put their FINGER on. (to identify
something)
A few things to remember about idioms

They include set expressions, e.g.
As good as gold (to bom quanto )
At the end of the day (afinal de contas)
Ups and downs (altos e baixos)
They include metaphors e.g.

Green with envy (roxo de inveja)
Shoulder the blame (assumir a culpa)
Go bananas (ficar louco)

They include colloquialisms, e.g.
How is it hanging (or Howzit, particularly in Canadian
English)? (Qual ?)
Just chillax, will ya? (Fique frio, v!)

They include sayings, proverbs and quotations e.g.
Thats the way the cookie crumbles ( assim que
as coisas so)
You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make
it drink (Cada um tem que trilhar seu prprio
caminho)
Its not over till the fat lady sings (S acaba
quando termina)

They can also include collocations (strong and weak)
e.g.
Lets cut to the chase (Vamos ao que interessa)
Call the shots (Dar as cartas)
Mitigating circumstances (atenuantes)
Mind over matter! (Use a fora do pensamento!)

They are more figurative than fixed expressions:
Havent the foggiest x Have no clue (referring to
the famous London fog to mean that a person is in
the dark, that they dont know)
Hold your horses x Wait a second (referring to the
horse-driven carriages in the US expansion to the
West, in which drivers would pull the reins on the
horse to stop. They would say Hold!)
Test your British

Take a look at the following expressions and try and
figure out what they mean and how they would be
used:
Best of British
If you wish someone the best of British, you are

wishing them good luck
Drop a clanger
Asking a lady if she is pregnant, when it turns out
she isnt, would probably classify as dropping a
clanger.
Bobs your uncle

Simply a way to end a sentence with a similar
meaning to and there you have it
Full of beans
Energetic and enthusiastic
Her Majestys pleasure

Spending time at HMs pleasure means spending
time in prison
Keep your pecker up

Dont get disheartened, keep your chin up
Not my cup of tea

its not my beach
Put a sock in it
A way of telling someone to shut up
Pear-shaped
If everything is going pear-shaped, its all going wrong
Spend a penny
To go to the bathroom
Taking the biscuit

If something takes the biscuit, it really out-does
everything else, similar to the US taking the cake
Throw a spanner in the works

to do something which ruins everything, for
instance losing your drivers license before starting
your new job as a taxi driver
On your bike
If someone says this to you, they are trying to
indicate that they really think its time you left
How many meanings can one word

have? Best of British with these!
Bollocks
Bomb
Banger
Bugger
Bum
Bung
At this point, it would be entirely acceptable to say:
Oh, bollocks to all this! Lets bugger off and bomb down to
the canteen where we can try and bum some grub off the
dinner ladies who might bung us some bangers
Here is an ongoing list of useful online tools

The Briticizser
http://us2uk.eu/
Comic dialect converters
http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/
The American's guide to speaking British
http://www.effingpot.com/
British to American/American to British vocabulary
tool
http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blbritam.ht
m
Another area worth considering has to do with

words with different meanings in the two
varieties
Suspenders
In British English they refer to those used by
women; in American English they refer to a piece
of male clothing.
Bun
In British English, it refers to a small sweet type of bread;
in U.S. English, it refers to hamburger bread and is used to
refer to someones buttocks.
Another area worth considering has to do with

words with different meanings in the two
varieties
Biscuit
In British English, it is a round flat cake; in U.S. English, it
refers to a round salt bread
Fag
In British English it is a short form for the word faggot,
which is the same as meatball. In southern England, it also
refers to a cigarette. In U.S. English, on the other hand, it is
a somewhat perjorative term for a homosexual.
The two previous slides provide classic examples of

intralingual false friends: words that are used in
more than one variety of a given language with
different meanings. Inappropriate use of these words
can lead to
1. Funny situations
2. Serious blunders
3. Neutral but different referents
Their causes include several factors, the main ones
being geographical distance and cultural
idiosyncrasies.
Consider the following situations

What would a male American get if he asked for
pants and suspenders in the UK?
How would an American react to a Brit making a
statement like this: Charles couldnt keep his eyes off
of his grandmas buns?
Consider the following situations

What would most probably happen if a Brit says
something like this in America: If you are stressed,
why dont you grab a fag?
In which variety would most people react strangely
to a sentence like: I like faggots?
What would an American think if a Brit asked for a
lift home because he was too pissed to drive?
Can you think of any

other intralingual false
friends between British
and American English?
What is/are World English(es)?

