After Brexit, EU English will be free to morph

into a distinct variety ………. (The Guardian)

Cathleen O'Grady
The newfound neutrality of English in Europe may help it survive Brexit as the EU’s lingua
franca ... with the addition of a few distinctly un-British quirks

Last modified on Wed 27 Sep 2017 10.22 BST

If your planification isn’t up to snuff, you might need to precise your actorness. English in the EU,
spoken primarily by non-native speakers, has taken on a life of its own. While “planification” might
be jargon unlikely to pop up outside of Brussels, there are also changes afoot in more everyday
spoken English in Europe. You might hear a mobile phone referred to as a “Handy”, and be asked
to SMS, not text, your friend.

“Actorness” and a multitude of other examples are listed in “Misused English words and
expressions in EU publications”, a guide published by European Court of Auditors senior
translator Jeremy Gardner. The guide details many of the ways in which European English has
gone a bit wibbly – to a native speaker’s ear, at least. In some cases, words like “agent” are
deployed in contexts that would sound fine to a US speaker, but odd to the British or Irish ear. And
these are precisely the ears that EU documents should be catering to, Gardner argues: “Our
publications need to be comprehensible for their target audience … and should therefore follow a
standard that reflects usage in the United Kingdom and Ireland.”

Following Brexit, the UK will no longer be able to call these kinds of shots. In a paper published in
the journal World Englishes last week, linguist Marko Modiano speculates about what this is likely
to mean for the future of English in Europe. He argues that the newfound neutrality of English is
likely to help it survive Brexit – and that without the UK’s clout in Europe, European English will
be free to do what language does best: change.

The dominance of English as a lingua franca in Europe is startling. It’s spoken as a second
language by 38% of adults, trailed distantly by French (12%) and German (11%). This dominance is
set to grow dramatically, with 94% of secondary students in Europe learning English as a foreign
language. The use of English throughout Asia, the Commonwealth, and North America, plus the
widespread use of English online and in the media, all encourage English as the ongoing second
language of choice.

Despite this dominance, there have been plenty of rumblings about English being removed as an
official language in the EU. It is indeed in a tenuous political position: with the status of English
assured by the UK’s membership, Ireland has Gaelic as its official EU language, and Malta has
Maltese, leaving English without another representative. It’s not possible to say for sure what the
official status of English in the EU will be, although given Ireland’s strong support of its ongoing
inclusion, there is a good chance that predictions of its demise are greatly exaggerated.

However, Modiano argues that Brexit will give English a surprise boost, by making it the neutral
option. Without the UK’s 60 million native English speakers, the five million native speakers from
Ireland and Malta will make up only 1% of the total EU population. This will leave almost everyone
else who speaks English in Europe on an equal footing, all using their second language to
communicate. Even after losing the UK’s native speakers, the 38% (and growing) who speak
English as a second language will make it the most widely-spoken language in Europe: German sits
at around 27%, including native and second-language speakers, and French at around 24%.

Even setting aside the question of official status, the daily use of English throughout the continent
is unlikely to be diminished. Many countries have invested heavily in learning English, so
regardless of official status, expedience is likely to win out: an Italian and a Dane conducting
business are still more likely to resort to English than any other language.

The major change, argues Modiano, is that the UK will no longer have a say in how English is
used. There will be no chance to exert the kind of influence exhibited by Gardner’s document,
pulling the continent’s use of English towards a British English standard. This will leave
European English free to drift towards US or Commonwealth conventions, and to develop features
of vocabulary and grammar that are perfectly well-understood by other Europeans speaking
English as a second language – for example, entrenching the use of structures like “I am coming
from Spain,” rather than “I come from Spain”.

There’s a precedent for this kind of language change: the varieties of English spoken around the
world in the ex-colonies. Much as standard English has changed its own rules over time (“thou” fell
out of vogue quite a while ago, while the grip of “shall” is weakening swiftly), Malaysian English,
Indian English, and a multitude of other varieties have developed their own grammars and norms.
These varieties aren’t the result of speakers learning British English incompletely—their learning
of English is aimed at an entirely different target, and English is often one of their native
languages.

