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Taught by: David Crystal
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Developed by Columbia University and Cambridge University Press, The Future
of English e-seminar features leading language expert David Crystal. In it,
Crystal explores the global proliferation of the English language and the
key issues affecting its future. Online users will be taken through six
major sections in which Crystal investigates a range of important questions
arising from the special status of English as a vehicle of global
communication. Specific areas that will be explored include the history of
English since 1600; the question of Standard English; American English
versus British English; the status of English today; and the death of minority
languages. The e-seminar features text, video clips,
illustrations, maps, and interactive graphics.
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| 3-5 hours |
| Anytime |
| Not-for-Credit |
| None |
| None |
| FREE
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Note: Columbia students, faculty, staff, and alumni will need to use their University Network ID (UNI) to access e-seminars.
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E-Seminar Objectives | Outline | Instructor's Background | Recommended Reading | Technical Requirements
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Examine the recent history of English as a means of understanding its contemporary status.
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Discuss the characteristics of English as a global medium.
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Identify the reasons for the emergence of English as a global language.
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Relate the roles of British and American English in the ongoing spread of the language.
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Consider the relationship between English and other languages in the global setting.
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Develop a sense of the possible scenarios for English in the short- and long-term future.
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1. Introduction
2. A Global Language
Expansion and Economics
Political Power
3. Five Centuries of English Words
The Sixteenth Century
Johnson's Dictionary
New Nation, New Themes
The Nineteenth Century
Today's English
4. English in America and Britain
Linguistic Diversity
African-American English
Transatlantic English
5. Lingua Francas and Standard English
Common Ground
Technology and Travel
Towards International Standard English
6. The Threat of Globalized English
Speculative Anxieties
Linguistic Power
Linguistic Complacency
Linguistic Death
7. English: The Future
New Englishes
Will English Fragment?
A Unique Event
8. Conclusion
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David Crystal works from his home in Holyhead, North Wales, as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster. He published the first of his ninety or so books in 1964, and became known chiefly for his research work in English language studies, in such fields as intonation and stylistics, and in the application of linguistics to religious, educational and clinical contexts, notably in the development of a range of linguistic profiling techniques for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. He held a chair at the University of Reading for ten years, and is now Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor. These days he divides his time between work on language and work on general reference publishing. He is perhaps known best for his two encyclopedias for Cambridge University Press, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, upon which this e-seminar is based.
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Cheshire, Jenny, ed. English Around the World. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Crystal, David. English as a Global Language. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Graddol, David. The Future of English. London: The British Council, 1997.
Hogg, Richard M, ed. The Cambridge History of the English Language. 6 vols. New York: Cambridge University Press, from 1992.
McArthur, Tom, ed. The Oxford Companion to the English Language. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Watts, Richard and Peter Trudgill, eds. Alternative Histories of the English Language. London: Routledge, 2002.
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You will need to use a computer with Internet access to complete this course. We recommend the following minimum
configurations:
IBM-COMPATIBLE PC
Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, or NT
64 MB of RAM (128 recommended)
Monitor: 800x600 resolution recommended
Connection: Internet service and 56K modem minimum
Browser: Internet Explorer 4 or above (Internet Explorer 5 strongly recommended) or Netscape 4.7 or above
Sound Card (if you can hear audio you have a sound card)
Plug-ins: RealPlayer 7 or later; Flash Player 5 or later; Acrobat Reader 5 or later
(all plug-ins are free)
MACINTOSH
MAC OS 8.6 or higher
64 MB of RAM (128 recommended)
Monitor: 800x600 resolution recommended
Connection: Internet service and 56K modem minimum
Browser: Internet Explorer 5 or above or Netscape 4.7 or above
Sound Card (if you can hear audio you have a sound card)
Plug-ins: RealPlayer 7 or later; Flash Player 5 or later; Acrobat Reader 5 or later
(all plug-ins are free)
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