ERIC ANCHIMBE

Universidad de Munich (ALEMANIA)

On norms and prejudices: the notion of ‘maturation’ in the New Englishes

Sociolingüística / Sociolinguistics

Research on the New Englishes (especially in Africa) over the years has grossly been directed at identifying at what point and to what extent these varieties of English deviate from the native or older varieties (typically British and American). Considered and often treated as fruits of deficient or inadequate acquisition of the native, these Englishes have been conceptually interpreted as growing or advancing in a progressive (no matter how slow it may be) manner towards the correct, if not appropriate Englishes which are the native. Predominantly conceived of as interference varieties that have no standard of their own (Prator 1968, Hocking 1974, Quirk 1985, Simo Bobda 1994, etc), since they are not yet ‘mature’, the New Englishes have therefrom been regarded as target-motivated organisms, which have no internal rules and so must depend on the native until they reach ‘maturity’. The issue in this paper is not one of terminology but one of conception. First these varieties are not growing in the sense of advancement towards a higher or better status. They are neither evolving towards the older varieties especially if we consider that historically some New Engishes (e.g. Indian English) are older than some native Englishes (e.g. Australian English). This hypothesis is based on the facts that:

1. If the New Englishes are growing, then it means they are moving towards a stage of excellence or perfection or maturation. Does such stage exist in any language - native or non-native?
2. It would mean they can be plotted on the growth chart which has three stages: youth - adult – old age.
3. Conversely, this would signify that at youth and old age these varieties are basically valueless in the society. At what stage, if one can say, are the New Englishes now?

The above preoccupations are determinant to restudying the myth of the New Englishes, which as past research shows has limited the complete acceptance of these Englishes, and their introduction as media of instruction in schools. Speakers of these varieties never had a direct and meaningful contact with Standard British English; they have over the decades been taught by non-native teachers, how then are they expected to develop or grow towards British or foreign standards? Rather they are evolving in a natural manner controlled by the environmental (internal - cross-linguistic influences and external - functional requirements) dictates. This paper calls for a more feature-based study of these varieties in their status as fruits of socioculturally and historically complete societies.




Asociación de Jóvenes Lingüistas
ajl2006@gmail.com