GUST English Language and Literature (GELL) First International Conference

April 22nd 24th, 2012 Call for Papers GELL is GUST's first international conference, organized by the English Department. In a globalized world where the English language is the most used language of communication, new forms of the language, new ways of expression, new meaning, new metaphors have gradually evolved, over the past decades, to embrace, embody and express new themes and concerns not only for newcomers to the language, but also even native speakers. How does this evolution in language and expression affect the language and its literature(s)? Has this evolution enriched or impoverished the language and its literature(s)? Do we now have one global English language/literature, or many different Englishes and English literatures? Where does English tend? And, finally, what are the challenges this evolution poses for scholars and teachers of the language and its literature(s)? GELL's first international conference seeks to address these questions, and many more, under the overarching theme, Englishes: English Languages and Literatures in a Globalized World. Topics may include, but are not limited to: y Should linguistics, language pedagogy, and literature be housed together? y Why isn't poetry popular anymore? y Canonical literature y English literature or literatures in English? y Why are we still teaching English and American literature? y Creative writing in a globalized world y Does translation impoverish language? y Untranslatability y The power of language and translation y Language pedagogy: what English are we teaching? y Colonizing the language of the colonizer y Language acquisition and multilingualism y the OTHER and hegemonic discourse y Syntactic variation in the dialects of English y The effect of globalization on standard English y English phonetics in an are of multiple Englishes.

The English language as a Global Force

The English language is the second most widely spoken tongue in the world today. Of the 6912 living languages listed on the Ethnologue language database, only Mandarin is spoken by more people. It is the English language however that seems to be having a bigger impact on the world as a whole and has become the global de-facto standard used in business, cultural and political exchange. The integration, or coming together of the worlds cultures and economies is commonly known as globalisation, and a shift in language usage and language

demarcations is closely bound to these global changes. These international shifts and trends affect the languages that we all speak, which in turn have a marked effect on the functions and organisation of our brains and the way that we think. Due to the rise of globalisation, it seems that the English language more than any other is having a most pronounced and lasting impact on the collective networks of the world mind. The English language has over 500 million people that speak it, with 340 million of these using it as their primary or first language. While Mandarin has over double that amount of speakers, it does not have the same level of ubiquity when it comes to economic and cross cultural communication. Perhaps one reason why the English language has become such an international force is because of its ability to adapt and mutate in the face of change, an open ended philosophy that has certainly served it well. English as a means of communication is good at incorporating the other into its own language as can be seen with the many words and phrases originally from other languages that most people would now consider authentically English. The strength of the English language is that it accepts these variations and integrates them into itself effectively. There is a huge cultural uptake of English, with dozens of variations on the language coming into existence as people have shaped it with their own cultural conditioning. These differing versions of the language are still understandable as English however, and have helped it to evolve and grow at a rapid rate. English has become a sort of common denominator in international affairs, as it has a fairly open ended linguistic structure and is able to be understood in a wide variety of circumstances. The birth of the Internet in an English speaking country has also had a huge impact on this global evolution of the language, with almost 80% of the worlds digital information now stored in English. The Internet is basically English oriented, as most of the large search engines are based in the U.S.A and the major computer languages themselves are a kind of sub set of the English language. This alone has been a huge effect on globalisation and has meant that English speaking countries are at a definite advantage when it comes to communicating with the world as a whole.

The Globalization of English

At the moment, a global revolution is taking place in which more people than ever are learning English. This is because it has become the planet s language for commerce, technology and also empowerment. According to a recent report from the British Council, two billion people will be studying English and three billion people will speak it in ten years. Linguistically speaking, it is a totally new world. At the moment, there are more non-native speakers of English than there are native speakers; the ratio is 3:1. For the first time, there is a language that is being spoken by more people as a second language than as a first. In Asia, there are 350 million English-users, and this number equals the added-up populations of the USA, Great Britain and Canada. There are more Chinese children studying English than there are Britons. All these new English-speakers are not only using the language, they are also shaping it. The terms Japlish (mixture of Japanese and English) and Hinglish (mixture of Hindi and English) refer to new