According to Bolton (2006):
An umbrella term that refers to the differing
approaches to describe and analyze English
worldwide
The new Englishes from the Caribbean, West
and East African societies to Asian Englishes
Different spreading phases
The British Empire up to the Victorian era

The rise of the US as superpower
The advent of radio, film and TV
The birth of the computer and the Internet
The social media boom and the generation Connect
craze
The status of English as language for business,
politics, global issues of all kinds
The 3 groups of English

speakers (Kachru, 1992)
The spread of English
conceived in 3 concentric
circles. At the core is the
Norn-providing group, the
Norm-developing group forns
the middle layer and the
norn-dependent the outer
crust.
This representation, however,
fails to depict the fluidity
betwwen these so-called
layers.
Norm-providing: USA, UK
Norm-developing: India,
Nigeria
Norm-dependent: Brazil,
China
Why are two billion people learning English?
http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_walker_on_the_wor
ld_s_english_mania
English is the language of problem-solving. If

people from other nationalities want to share their
ideas with the rest of the world, they have to do so
in English.
English teacher and presenter Patricia Ryan,
however, argues for a different approach: we should
move away from an English-only policy in
knowledge-sharing. If widely adopted, how would
this impact on teaching and translation?
With the Outer Circle continually expanding,

The vast majority of ESL and EFL teachers are nonnative speakers.
This leads us to the perennial debate
Who is a native speaker?

And is that important?
What can a Non-Native English Speaking Teacher (NNEST) do

better? What can a Native English Speaking Teacher (NEST) do
better?
Canagarajah (2006) argues

The circles are leaking
Reasons:
Human migration
Technology (ICTs)
Older Englishes: North American, British, Australian,

New Zealander
New Englishes: Kenyan, Nigerian , South African,

Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Filippino, Malaysian,
Singaporean
English-based Pidgins, Creoles and Decreolized varieties:

West African, Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinea), Krio (Sierra
Leone, Black English, Hawaiian English Creole, Bislama
(Vanautu), Caribbean Creole English
One thing must be pointed out

Despite the phonological, lexical and (to a lesser
extent) syntactic differences, speakers of each variety
have little or no difficulty understanding each other.
For Kandiah (1998a), the reasons for

varieties are twofold:
Development of language in new and unfamiliar
contexts
Contexts marked by different ecological, cultural,
linguistic, social, etc. characteristics.
Lets take a look at features of some of these

varieties.
Once again, the major (but not ONLY)
differences between them and the British
or American standards are in vocabulary
Australian
English
Australian English could be
said to fall somewhere in
between British and
American English. Strong
historical ties with the UK
and continuing high levels
of immigration from the
UK ensure this; however,
the increasing exposure to
US English via the media
has resulted in many
Americanisms being
prevalent within Australian
English.
American
English
Australian
English
British English
Argue the toss

To dispute a decision
Blow in the bag

To blow in the bag is to be tested by a policeman
with a breathalyser unit for drink-driving
Budgie smugglers
Speedos made particularly famous by the
current Leader of the Opposition
Come off the grass

Used when you dont believe someone and you
want them to tell you a truthful version of events
Knee high to a grasshopper

Very young (and therefore, small)
Ninety to the dozen

A person who speaks ninety to the dozen is
someone who talks on and on, not really knowing
when to stop
Not the full quid

Intellectually lacking
Rough end of the pineapple

To get a poor outcome from a deal, transaction or
experience
Spit the dummy

To lose your temper
Ill be stuffed
To be amazed at something
Youre not wrong

Australian expressions often err on the side of
understatement. To tell someone they are not
wrong is actually to say that you wholeheartedly
agree with them
Not too bad

More understatement
this actually means pretty good
Now watch this video with actor Eric Bana.

