In a context in which English is the ‘Global language’ (Crystal, 2003), in which the world order continuously changes and the linguistic contacts are facilitated due to the reduction of spatial and cultural distances, in which language incessantly and inevitably evolves in time and space, it is not possible to give a proper definition of New English Variety and it is also rightfully thinkable to suppose the development of new-born varieties of English and to question their position inside the Three-circle Model of world Englishes (Kachru, 1985). This talk will focus on the English variety spoken in Egypt, one of the supposed New Englishes which is here labelled with the title Egyptian English. The main query is whether this label is legitimate or not and whether Egypt belongs to the Expanding or the Outer Circle communities. This study, which is part of a wider research project, aims at verifying the existence of this ‘new variety’ of English in Egypt through a sociolinguistic analysis and an infield research using some ethnographic instruments like questionnaires and interviews to Egyptian English speakers bearing in mind the diastratic, diatopic, diamesic and diaphasic linguistic variabilities. Concretely, an interview has been made to a little sample of Egyptian young boys and girls from Cairo, Luxor and Sohag in order to analyse the historical-social and cultural reasons that led English enter Egypt, the speakers’ attitude towards it, its use and functions in Egypt.
Egyptian English as a new English variety
Lucia La Causa
2019-01-01
Abstract
In a context in which English is the ‘Global language’ (Crystal, 2003), in which the world order continuously changes and the linguistic contacts are facilitated due to the reduction of spatial and cultural distances, in which language incessantly and inevitably evolves in time and space, it is not possible to give a proper definition of New English Variety and it is also rightfully thinkable to suppose the development of new-born varieties of English and to question their position inside the Three-circle Model of world Englishes (Kachru, 1985). This talk will focus on the English variety spoken in Egypt, one of the supposed New Englishes which is here labelled with the title Egyptian English. The main query is whether this label is legitimate or not and whether Egypt belongs to the Expanding or the Outer Circle communities. This study, which is part of a wider research project, aims at verifying the existence of this ‘new variety’ of English in Egypt through a sociolinguistic analysis and an infield research using some ethnographic instruments like questionnaires and interviews to Egyptian English speakers bearing in mind the diastratic, diatopic, diamesic and diaphasic linguistic variabilities. Concretely, an interview has been made to a little sample of Egyptian young boys and girls from Cairo, Luxor and Sohag in order to analyse the historical-social and cultural reasons that led English enter Egypt, the speakers’ attitude towards it, its use and functions in Egypt.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.