C.
Discussion/ Processing:
Three Concentric Circles of English
1. Varieties of English
In summary, the Inner Circle with ENL (English as a native language) member countries
are: USA, Australia, UK, New Zealand, and Canada. The Outer Circle with ESL (English
as a second language) member countries are: Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,
Ghana, Malaysia, Philippines, Tanzania, India, Nigeria, Singapore, and Zambia.
Expanding Circle with EFL (English as a foreign language) member countries are: China,
Indonesia, Korea, South Africa, Caribbean countries, Israel, Nepal, South America,
Zimbabwe, Egypt, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. Added to this, with respect to
lexicon, vocabulary words unique only to some English varieties in Southeast Asia can be
seen in the following examples.
1. Singaporean English- actsy (show off), missy (nurse), chop (rubber stamp), Marina
kids (youngsters who spend their leisure time at around Marina Square), a shopping
center in Singapore, graduate mothers ( a graduate and well-educated married women
who are encouraged to have more children and accorded certain privileges in
Singapore as compared to non-graduate mothers.
2. Philippine English- deep (puristic or hard to understand)- referring to language, stick
(refers to cigarette), high blood (tense or upset), blow out( treating someone with a
snack or meal), motel ( a hotel use for pre-marital or extra marital affairs), manualize
(to prepare for manuals), go ahead (leave before others with host’s permission),
studentry (student body), Amboy ( a Filipino perceived to be too pro- American),
promdi (from the province), pulot boy ( a boy who picks up tennis ball in a game),
balikbayan box ( box where Filipinos returning from abroad put all their shopping
3. Malaysian English- antilog (a male hated by a girl), popcorn ( a loquacious or
talkative person), kachang (peanuts), slambar (relax),
According to the author Bautista, she stressed that just like other new variety of English (Indian
English, Singaporean English, Nigerian English), Philippine English is legitimate, having its own
grammatical, lexical, and syntactic structures.
2. Registers of English
When it comes to language variations, the term genre, register and style are often encountered.
David Crystal in (2008) defines register as a variety of language defined according to its use in
social situations. Language register then refers to the formality of language which one speaks.
Different registers are used in different situations. It is through register that you are able to
determine the kind of vocabulary or lexicon to use as well as the kind of structure to be used. In
formal writing, you may use a formal or informal register. Even neutral language register is
identified. In simple terms, registers are of two types: the formal and the informal.
The formal register is used in formal speaking and writing situations. Example: In the State of the
Nation Address, it is classifies as a formal communicative situation because the speech is usually
delivered using a highly- polished language, read from the manuscript. Furthermore, formal
register is appropriate for use in professional writing like project proposal, position papers, and
business letter as in the case of writing to a superior or the head of a certain organization.
The informal register is casual in tone and is appropriate for people with whom you established a
more personal relationship as in the case of friends and relatives. This type of writing may
sometimes be emotional as an intimate relationship exists between the speaker and the listener or
writer and reader. A priest delivering his sermon, often speak extemporaneously and uses
ordinary language is one example of informal register. The priest should be able to convey his
spiritual message to the listener without difficulty of understanding on the part of the parishioners
and to think that they (parishioners) are coming from the different walks of life.
Aside from the formal and informal registers, we need also to understand in this aspect the term
legalese or legal language which is highly characterized by archaic expressions, technical jargon
intrinsic only to the community of legal professionals, embedded structures, nominalizations,
passive voice, as well as long kilometric sentences which are not the features of textese or
language of texts. The features of SMS language or textese language are exactly the opposite.
The use of abbreviations, acronyms, slang words, and expressions. Messages used to be limited to
a certain number of characters and spaces which made texting easier and quicker. However,
miscommunication and/or misinterpretation in text may arise if vocabulary and knowledge of
context are quite limited. That is why, extra care should be practiced when comprehending all
text messages.