Cat 1 & 2 Varieties of English

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND
CURRICULUM STUDIES
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION ARTS
UNIT CODE: BLA 4209
UNIT NAME: VARIETIES OF ENGLISH
JULIAN KERUBO MOMANYI
BEDA/2021/82558
CAT 1&2
Question One: Describe the factors that propelled English to become a global lingua
franca. (10mks)
Lingua franca is a language used by people whose native languages is different as a medium
of communication. A lingua franca commonly serves as a regular means of communication
relating to scientific, technological, and academic information between different linguistic
groups in a multilingual speech community.
English is widely used world wide and consequently has become a global lingua franca
because of the following factors:
a) Science and technology
English is primarily the language of science and technology, most of the scientific
apparatus and procedures are written in English forcing the individuals dealing with
the technology use English terminologies.
The English language also dominates the technology industry, with the majority of
software’s, operating systems, websites and programmes all written in languages
based off of English.
Also, most scientific research materials are published in English so that it can be
accessed by another scientist all over the world.
Therefore, since science and technology are part and parcel of nearly everyone
irrespective of where one is located in this modern world is forced to use English in
order to be relevant.
b) The British Empire

Britain used its empire to find strategic trading posts in the world such as Asia and
Africa whose population used native language. For them to trade with the Britain they
had to learn English language which led to spread of English which was used in the
trading.
Also, in countries where there was British rule English was used as medium of
instruction in schools, hence disseminating British culture and the English language.
c) Education
English is widely used by many institutions in the world as the medium of
communication more so in the higher institutions. Most programs and MBA’s are
taught in English and the curriculum is presented in the English language.
English, as a language, open doors of opportunities for students to enable them to
reach their goals and dreams.
Therefore, people to adapt to certain situations, learning English has become a
necessity
d) Easier to learn
English is a standard language and not prone to changes. The forms and structures of
the English language as the form of writing and communication is easier to
understand and compose. The position of the verb and the subject are written or
spoken in a very systematic manner making it a lot easier to understand and
comprehend.
Also, there are a lot of resources which are easily accessible that one can utilize to
learn English.
e) The United States influence

After the World War II the United States evolved to be a very powerful country in terms
of trade, finance and politics ,because of these every nation wanted to be associated with
it.All nations needed to trade with the United States, and the ability to speak English was
crucial to those seeking careers in business or politics.
Question Two: Distinguish between a standard variety and non-standard language
variety. (5mks)
A standard language, is a language variety that has undergone substantial codification of
grammar and usage. It is commonly used in governments offices, in the media, in schools and
for international communication. Whereas non-standard language is a language variety that
has not historically benefited from the institutional support or sanction that a standard dialect
has.
Secondly standard variety is very formal and uses a polite tone while non standard variety is
informal and uses an informal tone.
Thirdly standard variety must have correct spelling in writing free from any errors while in
non-standard variety there may be instances of spelling errors.
Fourthly in standard variety there is standard grammar with longer words and phrases while
non standard it is mostly standard with some variations; it has simpler words and phrases.
Lastly Standard language variety has fewer abbreviations, those that are globally recognized
while non-standard has lots of abbreviations. Some of the abbreviations are only known by a
small group of people. Such abbreviations include OMG, LOL, ASAP and many more.
Question three: Explain the difference between the Australian English and the New
Zealand English. (5mks)
a. Vowel pronunciation
In Australia, English speakers pronounce their vowels with more emphasis to the
sound /ee/ whereas the New Zealand make more prominent /u/ sound. For example,
the Australians pronounce fish as feesh while the New Zealanders may pronounce it
as fush.
b. Abbreviations
Australians are fond of shortening and abbreviating the words unlike the New
Zealanders who use minimal abbreviations.
For Australians shortening of words is common both in written or spoken speech
c. The origin
The Australia accent is believed to have originated from native-born children who
spoke a new dialect combining dialects from the British Isles. The Australian dialect,
on the other hand, came with immigrants who entered New Zealand from Britain.
d. Composition
The New Zealand accent is influenced with different British dialect inputs while the
Australian accent is a combination of both the British and American English.
e. Creativity
Australians are generally more creative in their use of language than New Zealanders.
Australians like to include rhyming slang in their speech, their English language has
lots of sarcasm and plenty of swearing.
Question Four: Describe some features of East African English. (5mks)