How much of it were you able to understand?
What is more decisive for comprehension
familiarity with the accent or familiarity with
Australian English?
Canadian
English
Canadian English exemplifies

the historical ties with the UK
and the geographical proximity
with the US, to the point of
people often erroneously
referring to it as the 51st state.
American English and Canadian English

Sometimes referred to as North American English
(NAE)
The differences between NAE and British English are
a subject of interest here.
Watch the video in which the two singers engage in a
rap battle to see which variety should prevail.
Here are some of the expressions from the

video.
Its simply not cricket = its not fair.

Hows it hanging? = How are you?
Were not whistling dixie = Were serious
Throw a wrench in somebodys engine = spoil
somebodys plan
To go pear-shaped = to go all wrong
Bonkers = crazy
To have a barney = to have a disagreement
Go whistle! = get lost!
For more on the vocabulary used in the video

Macmillan has provided the transcript and
exercises.
http://goo.gl/nFz5R
Indian English
Classic 19thcentury literature
European words
that have been
Indianized
Caribbean Creole English

Varies from
country to
country
Lexicon from British English
Morphology, phonology and syntax

from West African languages
Lexcion from Indian languages

Hindi, Urdu, Persian (Trinidad and
Guyana)
Examples of CCE (phonological lexicalsyntactic)
He rich
She tell meh everyting
I wash de clothes yesterday
Students does go on like that
He does go to church every week
My fadder workin 2 job
We limin tomorrow?
Canadian stand-up comic Russell Peters talks

of his experience with Caribbean English
What peculiarities does he notice of the
way Jamaicans, Trinidadians and Guyanese
speak?
Standard
English
CCE along a continuum (Gibson,

1986)
Acrolect
Mesolect
Basilect
Trinidad English
We get the redeye, not the pinkeye.
Overweight people have big skin, not big
bones.
When friends meet, they say wha going on,
not wassup?
Caribbean
Creole
English
Overlap (Clachar, 2006; Le Page,

1985; Nero, 2000)
South
African
English
In both varieties
Hand refers to the arm

Foot refers to the leg
A next one means another one
Object pronouns generally replace subject
pronouns
Here is a shortlist of some online dictionaries

and glossaries for some of the varieties
presented in the previous slides.
Australian English
Australian English Dictionary
http://www.lexilogos.com/english/australian_english
_dictionary.htm
Australian Slang Dictionary
http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html
Indian English
Indian English Dictionary
http://www.amritt.com/india-englishdictionary/
Dictionary of Indian English
http://www.vsubhash.com/Dictionary_Of_Indi
an_English.asp
Caribbean English(es)
Jamaican Patois Translator
http://www.jamaicanize.com/
Jamaica's Online Dictionary
http://www.visitjamaica.com/aboutjamaica/jamaica-talk.aspx
The Skettionary - an online Caribbean dictionary
http://www.skettel.com/
Glossary of Trinidadian English
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_
Trinidadian_English
South African English

South African English review
http://public.oed.com/aspects-of-english/english-inuse/south-african-english/
South African English glossary
http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/saenglish.
htm#.Ub4G3tIWLiU
Scottish English
Scottish English dictionary http://www.scotsonline.org/index.asp
Dictionary of the Scots Language
http://www.dsl.ac.uk/
English Scots dictionary
http://www.lexilogos.com/english/scots_dictionary.h
tm
Irish English
Irish dictionary online
http://www.irishdictionary.ie/home
Irish Gaelic dictionary
http://www.lexilogos.com/english/gaelic_irish_dictio
nary.htm
Identifying varieties in literature
Why?
Although published texts are theoretically supposed
to be formal in style, playing with register is a
common literary device found in novels.
Can you discern the degree of formality within a
piece of literary text?
Also, having already discussed regionalism, can you
identify from where a text originates?
Example One
The sweat wis lashing oafay Sick Boy; he wis trembling. Ah wis jist
sitting thair, focusing oan the telly, tryin no tae notice the cunt. He
wis bringing me doon. Ah tried tae keep ma attention oan the
Jean-Claude Van Damme video.
Any minute now though, auld Jean-Claude's ready tae git doon
tae some serious swedgin.
- Rents. Ah've goat tae see Mother Superior, Sick Boy gasped,
shaking his heid.
- Aw, ah sais. Ah wanted the radge tae jist fuck off ootay ma
visage, tae go oan his ain, n jist leave us wi Jean-Claude. Oan the
other hand, ah'd be gitting sick tae before long, and if that cunt
went n scored, he'd haud oot oan us. They call um Sick Boy, no
because he's eywis sick wi junk withdrawal, but because he's just
one sick cunt.
- Let's fuckin go, he snapped desperately. This cunt has a wey ay
makin ye feel a real petty, trivial bastard.
Trainspotting, Irving Welsh