Of course, European English will not exist in a vacuum. European speakers will always be
communicating cross-culturally, which limits the development of features that would impede
understanding when communicating with speakers of other varieties of English. But much as US
and British English are different but mutually intelligible, so other varieties can develop their own
characteristics without ceasing to be useful. If Modiano is correct, the future of English in Europe
might be best secured by Britain relinquishing its grip.

QUESTIONS:

1. Type of text, genre and functions

2. Linguistic Devices
3. Comment on the words highlighted in yellow ( form, function, meaning, phonemic transcription and
origin if possible)
4. Comment on the differences and/or similarities of these concepts, give examples:
LINGUA FRANCA – SECOND LANGUAGE – OFFICIAL LANGUAGE – VARIETIES OF A LANGUAGE – NATIVE
LANGUAGE – JARGON - SLANG
5. Syntactic Analysis of the sentences underlined
6. USE OF ENGLISH:

1. Choose the most suitable word for each space:

Ask most people for their list of Top Ten fears, and you’ll be sure to find (1)………………………….burgled
fairly high on the list. An informal survey I carried out among friends at a party last week revealed that
eight of them had had their homes (2)……………………………….into more then twice, and two had been
burgled five times. To put the record straight, (3)…………………………………………..of my friends owns
valuable paintings or a sideboard full of family silverware. Three of them are students, in fact. The most
typical (4)………………………….., it seems, involves the (5)………………………………..of easily transportable items-
the television, the video, even food from the freezer. This may have something to do with the (6)
………………………………… that the average burglar is in his (or her) late teens, and probably wouldn’t know
(7) ……………………………………… to do with a Picasso, whereas selling a mobile or a vacuum cleaner is a
much easier (8) ……………………………………. They are perhaps not so (9)
……………………………………….professional criminals, as hard-up young people who need a few pounds and
some excitement (10)……………………………………….that this makes having your house turned upside down
and your favourite things stolen any easier to (11)…………………………………………. In most cases, the police
 have no luck (12)………………………………….., they are probably unable to do anything at all. And alarms or
special locks don’t seem to help either. The only advice my friends could (14)………………………………was
`Never live on the ground floor’ and `Keep tow or three very fierce dogs’ which remind me of a case I
read about, where the burglars’ (15)………………………………………..included the family’s pet poodle.

1. a)been b)having c) being d) out

2. a)robbed b)broken c)taken d)entered
3. a)none b)some c) all d) few
4. a)burglary b)item c)one d)invariably
5. a)carrying b)robbing c) example d) theft
6. a)information b)fact c)idea d)knowledge
7. a)where b)how c) what d)whatever
8. a)matter b)price c)event d)one
9. a)many b)much c)that d)rarely
10. a)Given b)So c)not d)Despite
11. a)believe b)accept c)do d)attempt
12. a)taking b)about c)tracking d)recovering
13. a)case b)burglary c)investigation d)evidence
14. a)come up with b)get by with c)bring up with d)put in with
15. a)takings b)profit c)loot d)receipts

2. Choose the most suitable word or phrase:

1. All the classroom windows were broken, but nobody knew who the ……………………..was.
a) victim b) culprit c) guilty d) responsible
2. Seven vehicles were involved in a …………………………………….in thick for on the M2.
a) jam b) congestion c) stoppage d) pile-up
3. Mr. Baxwell threatened to ………………………………….the newspaper for libel.
a) sue b) arrest c) blackmail d) enforce
4. Police have ………………………………..off the town centre and are searching for the bomb.
a) withdrawn b) surrounded c) sealed d) assembled
5. The death ……………………………… in the weekend’s traffic exodus has risen to sixteen.
a) score b) rate c) toll d) mark
6. After the collision, two seamen were slightly injured in the ………………………………explosion.
a) Following b) ensuing c) aftermath d) consequential
7. The police are concentrating on arresting drug ……………………………rather than casual users.
a) Traffickers b) agents c) merchants d) entrepreneurs
8. The railway station was full of ……………………………….asking passengers for money.
a) Wanderers b) beggars c) penniless d) petitioners
9. More than £ 100,000 went up in ………………………………….in a fire at Bingley’s Bank.
a) Burns b) ashes c) soot d) smoke
10. The whole building collapsed, but fortunately there were no ………………………………..
a) Wounded b) hurt c) casualties d) victims