East African English includes the varieties of English spoken in Kenya, Tanzania, and
Uganda, three countries which share a common Anglophone background despite their
differing colonial histories. Below are some of the features of East African English
a) Grammar
The grammar of the East African English speakers tends to be oversimplified. In most
cases the speakers avoid complex tenses and adding inflectional endings.
The use of nouns is overgeneralized, the pronouns may be omitted and their gender
distinctions.
b) Lexicon
East African English is commonly associated with the borrowing of words from the
Swahili language. Some of the words borrowed from the Swahili language include
safari meaning journey and askari meaning guard. These words were even
incorporated into English language and can be found in Oxford English dictionary.
There are also words that have been borrowed and used as they do not apply in other
context and there are no specific words for them like the ugali.
c) Vowel
East African English has few vowels as compared to extensive English vowel system.
The vowels tend to merge, as the underlying African language do not cover the
English vowel continuum.
d) Phonology
The phonology of the East African English speakers is regarded to be important
because it contains the most persistent pronunciation features of all African varieties
of English.
Some pairs of words that are pronounced the same way such as ram and lamb, beat
and bit, show and sow are not clearly distinguished by the speakers.
e) Consonants
Most speakers of English in East Africa have problems distinguishing between /r/ and
/l/. For example, the word lorry they may pronounce it as loli or rori. Most English
spoken in Africa is generally syllable timed and stress is mainly marked with high
pitch
Question Five: Demonstrate the difference in vocabulary and idioms of British Vs
American English. (5mks)
Vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person’s language.
Both the British and Americans speak English but their English is different in many aspects,
vocabulary being one of them. Below is a demonstration how vocabulary is used differently
in Britain and America.
American English British English
Apartment Flats
vacation Holiday
schedule Time table
Airplane Aeroplane
Soccer Football
An idiom is a phrase that, when taken as a whole, has a meaning you wouldn’t be able to
deduce from the meanings of the individual words. Idioms can be used in all sorts of
situations, and using them correctly will be sure to impress any native English speakers you
may come across.
Some British and American idioms have the same meaning, but use different words. For
example, in America if you want to add your opinion to a conversation, you put in your two
cents. In the Britain they put in their two pence worth.
Another example is the idiom about discussing the same issue again and again, especially if it
cannot be resolved. Americans say, “Don’t beat a dead horse!” The British, on the other
hand, advise against flogging one.
And, if you are keeping secrets in the United States, you have skeletons in the closet. In Great
Britain, your skeletons would be hiding in a cupboard.
References
1. Word Connection (2022) How did English become a global language?, Word
Connection. Available at: https://word-connection.com/how-did-english-become-a-
global-language/ (Accessed: February 26, 2023).
2. Squadrin, G. (2018) Differences between Australia and New Zealand, Difference
Between Similar Terms and Objects. Available at:
http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/religion-miscellaneous/differences-
between-australia-and-new-zealand/ (Accessed: February 23, 2023).
3. East African english (no date) Oxford English Dictionary. Available at:
https://public.oed.com/world-englishes/east-african-english/ (Accessed: February 23,
2023).
4. English, V.O.A.L. (2016) American vs. British English, VOA. VOA - Voice of
America English News. Available at: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/words-
and-their-stories-american-versus-british-english/3397694.html (Accessed: February
26, 2023).

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SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND

BACHELOR OF EDUCATION ARTS

UNIT CODE: BLA 4209

UNIT NAME: VARIETIES OF ENGLISH

JULIAN KERUBO MOMANYI

b) The British Empire

e) The United States influence

Question Four: Describe some features of East African English. (5mks)

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