Very Informal with frequent use of colloquial
Anglo-Saxon words
Scottish
Written in an attempt to relate to readers the
dialect of the characters and thus convey a
better understanding of them
Listen to the author reading an extract
Example Two
The widow she cried over me, and called me a poor lost lamb, and she called me a
lot of other names, too, but she never meant no harm by it. She put me in them
new clothes again, and I couldnt do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all
cramped up. Well, then, the old thing commenced again. The widow rung a bell for
supper, and you had to come to time. When you got to the table you couldnt go
right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and
grumble a little over the victuals, though there warnt really anything the matter
with them. That is, nothing only everything was cooked by itself. In a barrel of odds
and ends it is different; things get mixed up, and the juice kind of swaps around,
and the things go better.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,

Mark Twain
Very informal
American
Again, the attempt to replicate the dialect of
the character in the spelling of words
Vocabulary and phrase such as:
she never meant no harm by it
in a barrel of odds and ends
but by-and-by she let it out
they get down on a thing
Example Three
Then Jimmy spoke. Rock an roll is all abou ridin. Thats wha rock
an roll means. Did yis know tha? (They didnt.) Yeah, thats wha
the blackies in America used to call it. So the time has come to put
the ridin back into rock an roll. Tongues, gooters, boxes, the works.
The markets huge.
-Wha abou this politics?
- Yeah, politics. Not songs abou Fianna fuckin Fail or annythin like
tha. Real politics. (They werent with him.) Where are yis from? (He
answered the question himself.) Dublin. (He asked another one.)
Wha part o Dublin? Barrytown. Wha class are yis? Workin class.
Are yis proud of it? Yeah, yis are. (Then a practical question.) Who
buys the most records? The workin class. Are yis with me? (Not
really.) Your music should be abou where youre from an the sort o
people yeh come from. Say it once, say it loud, Im black and Im
proud.
The Commitments, Roddy Doyle

Very informal
Irish
Example Four
My father was one of the fittest men I have ever known. A great
sportsman in his day, boxer, swimmer, amateur footballer, he was
still bullshouldered and hard even at sixty, though a good deal of
his muscle had gone to fat. He didn't drink. He hadn't smoked
since a day during the First War when he'd accepted a bet and
thrown a whole packet of Capstans over Victoria Bridge. Except for
the occasional cold, he had never had a day's illness that I could
remember. Two weeks before his death he had been examined for
a new insurance policy. When the report arrived, on the morning
of his funeral, it declared him to be A 1 in every respect.
Example Four
I was out of the country again on study leave, and the telegram
announcing his heart attack caught me in the midst of a whole
series of muddles that I had simply to leave where they were, all
untidy ends, while I got a plane booking, scraped up the money to
pay for it, and started back.
Johnno, David Malouf

