Spoken English - Definition and Examples

Spoken English s Definition: The ways in which the English language is transmitted through a conventional system of sounds. Compare to written English. Spoken English, says linguist David Crystal, is the more natural and widespread mode of transmission, though ironically the one which most people find much less familiarpresumably because it is so much more difficult to see what is happening in speech than in writing (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 2nd ed., 2003). In recent years, linguists have found it easier to see what is happening in speech through the availability of corpus resourcescomputerized databases containing real life examples of both spoken and written English. The Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (1999) is a contemporary reference grammar of English based on a large-scale corpus. The study of speech sounds (or spoken language) is the branch of linguistics known as phonetics. The study of sound changes in a language is phonology. See also: Speech (Linguistics)ColloquialConversationConversation AnalysisDialogueKey Events in the History of the English LanguagePresent-Day English (PDE)Standard EnglishVernacularWhat Is Standard English? Examples and Observations: Academic Bias Against Spoken English[L]inguists have inevitably had a long-standing and intensive contact with standard English. The nature of standard English as primarily a written variety, together with the immersion of academics in written English, does not augur well for their recognition of structures that may be more typical of spoken English than written English.(Jenny Cheshire, Spoken Standard English. Standard English: The Widening Debate, ed. by Tony Bex and Richard J. Watts. Routledge, 1999) The Relationship Between Spoken and Written English[I]n the course of the languages history, the relationship between spoken and written English has come nearly full circle. Throughout the Middle Ages, written English predominately served transcript functions, enabling readers to represent earlier spoken words or (oral) ceremony, or to produce durable records of events, ideas, or spoken exchange. By the seventeenth century, the written (and printed) word was developing its own autono mous identity, a transformation that matured in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and first half of the twentieth centuries. (However, through at least the end of the nineteenth century, spoken rhetorical skills were also seen as critically important to people with social and educational aspirations.) Since World War II, written English (at least in America) has increasingly come to reflect everyday speech. While writing on-line with computers has hastened this trend, computers didnt initiate it. As writing growingly mirrors informal speech, contemporary spoken and written English are losing their identity as distinct forms of language.(Naomi S. Baron, Alphabet to Email: How Written English Evolved and Where Its Heading. Routledge, 2000) Teaching IlliteracyOne main danger is that spoken English continues to be judged by the codified standards of written English, and that teaching pupils to speak standard English may, in fact, be to teach them to speak in formal written English. A test of spoken English may become a test of ones abilities to speak a very restricted codea formal English used routinely by dons, civil servants, and cabinet ministers. It is not very far removed from the language of formal debate. Such a view of spoken English can produce an artificial and unnatural English and can even promote a kind of illiteracy which is as damaging to users of English as not being able to write literate English; for to have everyone speaking and writing only one codea standard written English codegenerates an illiteracy almost as grave as would be the case if everyone were only able to use a local dialect.(Ronald Carter, Investigating English Discourse: Language, Literacy, and Literature. Routledge, 1997) Henry Sweet on Spoken English (1890)The unity of spoken English is still imperfect: it is still liable to be influenced by local dialectsin London itself by the cockney dialect, in Edinburgh by the Lothian Scotch dialect, and so on. . . . [I]t changes from generation to generation, and is not absolutely uniform even among speakers of the same generation, living in the same place and having the same social standing.(Henry Sweet, A Primer of Spoken English, 1890) The Value of Teaching Spoken English (1896)Not only should English grammar be taught with reference to the nature of language and the history of English, but it should also take account of the spoken, as distinct from the written, form. The reasons for this seem to me many and excellent. For instance, it is a misfortune that the English language makes its appeal to the educated mind, mainly through the written and printed form. The appeal to the ear and the appeal to the eye, which should strengthen one another, are thus distinctly separate and divergent. Our orthography encourages this separation. It is, therefore, the more important that textbooks of grammar should make some attempt to counteract this tendency.(Oliver Farrar Emerson, The Teaching of English Grammar, 1896) The Lighter Side of Spoken EnglishIf Opals goin to be a school-teacher, mebbe she wants summat to practice on, grinned her father.Oh, Pa, you mustnt say summatit isnt a word, remonstrated his daughter.Aint a word ! shouted her father with increasing excitement. Well, hear that! How do you know it aint a word?It isnt in the dictionary, said Opal.Shucks, disparaged Pa, whats the dictionary got to do with it? The words that git into the dictionary aint common talkin words nohow; theyre written wordsnobody puts talk into a dictionary.Why not? questioned Opal, astonished at her fathers apparent knowledge of the making of dictionaries.Cause why? Cause spoken words is too lively for emwho can go round and keep track of every word thats spoke? I can make up a hull mouthful myself, and no dictionaryll ever know anything about itsee?(Bessie R. Hoover, A Graduated Daughter. Everybodys Magazine, December 1909)

