1. Instituto de Estudios Superiores Belén
PROFESORADO EN INGLÉS
Historia de la Lengua Inglesa
World Standard English
SET IV: MODERN E NGLISH (1500 - PRESENT DAY ) AND AFTER
A STANDARD DIALECT
We have already seen that English varies in “form” according to the place or social
class where the speaker comes from. In this way, each English-speaking country in the
world uses a form of the language, a “dialect.” Within a country we find variations from one
city to another, and even within the same city, from one social group to others.
However, in spite of the varieties, there is a “common core” dialect which transcends
these differences and keeps the speakers unified. It is the Standard language of the
country. Now a new question arises: what are the characteristics of that standard? Let
us read in the copies titled “Standard English” (page 110) the box called “What is
Standard English?” and find them out:
1- _________________________________________________________________
2- _________________________________________________________________
3- _________________________________________________________________
4- _________________________________________________________________
5- _________________________________________________________________
Once defined the Standard English of an English-speaking country, another
questions appears: “Is there a World Standard English?” If you read the text “World
Standard English” on page 111 of your copies, you can have many ideas in order to solve
this point.
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2. Instituto de Estudios Superiores Belén
PROFESORADO EN INGLÉS
Historia de la Lengua Inglesa
GLOBISH
Why is it important to know or determine the existence of a World Standard English?
It is not only because English is spoken worldwide and it is the main means of
communication in fields such as business and medicine, for instance. A World Standard
English can be the greatest achievement of the next period of development in the History of
the English Language.
Meanwhile English continues evolving and spreading around the world, new varieties of it
appears in different countries as well as social groups. Although there is not yet a definite
world standard, we can assume there is an early step towards it. Let us read the following
article:
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3. Instituto de Estudios Superiores Belén
PROFESORADO EN INGLÉS
Historia de la Lengua Inglesa
As the article says, Globish is a new
variation of English. A kind of dialect, but without
geographical place of “residence,” as Cockney
English, for example, which is spoken in the East
part of London. Besides, Globish does not have
the prestige which the Queen’s English has or the
BBC English also has. But Globish does have its
own linguistic features regarding grammar, style and especially vocabulary. Even more,
there already are books as well as academies offering courses for learning and
understanding it.
Globish seems to be the new standard, or at least the new “means of
communication.” With voices in favour of it as well as against it, it is the new phenomenon
in the world of business.
ACTIVITIES
A. READ THE TEXT AGAIN AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:
1. What sort of English is Globish?
2. Who speaks it?
3. How does jean-Paul Nerriére describe Globish?
4. How many words does Globish contain?
5. Why did people at the meeting not understand Jim and Bill?
B. FIND WORDS IN THE TEXT WHICH MEAN....
1. The act of travelling from one place to another =
2. A person who makes or thinks of something new =
3. The most important part of something =
4. The people who you work with =
5. People who learn English as their first language =
C. WRITE THE FULL CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE KOREAN AND THE COLOMBIAN
Maybe Globish becomes the new world standard in a few years and we will have to
teach it. Perhaps Globish follows the path of Esperanto and never becomes a standard but
remains as the language of a few. These are just speculations we are making right now.
Nevertheless, it surely sets the topic of the future of English, our next lesson’s theme.
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4. Instituto de Estudios Superiores Belén
PROFESORADO EN INGLÉS
Historia de la Lengua Inglesa
SOURCES
 Crystal, David: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language - BCA - 2nd
Edition, England - 2007
 SOARS, Lis & John: New Headway Pre-Intermediate. 3th Edition Oxford University
Press, England - 2009. pp. 7
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