Varieties of the English language

English is the most widely spoken language in the world. This is not because it is the most international language, but because of the enormous numbers of second and third language speakers of English. Did you know that there are now more learners of English in China than there are native speakers of English in the USA? English has become the gateway to communication in to the globalized international society today. Overall a third of the world's population is learning English. In the multilingual countries where English is not an official language, English is important for historical reasons. India can be mentioned as an example of countries like this. In other multilingual countries English is used solely because it is the lingua franca. But with so many people worldwide speaking and communicating using English, different varieties of English will inevitably develop. Your way of speaking is shaped by the culture and language you grew up with.

In Singapore two varieties of the English language has developed, Standard Singapore English and Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish). They are influenced by Chinese and Malay.  Most of the educated Singaporeans speak Standard Singapore English, mostly because it is not too far from British English grammatically. Examples of how they are similar in this way are the use of the word "tyre" over "tire”, and "shopping centres" over "shopping centers".  The difference between the British and the Standard English is confined to accent and rhythmic patterning. According to the National Institute of Education in Singapore, Singapore English is described as syllable-timed, while British English is more assumed to be stress-timed.

In Asia, English is widely spoken in countries like India and Pakistan. Indian English is somewhat diverse across the different parts of the country, but some features are typical for Indian English all over. The use of -ing forms is one. They write and say:  "She is knowing the answer" when the "correct" way to say it is: "She knows the answer". The rhythm of Indian English is very different from Standard English as well as the pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Therefore Indian English sometimes can be very difficult to understand.

Another country with varieties of English is South-Africa. Wikipedia defines South Africa as an Anglo-American language. English is actually an official language in many African countries; all of whom have developed their own version of the so called Proper English or Standard English. The South-African English is very influenced by Afrikaans, a language with similarities to the Dutch language.

There are hundreds of different varieties of English world over. Despite the enormous support English has among the masses, there are many rivals and rebels against the manifestation of the English language.  How will English develop in the future and what role will English have in society? Is the huge infiltration of the language beneficial for all countries? These are questions I definitely would like to research and reflect more on at some point.