English in the Present Day (Since ca. 1900)

doi:10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/05058-6

Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics (Second Edition)

2006, Pages 149-156

https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-044854-2/05058-6 Get rights and content

This article is a survey of the features of present-day English, taking general American and standard southern British English as representative dialects. The description covers the common core of these varieties, as well as salient differences between them. Topics covered are orthography, phonology, lexis, morphology, syntax, standardization, and present-day prescriptive attitudes. Important current changes in these areas are identified. The survey closes with a note on ways in which the status of English as an international lingua franca may conceivably affect its future development.

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Michael Swan is a writer specializing in English Language teaching and reference materials. Publications include Practical English usage, Basic English usage (OUP), and Grammar (in the Oxford introductions to language study series). In collaboration with Catherine Walter, he has also published various English textbooks and grammar practice books. His professional interests include language typology, descriptive and pedagogic grammar, first and second language acquisition, mother tongue influence in second language acquisition, and the theory and practice of language teaching, and he has published and lectured widely on these topics. He is a Visiting Professor at St Mary's College, University of Surrey.

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