The Accent of ELF (English as a Foreign Language)

[Tom Zurinskas]

My take is that US English is better spelled an better pronounced than others.  Should we promote it as the the best ELF?  See ~snipit below



Did you know? About 80% of English language interactions now take place between non-native speakers. (A great reason to choose TOEIC, which tests the type of English you'll actually use in global workplace, and which is fair regardless of what country you're from.) Read more about the good, the bad, the variability, and the inevitability of English in this Brisbane Times article.

"English is rapidly becoming a lingua franca in international communication for commerce and trade, education, science, international relations and tourism.
It is the fastest growing language in the world, with more people speaking English than ever before. School children in India and China are learning English at a staggering rate as their countries emphasise the importance of English as a ticket to participating in the global economy.
For example, the rise of English in China is unprecedented, and has been likened to a mania, with school children as young as seven learning to speak English.
So why then do we continue to link this evolving internationalising language with a small island in Europe that once upon a time controlled the world?
Perhaps it is about time we got rid of the “English” and start calling it something else – international, standard or common language?"


Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/comment/renaming-english-does-the-world-language-need-a-new-name-20130612-2o2v5.html#ixzz2XSFsRKYs


Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, Tenn 3, NJ 33, now Fl 9.
See how English spelling links to sounds at http://justpaste.it/ayk

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org