Nothing Stands Still for LongChanging English: Past, Present – and Future?

Rob Dean Macedonia, 2011

Agenda

1. Things people say…

2. Types of change

3. Source of change

4. Examples galore

5. Teaching Implications

6. What of the future?

1. There are less people here today than there were yesterday.

2. Due to bad weather, the event was cancelled.3. And, later on, we’ll have some coffee.4. I’d like to quickly tell you something.5. You’ll get a free gift if you order today.6. None of you are going to enjoy this.7. Me and my mum always go shopping on

Saturday.8. It rained all day, so we had to put the party off.

Things people say:

Prescription or Description?

Fighting the Change…

L’Académie Française

1. Le parking

2. Le pressing

3. Le marketing

4. Le weekend

5. Le footing

Change is nothing new

Words from Different Sources

Old English

book

help

French

volume

aid

Latin

text

assistance

What’s changing?

•Vocabulary / lexis

•Grammar

•Functional Language

•Pronunciation

What’s causing the changes?

Media – Television, films, journalism

Technology & Lifestyle changes

Political correctness

‘Foreign’ words entering the language

“New” Borrowed Words- Which language?

panini

fajita

vindaloo

oligarch

passé

barrista

New products from abroad Easier / Shorter names for existing things

“I am so not gonna do that”

The ‘Friends’ PhenomenonThe Influence of the Media:

The ‘Little Britain’ Phenomenon

“Vicky’s like standing at the bus stop and I’m like, “What are you doing here?”

“Vicky was standing at the bus stop and I said to her “What are you doing here?” Usage: Informal version of past continuous

Usage: Informal; to introduce direct speech, often of a surprising or interesting nature.

Changing Pronunciation

Queen’s English

Pronunciation… on the move

The ‘Neighbours’ Effect

The ‘Neighbours’ Effect

It’s great to be here.

I enjoy visiting Macedonia

I’ve been here before.

Australian Intonation

(Rising Terminus)

American Shortening

Going to

Want to

Sort of

Gonna

Wanna

Sorta

The Influence of New Technology

SMS Acronyms

LOL

BBL

EOD

LMK

FYA

POS

Laugh out Loud

Be back later

End of discussion

Let me know

For your amusement

Parent over shoulder

New words for a new technological age

What’s Missing?

agenative

bookbusinesscash

commerce crimefraud

kidnapper

digital

e-

cyber

e-business

e-cash

e-commerce

e-money

e-publishing

e-tailer

e-ticket

e-book

e-zine

e-signature

Business Non-Business

e-words

‘cyber’ words

cybercafe

cyberland

cyberforensics

cybercrime

cyberfraud

cyberkidnapper

cyberporn

cybersickness

cyberterrorism

cyberwidow

neutralnegative

Changing Lifestyles

Words and expressions for the New Decade

the sandwich generation

kidults

the green pound

fake bake

a mouse potato

a slackademic

a walking bus

hottie

Noughties

Some fashionable commonly used words and expressions that annoy…

We have pan fried chicken and oven baked fish

I’m lovin’ it

At this moment in time, the meeting is still in progress

Please enter your PIN number.

Passengers are kindly requested to proceed to gate 15.

Would you like cheese or ham? - Whatever!

Here’s your meal. Enjoy!

The Age of Political Correctness

air stewardessactressblind

fatshort

cheating

flight attendantactor

non-sightedperson of substancevertically challenged

collaborative learning

Implications for Teaching…

Modern Teaching Materials?

Modern Teaching Materials?

Implications for Teaching…

1) Reception vs. Production

Exposure to REAL language:

•Authentic texts

•DVD

•You Tube

•Songs…

Implications for Teaching…

1) Reception vs. Production

2) Fluency vs. Accuracy (exams?)

3) Spoken vs. Written

Play it safe!

Lynne Truss

Talk to the Hand

David Crystal

The Fight for English

Lynne Truss

Eats, Shoots and

Leaves

Bill Bryson

Mother Tongue

And what of the future?

If I was minister for English...

What changes would you like to see?

•‘s’ in 3rd person singular

•irregular verbs

•Less frequently used tenses

•articles

•used to and past ‘would’

Bye Bye to:

•simplification of question tags

•‘will’/’would’ used in if-

clauses

•time/tense agreement

•simplification of prefixes –

‘un’ for everything negative

…and on top of that:

Ze drem vil finali kum tru!!!

Thank You!robert.dean@pearson.com