Group items tagged

A film on OhioLINK. "The world is a mosaic of visions, and each vision is encapsulated by a language." Yet every two weeks, one of the world's approximately 6,500 languages dies out. What is the significance of this loss to those who speak the language as well as for the rest of humankind? Why do some languages become global while others disappear? And how are language and identity connected? In this program, linguists David Crystal, Peter Austin, and Jørgen Rischel search for the answers to those and other pressing questions as they investigate the state-and fate-of Livonian, in Latvia; Dogon, in Mali; Mlabri, in Thailand; Changsha Hua and Naqxi, in China; Pitjantjatjara and Pintupi, in Australia; and Tutunaku, in Mexico. Portions are in other languages with English subtitles. (60 minutes)

This essay is an overview of the theoretical, methodological, pedagogical, ideological, and power-related issues of world Englishes: varieties of English used in diverse sociolinguistic contexts. The scholars in this field have critically examined theoretical and methodological frameworks of language use based on western, essentially monolingual and monocultural, frameworks of linguistic science and replaced them with frameworks that are faithful to multilingualism and language variation. This conceptual shift affords a "pluricentric" view of English, which represents diverse sociolinguistic histories, multicultural identities, multiple norms of use and acquisition, and distinct contexts of function. The implications of this shift for learning and teaching world Englishes are critically reviewed in the final sections of this essay.

This essay will evaluate the factors that have contributed to the increase in the usage and status of the English language in Mongolia since the country's democratic revolution in 1990. The issue of language spread will first be addressed through a description of the economic, social and educational influences that other foreign languages, particularly Russian, have had in Mongolia in the twentieth century. The reasons for the spread of English will then be displayed by discussing the effects of globalism in the mid-1990s and by analyzing a study on the importance of learning English conducted among university students. The various functions that English now serves among the general population will then be categorized according to Kachru's framework of four linguistic functions (instrumental, regulative, interpersonal, imaginative). Lastly, the issue of nativization will be addressed through a brief examination of the lexical and syntactical modifications propagated by Mongolian English users.

A film on OhioLINK. Could be helpful for students researching bilingualism. When Massasoit hailed the Plymouth settlers in their own language, they might have taken it for a sign that English would dominate the New World. Packed with surprising etymologies and intriguing stories, this enhanced DVD traces the dynamic relationship between English and America, exploring the linguistic influence of westward expansion, cowboy culture, slave culture, and encounters with the French and Spanish languages. Key works examined include The New England Primer and Webster's The American Spelling Book. Can be viewed using a DVD player or computer DVD-ROM drive. (50 minutes, color)\nPart of the "Adventure of English" series.

A film on OhioLINK. Implications of such de facto linguistic hegemony in a world of high-tech haves and have-nots.

Ghislain Savoie speaks about how knowing two languages can give you discipline. He also tells us how knowing a second language can give us the upper hand in getting a job, and also how you get get a job faster, or switch faster if needed.