One World, One Language?: course description
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David Newbold, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia
The aim of this course is to examine the increasingly dominant role of English as the language of international communication in a world in which everyday relations - and relationships - have become everyday events in the lives of global citizens everywhere. It aims to provide students with insights into the present status of English as a lingua franca, and the debate surrounding the notion of 'ownership' of the language. It will refer to the emergence of new Englishes across the world, (notably in India, Africa, and the Caribbean) and point towards possible future scenarios for 'gobal English'.
Questions the course will address include:
How did English get to be the world's lingua franca - and does it deserve to be it?
Whatever happened to standard English and the notion of correctness?
Is there such a thing as 'world English', and can it uphold the values of multiculturalism?
How do the media use English to speak to the world?
In keeping with the VIU mission statement, the approach will be eclectic and cross-disciplinary, drawing from backgrounds as diverse as linguistic theory, language teaching methodology, media studies and post-colonial literatures in English. It will provide students with the opportunity to reflect upon their own relationship with the language - as native speakers or as non-native speakers - and how it permeates the own immediate environment, as well as to assess its suitability as a global language of communication in an increasingly complex world, where fast and efficient communication between countries is vital to peace and progress.
Questions the course will address include:
How did English get to be the world's lingua franca - and does it deserve to be it?
Whatever happened to standard English and the notion of correctness?
Is there such a thing as 'world English', and can it uphold the values of multiculturalism?
How do the media use English to speak to the world?
In keeping with the VIU mission statement, the approach will be eclectic and cross-disciplinary, drawing from backgrounds as diverse as linguistic theory, language teaching methodology, media studies and post-colonial literatures in English. It will provide students with the opportunity to reflect upon their own relationship with the language - as native speakers or as non-native speakers - and how it permeates the own immediate environment, as well as to assess its suitability as a global language of communication in an increasingly complex world, where fast and efficient communication between countries is vital to peace and progress.
