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Advice for teachers -
English Language

​Unit 2 - Area of Study 2: Englishes in contact ​

Outcome 2

Describe and explain the effects of the global spread of English in terms of both conformity and diversity, through a range of spoken and written texts.

Examples of learning activities

  • Using the internet, locate newspapers from English-speaking countries and note similarities and differences in the written standard.
  • Locate examples of English words which have become commonplace in other languages.
  • Collect examples of unusual ‘corruptions’ of English, which may be found in overseas advertising, product descriptions or tourism brochures.
  • In a PowerPoint presentation, describe the processes of pidginisation and creolisation.
  • Research the history and the role of Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea today; when, where and by whom is the language used? How important is it for the national identity of PNG? Listen to Tok Pisin being spoken on the Tok Pisin service on ABC Radio Australia and try to translate a section of the webpage.
  • Devise a questionnaire to gauge people’s attitudes towards pidgin and creole languages.
  • In groups, investigate the distinctive features of a national English other than Australian English and present a ‘profile’ of this variety of English to the class; compare with Australian English and include samples of written texts and spoken transcripts of this variety of English in the presentation.
  • Investigate the language policy of a bilingual country such as Hong Kong, and a country which has an official language academy such as France; compare with the monolingualism of Australia; what can you surmise about the links between language and national identity?
  • Write a report about English as a world language; what factors have contributed to the global spread of English? Research the international organisations, professions and movements which promote the use of English.
  • Explore UNESCO’s online Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger; read the FAQs on languages in danger and discuss as a group some of the factors which contribute to language loss or decline, and the effect of this on the cultural and social identity of a community and of individuals.
  • Using the 2005 National Indigenous Languages Survey Report, investigate the spread of English and its impact on Australian Aboriginal languages.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Using written and oral texts, identify some of the distinctive features of a dialect of Aboriginal English such as Light Warlpiri, Modern Tiwi or Gurindi Kriol and others; report findings in a PowerPoint presentation.
  • Present a report highlighting attempts to save Aboriginal languages; a starting point might be listening to the audio or reading the transcript of ABC Radio National ‘Hindsight’ program, ‘Holding our tongues’, presented 8/3/2009; see ABC Radio. Another good resource is The conversation website at The Conversation.
  • Read some of the research into linguistic determinism and relativism done by Lera Boroditsky; see ABC Radio for a program concerning her work with Indigenous Australians.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

​​Detailed example

Distinctive features of a Dialect

Read an extract from a text or review an extract from a film which illustrates features of Aboriginal English (e.g. Deadly Unna by Philip Gwynne, Njunjul the Sun by Meme McDonald and Boori Monty Pryor, Beneath Clouds directed by Ivan Sen, or the SBS television program ‘Message Stick’).

  • Lexical features: Are there any Aboriginal words which form part of the lexicon? Why do you think this is so?
  • Semantics: Are there any English words/phrases which have taken on different meanings in this dialect?
  • Syntax and grammar: Are there sentence structures or expressions which would be considered ‘non-Standard’? In what ways has the original Aboriginal language impacted on the dialect?
  • Phonology: Are there any distinctive features in the pronunciation of words?
  • How does this dialect compare to Standard English? Where does it lie on the English spectrum? Who uses this dialect? What are some of the attitudes towards it?

Report the findings to the class in a PowerPoint presentation.