varieties of English that came into being all over the world. In South-Africa, many blacks have adopted their own version of English including many indigenous words. Of course, all languages are work in progress but the globalization of English is a process the world has never seen before, a change whose effects we can only imagine. Experts talk about a future tri-English world in which speakers of English will speak a local dialect at home, a national variety at work, school or university and some kind of international Standard English to talk to foreigners. Since among the millions of English-speakers around the world there are relatively few native speakers, it is likely that students won t learn Standard English but will be encouraged to embrace their own local versions. This can already be seen now: International pilots pronounce the number three as tree in radio dispatches, since tree is more widely comprehensible. It is very likely that in future, teachers will not only not correct pronunciation mistakes, but also mistakes like she look and a book who. As a consequence of English s advance, governments all over the world are pushing the language. Although many countries are not very fond of the it (i.e. France), they have realised that English, along with computers and mass migration, is the turbine engine of globalization. It is the language of business. If you want to have a good, well-paid job, you have to have a good command of the English language. That s why English language schools are packed with men and women in their mid-twenties eager to learn English. Additionally, learners of English are getting younger and younger. Last year, schools in big Chinese cities began offering English in the third grade rather than middle school, and many parents send their preschoolers to English courses. Because of the English boom, schools are becoming more and more creative. Last year, South Korea built an English village on a small island with a fake bank and airport. There, students must conduct all transactions in English. The aim of this camp is to train capable global citizens who can promote South Korea all over the world. Since English has become so important, it is no longer only a language. English is a business, and the traditional custodians earn a lot of money with their language. There is an amazing demand for English native speakers, and because demand exceeds offer, China and the Middle East turn to India for English teachers. English is being advertised like a product. Just like with every other product, there are more and less serious suppliers, and price and quality can vary. But no matter where you learn it, and how much you pay for it: You have to learn it if you want to keep up.

The Globalization of English

Newsweek has an excellent feature article in the 7 March issue (this week) of its international edition on how the English language is evolving and changing the way we communicate. The article says non-native English-speakers worldwide now outnumber native ones 3 to 1. In Asia alone, Newsweek says, the number of English users has topped 350 million roughly the combined populations of the United States, the UK and Canada. There are more Chinese children studying English about 100 million than there are Britons (thats nearly twice as many).

Whats especially interesting about Newsweeks article is that it analyses the different ways in which English as a means of communication is evolving, developing into literally separate languages, yet which are still understandable by those who speak any version of English. Choice excerpt: The new English-speakers arent just passively absorbing the language-theyre shaping it. New Englishes are mushrooming the globe over, ranging from Englog, the Tagalog-infused English spoken in the Philippines, to Japlish, the cryptic English poetry beloved of Japanese copywriters (Your health and loveliness is our best wish, reads a candy wrapper. Give us a chance to realize it), to Hinglish, the mix of Hindi and English that now crops up everywhere from fast-food ads to South Asian college campuses. Hungry kya? (Are you hungry?), queried a recent Indian ad for Dominos pizza. [...] All languages are works in progress. But Englishs globalization, unprecedented in the history of languages, will revolutionize it in ways we can only begin to imagine. In the future, suggests [English-language expert David Crystal], there could be a tri-English world, one in which you could speak a local English-based dialect at home, a national variety at work or school, and international Standard English to talk to foreigners. With native speakers a shrinking minority of the worlds Anglophones, theres a growing sense that students should stop trying to emulate Brighton or Boston English, and embrace their own local versions. Researchers are starting to study non-native speakers mistakes She look very sad, for example as structured grammars. In a generations time, teachers might no longer be correcting students for saying a book who or a person which. Linguist Jennifer Jenkins, an expert in world Englishes at Kings College London, asks why some Asians, who have trouble pronouncing the th sound, should spend hours trying to say thing instead of sing or ting. International pilots, she points out, already pronounce the word three as tree in radio dispatches, since tree is more widely comprehensible. [...] English has become the common linguistic denominator. Whether youre a Korean executive on business in Shanghai, a German Eurocrat hammering out laws in Brussels or a Brazilian biochemist at a conference in Sweden, youre probably speaking English. And as the world adopts an international brand of English, its native speakers who have the most to lose. Cambridge dons who insist on speaking the Queens English could be met with giggles or blank stares. British or American business execs who jabber on in their own idiomatic patois, without understanding how English is used by non-natives, might lose out on deals. [...] Technology also plays a huge role in Englishs global triumph. Eighty percent of the electronically stored information in the world is in English; 66 percent of the worlds scientists read in it, according

to the British Council. Its very important to learn English because [computer] books are only in English, says Umberto Duirte, an Uruguayan IT student learning English in London. New technologies are helping people pick up the language, too: Chinese and Japanese students can get English-usage tips on their mobile phones. English-language teachers point to the rise of Microsoft English, where computer users are drafting letters advised by the Windows spell check and pop-up style guides. (Clarity point: I added all the links in the italicised text above; none are in the original Newsweek text.) This lengthy article is well worth reading for a keen insight into how much the English language is still evolving and how much you have to lose by not recognizing this reality. Its also a great reminder to communicators especially those who work in organizations doing business internationally that when communicating in English, its becoming more likely, if not probable, that a significant and increasing proportion of your audience will speak a different English than you do. People who no longer can patronizingly be described as non-native English speakers they are creating their own versions of English.