Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 3

Advanced

1 Warmer
What do you consider good English to be? How would you like to sound when you speak English?

2 Find the information

Scan the article to find the information. 1. Where is Ghana? 2. Why did English become the main official language in Ghana? 3. Which well-known (former) international statesman speaks Ghanaian English?

3 Find the information

Write the key words from the article next to the definitions below. Then scan the article. Circle the words as you find them and read them in context. abolition missionaries backlash Oxbridge colonialism prestige derision proper elite strictures legacy tyrannical reign

1. a period of time when something or someone cruel or unfair is very powerful ______________________________ 2. a situation in which one country rules another ______________________________ 3. considered to be real or serious ______________________________ 4. a strong, negative and often angry reaction to something that has happened, especially a political or social change _____________________________ 5. the high reputation and respect that someone or something has earned, based on their impressive achievements, quality, etc. ______________________________ 6. the opinion that someone or something is stupid, unimportant or useless ______________________________ 7. the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, considered to be among the best in the UK ______________________________ 8. a small group of people who have a lot of advantages and keep the most power and influence ______________________________ 9. the official end to a law, system, practice, etc. ______________________________ 10. people who have been sent to a place by a religious organization to teach the people there about a particular religion ______________________________ 11. something such as a tradition or problem that exists as a result of something that happened in the past ______________________________ 12. limits to your freedom ______________________________
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Advanced
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Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 3

Advanced
forced under colonialism to teach only in French, Ghana has always maintained the use of African languages in its primary school education. 8 But the idea that sounding British carries prestige also has a long history in Ghanaian society, manifesting itself in the countrys struggle for independence in the 1940s and 50s, when an ideological difference emerged between an Oxbridge-educated Ghanaian elite and more radical, left-leaning leaders. 9 Now, more than 50 years later and more than 200 years after the abolition of the slave trade saw an influx of Christian missionaries imposing British language and literature, Ghanaians are embracing a new standard: Ghanaian English. 10 The idea that intelligence is linked to English pronunciation is a legacy from colonial thinking, said Delalorm Semabia, 25, a Ghanaian blogger. People used to think that if you spoke like the British then you were as intelligent as the British. But now we are waking up to the fact that we have great people here who have never stepped outside the borders. 11 The best example of Ghanaian English on the international scene is [former UN Secretary General] Kofi Annans clear diction, said Ghanaian columnist Kofi Amenyo. The man maintains the Ghanaian features in his pronunciation and yet succeeds in being easily understood by the peoples of the world. 12 For Ghanas younger generation, though, the move towards Ghanaian English is less about elder statesmen, and more about music and technology. 13 In the 90s, many local artists wanted to sound like Usher or Jay-Z, but now they are taking local names and branding themselves locally, said Semabia. Little by little, people are embracing the use of our own languages for example, now we can google in Akan. 14 For us, English is our language we want to break away from the old strictures, to personalize it, mix it with our local languages and have fun with it. The whole point of language is that its supposed to be flexible and its meant to be fun.
Guardian News and Media 2012 First published in The Guardian, 10/04/12
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Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Voice of colonialism gives way to local form of English thats flexible and fun as opposed to giving language a good beating Afua Hirsch 10 April, 2012 1 Question: Have you eat? Reply: No, I go eat after small small. This is just one of the turns of phrase Ghanaians employ, in the words of one local commentator, to give the Queens English a good beating. 2 But as Ghanaians join their West African neighbours following the examples of Nigerian Pidgin and Sierra Leonean Krio in speaking their inherited colonial tongue with growing creative licence, a row is breaking out about what really is the proper way to speak English. 3 On one side of the fence are the old-school Ghanaians who were taught throughout their education to mimic Received Pronunciation or BBC English, as it is popularly known with varying degrees of success. 4 On the other side, a backlash is growing against the old mentality of equating a British accent with prestige. Now the practice has a new acronym, LAFA, or locally acquired foreign accent, and attracts derision rather than praise. 5 In the past we have seen people in Ghana try to mimic the Queens English, speaking in a way that doesnt sound natural. They think it sounds prestigious, but frankly it sounds like they are overdoing it, said Professor Kofi Agyekum, Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana. 6 There has been a significant change now, away from those who think sounding English is prestigious, towards those who value being multilingual, who would never neglect our mother tongues, and who are happy to sound Ghanaian when we speak English. 7 Ghana has nine indigenous languages that are officially sponsored by the government, including Akan languages spoken widely in the south. A further 26 languages are officially recognized and at least double that number are also spoken. Unlike its francophone neighbours, which were
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NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Advanced

Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 3

Advanced

4 Comprehension check
Find the answers to these questions in the article. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. What is Received Pronunciation? Why might Ghanaians want to speak with a British accent? What does Professor Kofi Agyekum say about Ghanaians when they try to speak with a British accent? How do people react to Ghanaians who speak with a LAFA? How has the attitude towards Ghanaian English changed in the past few years? How many indigenous languages are officially supported in Ghana? How many languages are officially recognized? How has music and technology influenced the demise of the Queens English?

5 Idiomatic expressions
Put the words in the correct order to make idiomatic expressions from the article. 1. beating something a give good 2. is breaking a out row 3. turn a phrase of 4. side the on of fence one 5. a new embrace standard 6. the up to that waking fact Use the expressions in sentences of your own.

6 Discussion
How do you feel about this quote from the end of the article?

The whole point of language is that its supposed to be flexible and its meant to be fun.

Relate your answers to Ghana and also to your own country and your own language-learning experiences.

7 Webquest
Search the internet to find the answers to these questions. 1. Which languages are most widely spoken in Ghana? 2. What does Kofi Annan sound like when he speaks English? 3. When did Ghana obtain its independence from Britain?
Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Advanced
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Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 3 KEY

Advanced

2 Find the information

1. in West Africa 2. because Ghana used to be ruled by the British 3. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General

5 Idiomatic expressions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. give something a good beating a row is breaking out a turn of phrase on one side of the fence embrace a new standard waking up to the fact that

3 Key words
1. tyrannical reign 2. colonialism 3. proper 4. backlash 5. prestige 6. derision 7. Oxbridge 8. elite 9. abolition 10. missionaries 11. legacy 12. strictures

7 Webquest Teachers note

A good opportunity to listen to Kofi Annan can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABdBcp14Y0Q (TIME Magazines 2009 interview with him). Read about Ghana on the CIA World Factbook here: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/gh.html. Basic facts about the languages of Ghana can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Ghana and here: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/tribes/ languages.php.

4 Comprehension check
1. a way of speaking British English that is considered to be the standard pronunciation in the UK; also known as BBC English and the Queens English 2. because they think it makes them sound intelligent and that RP is prestigious 3. He says they sound unnatural and like they are overdoing it. 4. They deride them. 5. People are now happy to sound Ghanaian when they speak English. 6. nine 7. a further 26 8. Young people in Ghana want to have their own identity and are achieving this by using local names, and playing with English and mixing it with their local languages. It is also possible to search the internet via Google in one of the main local languages.

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NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Advanced

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D