3. WORD FORMATION:
Fill in the blanks with a word formed from, or related to, the word given in brackets at the end of the sentence:

1. The family was ……………………..during the war. (poor)

2. He intends to …………………………his stay in England.(long)
3. The …………………………….of the road is twice what it used to be. (broad)
4. That money …………………………him to go to University. (able)
5. It is unwise to ……………………………….your employees. (ridiculous)
6. Your confession ………………………………the whole matter.(simple)
7. In general, foreigners ………………………more than English people (gesture)
8. The Minister inspired everyone with his ………………………….speech (passion)
9. He gave me a …………………………………account of his journey.(fiction)
10. What are the ………………………………parts of air? (compose)
11. A …………………………….man lurched into the rain. (drink)
12. Castiglione’s courtier ……………………………..the Renaissance ideal. (example)
13. `…………………………….is next to godliness’. (clean)
14. You really can be ……………………….on occasions. (fury)
15. His unfortunate experiences ………………………………him. (bitter)
16. ……………………………..never drink alcohol. (total)
17. Who was the first person to …………………………….you in England? (friend)
18. Teachers attach a lot of importance to the ……………………..of words. (pronounce)
19. It needs courage and tact to …………………………..a furious snob. (peace)
20. The Minister was asked to ………………………..the position.(clear)
21. His rivals were plotting to …………………………..him. (out)
22. In England the ……………………….wind is westerly. (prevail)
23. You need to develop a more …………………………..attitude to life. (real)
24. There was an ……………………………….of wild life on the island. (abound)
25. We have had six ……………………………..for that job. (apply)
26. He has a slight ………………………………in his speech. (impede)
27. It is impossible to take Don Quixote’s heroic ………………………..seriously. (do)
28. What a …………………………….painting! (repel)
29. He got …………………………..treatment. (prefer)
30. Such ……………………..is rarely met with. (infamous)

4. Choose the most suitable word for each space:

Ask most people for their list of Top Ten fears, and you’ll be sure to find (1)………………………….burgled
fairly high on the list. An informal survey I carried out among friends at a party last week revealed that
eight of them had had their homes (2)……………………………….into more then twice, and two had been
burgled five times. To put the record straight, (3)…………………………………………..of my friends owns
valuable paintings or a sideboard full of family silverware. Three of them are students, in fact. The most
typical (4)………………………….., it seems, involves the (5)………………………………..of easily transportable items-
the television, the video, even food from the freezer. This may have something to do with the (6)
………………………………… that the average burglar is in his (or her) late teens, and probably wouldn’t know
(7) ……………………………………… to do with a Picasso, whereas selling a mobile or a vacuum cleaner is a
much easier (8) ……………………………………. They are perhaps not so (9)
……………………………………….professional criminals, as hard-up young people who need a few pounds and
some excitement (10)……………………………………….that this makes having your house turned upside down
 and your favourite things stolen any easier to (11)…………………………………………. In most cases, the police
have no luck (12)………………………………….., they are probably unable to do anything at all. And alarms or
special locks don’t seem to help either. The only advice my friends could (14)………………………………was
`Never live on the ground floor’ and `Keep tow or three very fierce dogs’ which remind me of a case I
read about, where the burglars’ (15)………………………………………..included the family’s pet poodle.

