SE
what does SE mean?
Standard English
What does EFL stand for?
English as a foreign language
Why did the British expand their territory and bring their language with them?
Because of the British Empire
What does ELF stand for?
English as a lingua franca
who made the norms for Standard English spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
Universities and government institutions - and it was a loooooong time ago
What are the characteristics of SE?
correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
When English is taught as a foreign language, is it then Standard English?
Yes!
Why is English still a world language today when Britain has lost its power?
Because of the US as a superpower - and because business, science etc. use English
Does ELF have a regional base (a geographical area in which it is used)?
No - ELF is spoken in situations everywhere where English is the language the speakers of a communication share
Is it acceptable to modify the English language - change it a bit, use words that are not in the dictionary, pronounce it differently....?
Well... that depends on who you ask. But the most widespread answer today would be: Yes - because English is a world language, and a language must serve the needs of its speakers.
NB: you still have to use correct English here with Rikke :-)
Do the majority of native speakers of English speak SE?
NO - only a minority; most people speak some variation or dialect
In Kazru´s model, people who are not native speakers of English are placed in what circle? (inner, outer, or expanding?)
Expanding
What does it mean that English is a country´s first language?
It means that the people who live there learn English from their parents and that English is the language used in that country (eg Britain, the US, Canada, Australia...)
Do ELF speakers speak SE?
NO - they usually make some mistakes and that is quite acceptable as long as they make themselves understood
Why are idioms so hard to learn?
Because they are so different and hard to translate into other languages. Eg the Danish "der er ingen ko på isen" does not make sense to a non-Danish speaker if translated directly
Does SE have the same vocabulary everywhere in the world?
No - for example both pavement (British) and sidewalk (American) are standard English words
Which group is the largest one? Native speakers of English or non-native speakers of English?
Absolutely non-native speakers
What does it mean that English is the OFFICIAL language of a country?
It means that English is the language people use when they have to talk to the authorities and government officials (eg Ghana, Botswana, Bangladesh, India....)
What sort of mistakes are acceptable in lingua franca situations?
all those that do not hinder communication - and often you can make concord errors (kongruensfejl), leave out a definite article (bestemt artikel) or make a wrong plural form (childs) and still people understand you
Why is the persona in the poem "Listen Mr Oxford Don" seen as a language criminal?
Because he insists on speaking HIS kind of English, not the nice, correct Standard English which the don speaks
RP used to be the most prestigeous accent of SE. Nowadays most people find it snobbish, distant, and posh. What does RP stand for?
Received Pronunciation
What is the aim of someone who speaks EFL?
To sound like a native, grammatically correct, with a varied vocabulary, idioms etc.
What does it mean that English is the SECOND language of a country?
It means that English is the language people learn when they start learning a foreign language (eg in Denmark, Germany etc.)
Why do native speakers struggle with ELF?
They speak too fast, use too many idioms etc. They have never tried being in a situation in which they had to communicate in a foreign language, therefore they do not know how to help others who struggle with it
if native speakers do not adapt their English in lingua franca situations (eg when they speak to a French person), how might the French person react?
The French person might hold back, misunderstand , or avoid communicating with the native speaker. Maybe he or she will find another non-native speaker to do business with instead - for example a Dane