More formal in tone
Absence of any attempt to replicate an accent
in the spelling, but sufficient vocabulary
evident to identify the author as Australian:
one of the fittest men
he was still bullshouldered and hard even at
sixty
caught me in the midst of a whole series of
muddles
Example Five
Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he
was so old, he said he got started late, which we felt reflected upon his
abilities and manliness. He was much older than the parents of our school
contemporaries, and there was nothing Jem or I could say about him when
our classmates said, My father
Jem was football crazy. Atticus was never too tired to play keep-away, but
when Jem wanted to tackle him Atticus would say, Im too old for that,
son. Our father didnt do anything. He worked in an office, not in a
drugstore. Atticus did not drive a dump-truck for the county, he was not the
sheriff, he did not farm, work in a garage, or do anything that could possibly
arouse the admiration of anyone.
Example Five
Besides that, he wore glasses. He was nearly blind in his left eye, and said
left eyes were the tribal curse of the Finches. Whenever he wanted to see
something well, he turned his head and looked from his right eye.
He did not do the things our schoolmates fathers did: he never went
hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the
livingroom and read. With these attributes, however, he would not remain
as inconspicuous as we wished him to: that year, the school buzzed with
talk about him defending Tom Robinson, none of which was
complimentary.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Informal and with attempts at replicating accents
but not nearly so pronounced as earlier
examples.
American
Regional vocabulary such as:
Drugstore
Sheriff
Dump-truck
Garage (used other than as a place to park you car)
Example Six
THE DAUGHTER. Well, haven't you got a cab?
FREDDY. There's not one to be had for love or
money.
THE MOTHER. Oh, Freddy, there must be one.
You can't have tried.
THE DAUGHTER. It's too tiresome. Do you
expect us to go and get
one ourselves?
FREDDY. I tell you they're all engaged. The
rain was so sudden: nobody was prepared;
and everybody had to take a cab. I've been
to Charing Cross one way and nearly to
Ludgate Circus the other; and they were all
engaged.
THE MOTHER. Did you try Trafalgar Square?
FREDDY. There wasn't one at Trafalgar Square.
THE DAUGHTER. Did you try?
FREDDY. I tried as far as Charing Cross Station.
Did you expect me to walk to Hammersmith?
THE DAUGHTER. You haven't tried at all.
THE MOTHER. You really are very helpless,

Freddy. Go again; and don't come back until
you have found a cab.
FREDDY. I shall simply get soaked for
nothing.
THE DAUGHTER. And what about us? Are we
to stay here all night in
this draught, with next to nothing on. You
selfish pig-FREDDY. Oh, very well: I'll go, I'll go. [He
opens his umbrella and dashes off
Strandwards, but comes into collision with a
flower girl, who is hurrying in for shelter,
knocking her basket out of her hands. A
blinding flash of lightning, followed instantly
by a rattling peal of thunder, orchestrates the
incident]
THE FLOWER GIRL. Nah then, Freddy: look
wh' y' gowin, deah.
FREDDY. Sorry [he rushes off].
THE FLOWER GIRL [picking up her scattered
flowers and replacing them in the basket]
There's menners f' yer! Te-oo banches o
voylets trod into the mad.
Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw

English
Combines the formal spoken English expected
from upper class British with the informal
register of the Flower Girl from a working class
background.
If its still all about British or American

English,
What are the implications for teaching and
translation?
Global English
English as an
International
Language (EIL)
Globish
English as a
Lingua Franca
International
English
GE is spoken by different types of speakers
Level 1
Native
Level 2
Native
Native
Nonnative
Level 3
Non-native
Non-native
Intelligibility
Flexibility
Diversity
In the words of Canagarajah (2006)

There is no such thing as a universal English
Language, nor a World Standard English (WSE)
People construct English according to the
communicative purpose and context
Functionality and pragmatics dictate communication
in English today.
Global English implications
Need for a global language in a globalized world

Decadence of other languages (cultural genocide)
Practicality of learning English
Reduction of problems in translation (gain on one
end, loss on the other)
Which English should be taught in language

classrooms?
Watch the videos to find out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XT04EO5RSU
Areas of interest concerning GE studies
GE and the teaching of pronunciation

GE and teaching
GE and the internet
Teaching and learning English as a global language
GE and the role of translation
GE and translation
Global English actually does exist

In the areas of translation and
professional writing
Global English style guide

A guide for professional
writers, editors,
translators and
proofreaders
It aims to get rid of

Translation-generated ambiguities
Uncommon non-technical terms
Unfamiliar grammatical constructions (for nonnatives)
Complex English sentence structures
Unnecessary inconsistencies
And consequently bring the following benefits
Readability
Clarity and consistency
Accuracy
Less technical support
Searchability
Text reliability
Gender English
Gender is not as big an issue in English as it may be in
other languages. What is intriguing is the use of
neutral or unisex forms: steward, server, actor,
nurse.
Here are some new gender related terms
An entertainer who dresses and behaves like a person of the opposite sex
(noun). GENDER BENDER
Unfair difference in the treatment of men or women because of their sex
(noun). GENDER BIAS
A condition in which someone feels strongly that they should be the
opposite sex (noun). GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER
A medical operation or a series of operations that change a man into a
woman or woman into a man (noun). GENDER REASSIGNMENT
Relating only either to males or females (adjective). GENDER-SPECIFIC
Violence against women, especially in the home by a partner (noun).
GENDER VIOLENCE
Being politically correct is another area