Learn about the Famous Resort Country of Monaco

Learn about the Famous Resort Country of Monaco Population: 32,965 (July 2009 estimate)Capital: MonacoArea: 0.77 square miles (2 sq km)Bordering Country: FranceCoastline: 2.55 miles (4.1 km)Highest Point: Mont Agel at 460 feet (140 m)Lowest Point: Mediterranean SeaMonaco is a small European country located between southeastern France and the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered the second smallest country in the world (after Vatican City) by area. Monaco has only one official city which is its capital and is famous as being a resort area for some of the worlds richest people. Monte Carlo, an administrative area of Monaco, is the countrys most famous area due to its location on the French Riviera, its casino, the Monte Carlo Casino, and several beach and resort communities.History of MonacoMonaco was first founded in 1215 as a Genoan colony. It then came under the control of the House of Grimaldi in 1297 and remained independent until 1789. In that year, Monaco was annexed by France and was under French control until 1814. In 1815, Monaco became a protectorate of Sardinia under the Treaty of Vienna. It remained a protectorate until 1861 when the Franco-Monegasque Treaty established its independence but it remained under the guardianship of France.Monacos first constitution was put into effect in 1911 and in 1918 it signed a treaty with France which stated that its government would support French military, political and economic interests and that if the Grimaldi dynasty (which still controlled Monaco at the time) were to die out, the country would remain independent but be under French protection.Throughout the mid 1900s, Monaco was controlled by Prince Rainier III (who took over the throne on May 9, 1949). Prince Rainier is most famous for his marriage to American actress Grace Kelly in 1956 who was killed in a car accident near Monte Carlo in 1982.In 1962, Monaco established a new constitution and in 1993 it became a member of the United Nations. It then joined the Council of Europe in 2003. In April 2005, Prince Rainier III died. He was the longest serving monarch in Europe at the time. In July of the same year his son, Prince Albert II ascended the throne.Government of MonacoMonaco is considered a constitutional monarchy and its official name is the Principality of Monaco. It has an executive branch of government with a chief of state (Prince Albert II) and a head of government. It also has a legislative branch with a unicameral National Council and a judicial branch with a Supreme Court.Monaco is also divided into four quarters for local administration. The first of these is Monaco-Ville which is the old city of Monaco and sits on a headland in the Mediterranean. The other quarters are La Condamine on the countrys port, Fontvieille, which is a newly build area, and Monte Carlo which is Monacos largest residential and resort area.Economics and Land Use in MonacoA large part of Monacos economy is focused on tourism as it is a popular European resort area. In addition, Monaco is also a large banking center, has no income tax and has low taxes for its businesses. Ind ustries other than tourism in Monaco include construction and industrial and consumer products on a small scale. There is no large scale commercial agriculture in the country.Geography and Climate of MonacoMonaco is the worlds second smallest country by area and is surrounded on three sides by France and on one by the Mediterranean Sea. It is located only 11 miles (18 km) from Nice, France and is close to Italy as well. Most of Monacos topography is rugged and hilly and its coastal portions are rocky.Monacos climate is considered Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The average low temperature in January 47 °F (8 °C) and the average high temperature in July is 78 °F (26 °C).More Facts about Monaco Monaco is one of the most densely populated countries in the world Locals from Monaco are called Monà ©gasques Monà ©gasques are not allowed to enter Monte Carlos famous Monte Carlo Casino and visitors must show their foreign passports upon entry The French make up the largest part of Monacos populationReferencesCentral Intelligence Agency. (2010, March 18). CIA - The World Factbook - Monaco. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mn.htmlInfoplease. (n.d.). Monaco: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107792.htmlUnited States Department of State. (2010, March). Monaco (03/10). Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3397.htm