agreed. this causes difficulties as some canadians are then viewed as americans when travelling. one exception to this is newfoundlanders (newfies) whose accent is quite different and distinct.Chaska Ñawi said:In Canada we're the fence-sitters in this debate: our spoken English sounds almost exactly like that of our neighbours in the northern U.S., but our spelling is British.
Well, here in America, in lots of our high schools these days, students are required to take a foreign language class in order to graduate. We learn languages like French, Portugese, German, etc. even though those countries are far away! So, just because you live far away from somewhere, doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn the language!Henryk said:Here in Germany British English is mainly taught. It's just "European" English, why should they teach American English? The US are far away.
That's true!Henryk said:In the end we also understand you so the difference isn't that big.![]()
I made the mistake of thinking a Canadian was an American due to the extreme similarity in accents. That person gave me the advice that i should always ask 'What part of North America are you from?' I have asked that a few times, but i always get a weird look, like it's obvious. It really is so hard to tell, so please don't take it to heartj0ckser said:this causes difficulties as some canadians are then viewed as americans when travelling
This seems very odd to me. I can understand choosing one English standard as the general reference, but to actually forbid people from using a word from the other standard seems excessive. As far as I'm concerned, if a kid in my class wants to call his pants "trousers," hey, it's all good.At my school (economy) they teach only BE, when I took an AE word I was told that I shouldn't use it in my tests in any case.
I guess, exactly the same in Russia. At least, it was exactly so in my French classes...Well, it's a bit difficult to answer a question such as this when it comes to Poland, because in our schools little, if any, attention is paid to teaching correct pronunciation, save maybe for a few notable exceptions... the teachers just correct the more glaring errors, but overall they don't seem to care about how their pupils sound, which results in Polish people speaking with a dire strong accent.
Wow, I'm amazed to read that. I wonder if it's still the case in 2013 ... ?In the Netherlands it is obligatory for (secondary) schools to teach its pupils British English, also you have to use British English for your English exam.
I was always given the advice, "Always ask 'What part of Canada are you from?' ~ Americans don't mind being mistaken for Canadians, and Canadians will always be flattered not to be mistaken for Americans." (Mind you, this was my grandmother giving this advice. She was CanadianThat person gave me the advice that I should always ask 'What part of North America are you from?'
... and obviously had never seen South Park![...] Americans don't mind being mistaken for Canadians [...]
(Mind you, this was my grandmother giving this advice. She was Canadian)
You make a good point there, Sepia. This thread, as is often the case, revolves around BrE and AmE (with CanE dropping in for a guest appearance). But there are of course many other distinct versions of English in the numerous countries that have English as their official language (or one of them): versions that vary not only in accent, but also in vocabulary, grammar and syntax — and Maltese English is indeed one of them.[...] I really could fall in love with Maltese English. [...]
♪ Blame Canada! ♫... and obviously had never seen South Park!![]()
And rightly so, I think. Please note that this is not a thread about the multitude of English accents, rather it treats of which variety of English is taught at schools (or is otherwise preferable) in a given country, and I can hardly imagine Maltese English or Caribbean English being taught taught widely in any country in the world...... and obviously had never seen South Park!
You make a good point there, Sepia. This thread, as is often the case, revolves around BrE and AmE (with CanE dropping in for a guest appearance).
Just say plain old "Where are you from?" I'm not sure an American would be flattered to be mistaken for a Canadian, or the other way around either. You really can't tell Americans and Canadians apart? It's so obvious to me. Well to be fair... a lot of Americans can't tell English, Welsh and Scottish apart either.I was always given the advice, "Always ask 'What part of Canada are you from?' ~ Americans don't mind being mistaken for Canadians, and Canadians will always be flattered not to be mistaken for Americans." (Mind you, this was my grandmother giving this advice. She was Canadian)
And please note that I wasn't referring to accents, but to varieties of English that vary "in vocabulary, grammar and syntax" (see my #"32). The thread title refers to dialect, not accent.And rightly so, I think. Please note that this is not a thread about the multitude of English accents [...]
The original OP's question was (and the thread title is) "What dialect of English does your country prefer?" Whilst "your country" may well include education authorities, it also includes the entire population, as you acknowledged with your "or is otherwise preferable".[...] rather it treats of which variety of English is taught at schools (or is otherwise preferable) in a given country, [...]