Man hug
Man-tourage (COMBINATION OF MAN + ENTOURAGE
= AN ALL MALE
Manbroidery (MAN + EMBROIDERY)
Mancessories (MAN + ACCESSORIES)
Manbags (MAN + HANDBAGS)
Manscara (MAN + MASCARA)
Mantyhose (MAN + PANTYHOSE)
Internet English?
Afk brb bio AWAY FROM KEYBOARD,BE RIGHT
BACK, BIO BREAK
Lol u r a nb LAUGHING OUT LOUD, YOU ARE A
NEWBIE
YOLO You only live once
TTYL talk to you later
Some common terms in Environmentalism

Green English (and their Portuguese
equivalents)
household waste - lixo domstico

dump waste - despejar lixo
searing heat - calor infernal ou
extremo
widespread flooding inundaes em diversos pontos
de uma regio
climate change - mudana
climtica
reduce carbon footprints reduzir a pegada de carbono

food miles - distncia percorrida
para um produto chegar at o
consumidor
offset carbon emissions redirecionar emisses de gases
de estufa
renewable energy - energia
renovvel
eco-friendly design - projeto
arquitetnico sustentvel
Some common terms in Sports (and their

Portuguese equivalents)
get the hang of something pegar a manha de algo

push yourself to the limit - jogar
no seu limite
have a whale of a time - se
divertir horrores
jump at the chance - agarrar uma
oportunidade
summon up the energy - juntar
suas foras
reach fever pitch - ficar um clima

tenso
secure a convincing win conseguir uma vitria
contundente
put up a determined
performance - ser guerreiro, dar
o sangue
go wild - ir loucura
acquire a taste for - se
acostumar com
Some common terms in Book and Film reviews

(and their Portuguese equivalents)
an amazing chain of events uma incrvel sequncia de

acontecimentos
startling originality originalidade impressionante
a consummate professional - um
virtuoso, profissional consagrado,
uma sumidade
get glowing reviews - ser
aclamado pela crtica
bear the suspense - aguentar o
suspense
a dismal failure - uma grande

decepo
a lasting impression - uma
impresso que fica
fire your imagination atiar/despertar sua imaginao
a dazzling display - uma exibio
de gala
awaken one's interest - despertar
seu interesse
Some common terms in Social Issues (and their

Portuguese equivalents)
a force for good - um movimento

do bem
provide relief - dar assistncia
make a plea- fazer um apelo
break the cycle - quebrar o ciclo
public disorder - baderna,
desordem pblica
draconian measures - medidas
impopulares, medidas drsticas
claim benefits - reivindicar

benefcios
run-down areas - reas
abandonadas
incite violence - instigar violncia
novel solutions - solues
inovadoras
Some common terms in Economic English (and

their Portuguese equivalents)
curb inflation - controlar a

inflao
steer the economy - guiar a
economia
uninterrupted growth crescimento constante
safeguard one's interests defender seus interesses, cuidar
dos seus interesses
extend opportunity - possibilitar
oportunidades
levy taxes - cobrar impostos,

arrecadar impostos
allocate resources - destinar
recursos
build on the success - aproveitar
o sucesso
undeclared earnings - renda no
declarada
push up costs - aumentar custos
What do these sentences have in common?
ATHLETE RUNS INTO TROUBLE

DIET PILLS HAVE FAT CHANCE OF SUCCESS
NEW DIRECTOR KEEPS ROYAL BALLET ON ITS TOES
SHOEWORLD CO. TO FOOT THE BILL
NEW LAW MAKES RABBIT OWNERS HOPPING MAD
The use of puns in headlines

