WHAT ARE WORLD ENGLISHES?

Why English is the Global Language

What do you picture? the world.

These are all natural English speakers. English learners strive to mimic these accents. Perfect British or American accents and dialects are prestigious and world.

However, millions of people who speak English as a second language use it daily, just like “native” speakers.

These groups speak and understand English well, although their dialects differ from “conventional” Anglosphere English.

Sociologists and education theorists call these countries’ Englishes “World Englishes.”

This article will examine Indian and Singapore English. Let’s first examine how English became a global language.

Why is English so Common?

Two billion people speak English. World’s most learned language.

For the first time ever, more people speak English fluently as a second language than a native language.

Due to the dissolution of the British Empire, globalization, and the US’s recurring status as the world’s largest economy, English use expanded in the 20th century.

Many countries taught English as a second language because it was essential for global economic success. Thus, ethnically diverse countries like India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Israel adopted localized English as a lingua franca.

These countries’ residents are native English speakers, having learned the language from a young age, been exposed to it, and being able to communicate themselves in any scenario.

Singapore English

Singapore, a historic British trading port, is home to a diverse population with four official languages and different ethnic groups in a country half the size of London. A lingua franca simplifies communication.

Enter English.

Throughout the 20th century, the Singaporean government heavily supported the daily use of English, believing that an English-speaking Singapore would best compete with other large (mainly Anglophone) global economies.

Since the 1980s, Singaporean education has been in English, making under-45s proficient. Singapore has the 34th highest GDP per capita, fulfilling the government’s economic goals.

Singaporeans speak Mandarin, Malay, or Tamil at home. These factors give Singaporean English interesting dialect features:

Loanwords:

“Kopi”—Malay coffee.
Ethnic word order:

“Where take bag?” Where do I get my luggage?
Singlish is practically unintelligible to native English speakers in its strongest form.