Describe The Ecology Of English In A Country Or Community Where

Describe The Ecology Of English In A Country Or Community Where Describe The Ecology Of English In A Country Or Community Where English Is A Foreign Language â€" Assignment Example > Running Head: DESCRIBE THE ECOLOGY OF ENGLISH IN A COUNTRY OR COMMUNITY WHERE ENGLISH IS A FOREIGN LANGUAGEBy----------------------------------------A REPORTSubmitted to ----------------------------------------------- © 2011ABSTRACTThe 19th century saw widespread use of English language globally to the extent that a number of scholars wondered whether it was a decade of English. The same was extended to 20th century making it appear as if it was dedicated to spreading English. Yet Haugen (1972) argued that these were but only prelude to spectacular triumph for English in the forthcoming century. Based on these arguments, it has become fundamental for the current author to delve into a study exploring the ecology of English, particularly in a region where it is considered a foreign language. The following report therefore introduces the ecology of English under the said conditions. The report classifies English in relation to other languages as well as identifying its learners and users in the author’s chosen context. The report further addresses a number of other issues concerning the ecology of English as outlined in forthcoming sections shown below. For all purposes and intend, Singapore has been identified as the country of reference because of being a multiracial, multicultural and multilingual nation. IntroductionHaugen (1972) attempted to define language ecology as the study of interaction between any given language and its environment. According to him, the true environment of a language is the society that uses it as one of its means of communication. Additionally, McArthur (1987) argues that language exits only in the minds of its users and purely functions as a socialising agent in communities. In this sense therefore, language has both social and natural aspects. Two parts of language ecology; psychological and sociological have come out clearly according to observations made by Tripathi (1992). The psychological part requires any student doin g ecology of a language to look at its interaction with other languages in the minds of bilingual and multilingual speakers (Quirk, 1985). Secondly, the sociological aspect of a language’s ecology is concerned with its interaction with the society in which it is used as a medium of communication. It is therefore believed that the learners and users of a language who ultimately transmit it to others primarily determine ecology of the language (Haugen, 1972). As earlier hinted, this report considers the “ecology of English in Singapore” because the country makes an interesting case study of various issues in sociolinguistics, not simply because it is an ethnically and linguistically diverse society, but because it has a history of attempts at social engineering (Pennycook, 1994). Moreover, the country has selected English as the language of commerce among a plethora of other languages including Mandarin, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and Tamil (Pennycook, 1994). According to Fraser (1992), the ecology of English in Singapore is characterised by language shift motivated by the practical daily use of English and policy on education. The two are in turn influenced by racial politics found vibrant in the region of study. It is with such background that the author considers this report with particular reference to the topics based on the model of Haugen (1972) outlined below.