I've no idea whether Maltese English is taught in Maltese schools (though it probably is if the teachers are Maltese), but I'm sure that most of the native Maltese population prefer it. Certainly the majority of the 1200 million Indian population prefer Indian English. And so on and so on.[...] I can hardly imagine Maltese English or Caribbean English being taught taught widely in any country in the world...![]()
I thought, perhaps mistakenly, that in this thread we were supposed to discuss which variety of English is preferable in a given non-English-speaking country, and indeed such were most of the contributions. That Scottish English is hugely preferred (compared to other dialects of English) in Scotland, and similarly Indian English in India, AuE in Australia, NzE in New Zeland, Jamaican English in Jamaica, or, for that matter, Brunei English in Brunei, is quite obvious. I'm sure that no person from, say, Australia, would chime in with a striking discovery that hey, Australia prefers AuE. That's why I thought that non-English-speaking countries were meant.I've no idea whether Maltese English is taught in Maltese schools (though it probably is if the teachers are Maltese), but I'm sure that most of the native Maltese population prefer it. Certainly the majority of the 1200 million Indian population prefer Indian English. And so on and so on.
Hmmm . . . my relatives in Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan would disagree. People from other parts of the U.S. hear their accent and often think they're Canadian, which annoys them a lot.I was always given the advice, "Always ask 'What part of Canada are you from?' ~ Americans don't mind being mistaken for Canadians, and Canadians will always be flattered not to be mistaken for Americans." (Mind you, this was my grandmother giving this advice. She was Canadian)
OK dreamlike, with that assumption I agree that BrE and AmE would be the prime contenders. I just took the OP's question at face value. And yes, it would be fatuous to ask Scots, New Zealanders or Australians which variant of English they prefer, but then those are countries where English is the only language for the large majority of the population.I thought, perhaps mistakenly, that in this thread we were supposed to discuss which variety of English is preferable in a given non-English-speaking country, and indeed such were most of the contributions.![]()
We really can talk about a Maltese English, merq — at least as much as we can talk about American English or British English. Most Maltese are bilingual from a very young age, and to the best of my knowledge all secondary and higher education in Malta is in English; so it's not the same situation as, say, a native French speaker learning English as a second language and thus sounding "foreign". For many Maltese people, English is as much a 'mother tongue' as Maltese (national identity issues aside).Can we really talk about a Maltese English? I know it is an official language on the island and most of the people probably speak it extremely well but as far as I know the native language is Maltese. The kind of English they speak would be influenced by their mother tongue and foreign sounding. I say this but I admit never actually having heard any Maltese speaking before.
And yet, they do sound foreign. I am watching some YT videos at the moment, and regular Maltese people speak with a very strong distinctive accent. I am told by Wikipedia that it is not uncommon for some well-educated people with a high social status to use impeccable RP, though. Even more interesting is the phenonomenon of code-switching -- throwing in some English words and phrases to an otherwise Maltese utterance, or the other way around. It's a good thing that you brought Maltese English up, it's certainly an interesting issue, thank you.Most Maltese are bilingual from a very young age, and to the best of my knowledge all secondary and higher education in Malta is in English; so it's not the same situation as, say, a native French speaker learning English as a second language and thus sounding "foreign".
In the former days, British English was often prefered to Jamaican English in Jamaica. In modern times American English is becoming the prestige pronunciation. You will find a range of pronunciations in Jamaica, most of which carry higher prestige than Jamaican English in certain circles. So it's not as obvious as one would think.That Scottish English is hugely preferred (compared to other dialects of English) in Scotland, and similarly Indian English in India, AuE in Australia, NzE in New Zeland, Jamaican English in Jamaica, or, for that matter, Brunei English in Brunei, is quite obvious.
The same is the case with Maltese and Indian people, as suggested by Wordsmyth in his #40, but I'm yet to come across a video in which a Jamaican person uses pronunciation other than Jamaican English, which is of course readily identifiable. What do you mean by certain circles? I gather that BrE/AmE is not used by people from all walks of life, rather by the selected few like professors or some other well-educated people?In the former days, British English was often prefered to Jamaican English in Jamaica. In modern times American English is becoming the prestige pronunciation. You will find a range of pronunciations in Jamaica, most of which carry higher prestige than Jamaican English in certain circles. So it's not as obvious as one would think.
By people who want to seem rich.The same is the case with Maltese and Indian people, as suggested by Wordsmyth in his #40, but I'm yet to come across a video in which a Jamaican person uses pronunciation other than Jamaican English, which is of course readily identifiable. What do you mean by certain circles? I gather that BrE/AmE is not used by people from all walks of life, rather by the selected few like professors or some other well-educated people?
I don't want to flog a dead horse, but let's not forget that the distinct varieties of English aren't just a question of accent, but of vocabulary, spelling and grammatical construction.[...] but I'm yet to come across a video in which a Jamaican person uses pronunciation other than Jamaican English, which is of course readily identifiable. [...]
By the way, I don't know how many people in my country think the same, but I really don't find this bad at all; to me, writing and especially reading are certainly more important than talking... Probably not few, because language education in Russia is written-text based.Well, it's a bit difficult to answer a question such as this when it comes to Poland, because in our schools little, if any, attention is paid to teaching correct pronunciation, save maybe for a few notable exceptions... the teachers just correct the more glaring errors, but overall they don't seem to care about how their pupils sound, which results in Polish people speaking with a dire strong accent.