16. a)been b)having c) being d) out

17. a)robbed b)broken c)taken d)entered
18. a)none b)some c) all d) few
19. a)burglary b)item c)one d)invariably
20. a)carrying b)robbing c) example d) theft
21. a)information b)fact c)idea d)knowledge
22. a)where b)how c) what d)whatever
23. a)matter b)price c)event d)one
24. a)many b)much c)that d)rarely
25. a)Given b)So c)Not d)Despite
26. a)believe b)accept c)do d)attempt
27. a)taking b)about c)tracking d)recovering
28. a)case b)burglary c)investigation d)evidence
29. a)come up with b)get by with c)bring up with d)put in with
30. a)takings b)profit c)loot d)receipts

5. Choose the most suitable word or phrase:

11. All the classroom windows were broken, but nobody knew who the ……………………..was.
b) victim b) culprit c) guilty d) responsible
12. Seven vehicles were involved in a …………………………………….in thick for on the M2.
b) jam b) congestion c) stoppage d) pile-up
13. Mr. Baxwell threatened to ………………………………….the newspaper for libel.
b) sue b) arrest c) blackmail d) enforce
14. Police have ………………………………..off the town centre and are searching for the bomb.
b) withdrawn b) surrounded c) sealed d) assembled
15. The death ……………………………… in the weekend’s traffic exodus has risen to sixteen.
b) score b) rate c) toll d) mark
16. After the collision, two seamen were slightly injured in the ………………………………explosion.
b) Following b) ensuing c) aftermath d) consequential
17. The police are concentrating on arresting drug ……………………………rather than casual users.
b) Traffickers b) agents c) merchants d) entrepreneurs
18. The railway station was full of ……………………………….asking passengers for money.
b) Wanderers b) beggars c) penniless d) petitioners
19. More than £ 100,000 went up in ………………………………….in a fire at Bingley’s Bank.
b) Burns b) ashes c) soot d) smoke
20. The whole building collapsed, but fortunately there were no ………………………………..
a) Wounded b) hurt c) casualties d) victims

TRANSLATIONS:
“Brexit wouldn’t have happened without Cambridge Analytica” (Christopher Wylie)

Q. What was your role in Brexit? The latest revelations suggest a data company associated with CA
played a key role in the result and helped bend the rules on electoral spending.

A. I didn’t work on the Brexit campaign but I was a phantom presence. I knew everything that
happened.

Q. Do you believe Brexit wouldn’t have happened without CA?

A. Absolutely. It’s important because the referendum was won by less than 2% of the vote and a
lot of money was spent on tailored ads based on personal data. This amount of money would buy
you millions of impressions. If you targeted a small group, it could be the deciding factor. If you
add up all the collectives that campaigned for Brexit, it was a third of everything that was
spent.There has to be an investigation into the indications that they spent more than what was
legally allowed. People should be able to trust their democratic institutions. Cheating is cheating.
We are talking about the integrity of all democratic processes, it’s about the future of this country
and of Europe more generally.

Christopher Wylie es un personaje fascinante. Un joven canadiense vegano y gay, como él mismo
se define, que diseñó el arsenal de ciberguerra de la nueva ultraderecha americana. Cerebro
de Cambridge Analytica (CA), se atribuye un papel decisivo en las victorias de Donald Trump y del
Brexit. Puso en marcha la más eficaz maquinaria de cultivo de datos personales al servicio de la
política. Sacó al genio de la lámpara y ahora trata de volverlo a encerrar. Este pentito de pelo rosa
y feroz inteligencia ha decidido enfrentarse a dos entidades que nadie querría como enemigos: la
siniestra compañía que contribuyó a crear y la todopoderosa Facebook. Es la principal fuente de
las informaciones, publicadas en los últimos días por The Guardian y The New York Times, que han
puesto contra las cuerdas al gigante tecnológico. El domingo mantuvo una larga entrevista con un
pequeño grupo de periodistas europeos, para hablar de privacidad, el fallo de Facebook y las
interferencias políticas.