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- Title
Standard English as a 'Fiat Code' and the Dwindling Faith behind It.
- Authors
Kasaian, Seyed Ahmad; Subbakrishna, Rangaswamy
- Abstract
This article reviews the causes of the 'dwindling faith' behind the American and British varieties of English by drawing a comparison between 'fiat money' and these two native varieties of English which are referred to as 'fiat codes' by the present authors. 'Fiat money' is the money whose value comes entirely from the faith its users choose to put in it believing that they can exchange the money for the things and services they may need in future. What is vital for the survival of fiat money is the continued faith of its users. If this customer faith is not maintained for one reason or another, 'fiat money' loses its strength. American and British varieties of English are likened to 'fiat money' and are called 'fiat codes' in that they have the same two characteristics fiat money has. The worldwide recognition of British and American English was not because of their intrinsic linguistic superiority over other languages in the world; the recognition originated from the faith of the people who had chosen to use them as varieties of a language of international communication with the belief that they could solve their communication problems in a world which has become increasingly dependent on international communications. Since the custodians of the these two varieties of English have failed to heed the reality of the language learning situations in the world and have insisted on the promotion of their own native varieties of English, they are witnessing the loss of faith on the part of the learners of English in general and that of many applied linguists in particular who have begun to promote the non-native varieties of English and demote the formerly unrivaled British and American Englishes. In this paper five major discrepancies between the views of the native speakers and those held by the learners and ELT experts about the status of the American and British varieties of English are mentioned as the major causes of this dwindling faith.
- Subjects
UNITED States; UNITED Kingdom; AMERICAN English language; ENGLISH language -- Variation; INTERPERSONAL communication
- Publication
Language in India, 2011, Vol 11, Issue 3, p163
- ISSN
1930-2940
- Publication type
Article