Varies in sarcasm and malice in accordance
with the papers reputation and target
readership
Some of the key features of

newspaper English
Here are some examples
In business, the key word is

COMPETITION
Common collocating adjectives
Cut-throat competition
Keen competition
Ferocious competition
Stiff competition
Fierce competition
Intense competition
Tough competition
Strong competition
Direct competition
Intensified competition
Observe the following

collocations
Using competitive
He was criticized for being too Eurocentric and

failing to pay attention to the competitive
threat from South East Asia.
Businesses can sustain their performances

over the long term by having some
competitive edge/advantage to keep them
ahead.
For the money-conscious consumer,

alternative retail outlets can offer organic food
at more competitive prices.
First Chicago will enhance its competitive

position and boost its financial growth
through the transaction, which is expected to
add to earnings immediately.
Mall stores are under more competitive

pressure than at any other time in their 40year history, with new discounters and
superstores increasingly moving in alongside
traditional malls.
Decades of management theorizing around

the world have produced piles of books, many
of which promise to deliver the secrets of
success. But there is no consensus on
competitive strategy.
CSM can provide an in-depth assessment of

automotive suppliers for competitive
benchmarking and profiling activities, as well
as potential merger and acquisition, and/or
strategic alliance purposes.
The recovery potential to be taken into

account in the competitive analysis is thus
reduced by the impact of these other factors,
since they do not involve any direct causal link
with the merger.
Samarco may, at its discretion, cancel any

competitive bidding without being subject to
any type of claim on the part of the bidders.
Our greatest concern, as teachers and

translators,
Has to do with words that are so specific
to a particular area of study, causing
difficulty for the second group and
opportunity for the first.
We can make an ongoing list with this type of

words (those that are not translated)
Standard
Benchmark
Default
Marketing
Feedback
Holding
Fazer um print
Slow food
Final considerations
What are the major differences between British and
American English?
What should a teacher or translator be aware of
when dealing with English from varieties other than
British or American?
Bibliography
BRUNER, J. (1986) Actual Minds, possible worlds.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
HILL, J. (1999) Collocational competence. English
Teaching Professional, 11, p. 3-6
Kachru, B.B. (1985). Standards, codification and
sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the
outer circle. In R. Quirk and H. Widdowson
(Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the
language and literatures (pp. 11-36). Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Bibliography
JOHNSON, K. (2001) An Introduction to Foreign
Language Learning and Teaching . Harlow : Longman
LEWIS, M. (1993) The lexical approach, LTP
THORNBURY, S. (1998) The lexical approach: a journey
without maps. MET, 7 (4), p. 7-13

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Vocabulary I World Englishes: (not)

just British and American

Professor Stephan Hughes

All these ...

Came from this.

How do they differ?

The differences are classic

Professor Stephan Hughes

In fact, the last pair was the source of some

Professor Stephan Hughes

As Emma rightly discovers, its more than just a

Professor Stephan Hughes

The area with the largest amount of differences

Professor Stephan Hughes

Thanks to the Internet, TV, films, political and

New words and expressions are slipping

Professor Stephan Hughes

The result is what is being called

The Americanization of British English

Here are some words and expressions that are

The fact of the matter is that it is possible to hear

The same goes for Brits who might say the

Professor Stephan Hughes

The differences are still important.

The differences will still remain especially when it

Professor Stephan Hughes

Here are the American slangs from the video

Professor Stephan Hughes

Here are the British slangs from the video

Professor Stephan Hughes

Collocations vary in frequency

Anyone in their right mind would jump at the

Tanya seems to have a knack for languages, so

She has quite an odd accent, which, like

Management hopes staff will rise to the

Are they all the same?

Another area in which huge differences lie

What does the video tell us about

Idioms differ from fixed expressions in

I haven't got the foggiest.

Idioms can be formed by:

Idioms are usually organized/

* In word groups related to specific areas

What do the following idioms on the

Have a lot on your plate

Here are some more idioms

If you make a lot of money quickly, you make

If someone makes a mess of something, he/she

Here are some idioms using parts

The scientists of the IPCC highlighted the

Never afraid to SHOULDER the blame in

Finally, the question on all our minds is who

Mr. de Ruiter, who will be travelling to South

In recent years, Port Wine producers have

I then learned that I had to construct my

Increasing urbanization must go HAND in

In short, the film is like an invitation to

Otherwise we have a permanent problem

Finally, don't forget to be polite, or you

Given the very serious financial crisis in Turkey

Whatever brave FACE we put on it, the

Whatever their plans for the future, they

According to Ponciano (1995) Foulkes himself,