As You Like It
The Future of the English Language
This work examines the implications of current trends in the English Language for policy agendas. Run in association with Cambridge Assessment, and ESOL Examinations at the University of Cambridge, it will identify not only areas in which policy makers will have to change to meet the challenges posed by the emergence of variants of English - Englishes - but also how government and others can work with providers to take advantage of the many opportunites that 'Englishes' present...
- International Quidditch Just a brief post to draw attention to this article in the Guardian.Apparently, the English language version of the last instalment of the Harry Potter saga sells more overseas than in the UK - people don't want to wait for the translation. A million copies were sold last month in Germany alone, and the Chinese love it, racking up a number of pre-orders 200% higher than the last one.Apart from wizard-fever, this shows how important popular culture is in relation to the globalisation of... continue reading on 19th September 2007
- Bismarck, Geertz, Bradwell ... and Sam Jones (from Sex and the City) As You Like It has been reviewed by Salon.com. ''Any essay on the globalization of the English language that includes references to Otto von Bismarck, open-source advocate Eric Raymond, U.K. reality TV star Shilpa Shetty, Clifford Geertz, "Sex and the City" and Chinua Achebe is an essay that one should pay attention to'. continue reading on 29th March 2007
- ...Or what you will Jamie has just pointed me in the direction of an article in Newsweek that chimes with As You Like It. It's worth a look because it gives further examples to sit alongside those that we outlined in the pamphlet.For instance, it talks about the degree to which different governments around the world are pushing English learning 'recognizing that along with computers and mass migration, the language is the turbine engine of globalisation'.In another paragraph, the authors point out... continue reading on 27th March 2007
- “What absolute drivel, what rubbish, what poppycock.” We launched As You Like It yesterday here at Demos. We had a really interesting discussion that touched on some fascinating areas covered in the report - language learning, global powers, international development. Thanks to everyone that came down, and especially to our speakers and panellists David Graddol and Simon Anholt who shared with us their considerable insights and expertise. There was some ripe coverage yesterday of our pamphlet too... continue reading on 16th March 2007 Comments (3)
- Democtionary We've just launched the pamphlet As You Like It: Catching up in an age of global English. In it, we argue that Engish has developed around the world into something called 'global Engish' - which is best described as a family of language rather than one, single language with roots in one particular space.There are lots of different forms spoken around the world, for lots of different purposes - people use English to communicate for business; some have taken on the language and developed... continue reading on 15th March 2007
- "Je veux go" - Launching As You Like It Lots of interesting stories about languages recently. Perhaps most interesting was a report on the BBC website on the emergence of a new language in Cameroon: frananglais. It's a mixture, apparently, of French, English and Creole, and has been causing teachers there some consternation. Interesting stuff, and especially for us perhaps; Sam and I have just finished writing As You Like It... continue reading on 2nd March 2007
- French Protest Over English Language 'We have nothing against the Brits or the American ... But we simply cannot accept that our language is reduced to a local dialect - we are protesting against this linguistic hegemony'. continue reading on 12th February 2007
- Where's the ambiguity in this sentence? “This agreement shall be effective from the date it is made and shall continue in force for a period of five (5) years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five (5) year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.” continue reading on 5th January 2007 Comments (2)
- Tales of Dearing do On the back of last week's Dearing report into language learning in schools, the UK's linguistic competence is back in the newspapers and, once again, we are reminded of the monoglot mire into which we could well fall. continue reading on 18th December 2006
- Linguistic Diversity in India This is a really interesting article by Pratap Bhanu Mehta about the dynamics of politics and langauge in India. Actually, it makes some pretty salient points about language choice and politics generally. As debates about the dominance of English and linguistic imperialism proliferate and some countries take active and coercive steps to limit its influence, Mehta argues for 'the principle of non-coercion', a linguistic policy for which he praises Nehru. continue reading on 2nd November 2006
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