Wannapa TrakulkasemsukWannapa Trakulkasemsuk

A Comparative Analysis of A Comparative Analysis of English Feature Articles in English Feature Articles in

Magazines Published in Magazines Published in Thailand and Britain : Thailand and Britain :

Linguistic AspectsLinguistic Aspects

World EnglishesWorld Englishes

““A language achieves a genuinely A language achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a global status when it develops a special role that is recognized in special role that is recognized in

every country.” every country.” Crystal (1997)Crystal (1997)

How?How?

1. The language is set as an official language of that country.

2. The language is recognized as a special language that is taught as a foreign language to children in

school; or adults in the country mostly know or learn it as a common foreign language.

Users of World EnglishesUsers of World Englishes

Expanding circle

Outer circle

Inner circlee.g. USA, UK

320-380 million

e.g. India, Singapore

150-300 million

e.g. China, Russia

100-1000 million

Figure 2.1 Kachru’s three circles of English

EIL or ILEIL or IL

Bickerton’s (1975Bickerton’s (1975) language development of non-native speakers of English

Basilect mesolect Basilect mesolect acrolect acrolect

Thai competent users of English

Thai learners of English

Prestige & Intelligibility

Nativisation and Nativised Nativisation and Nativised Varieties of EnglishVarieties of English

1. It has developed through the education system. This means that it has been taught as a subject and, in many cases, also used as a medium of instruction in regions where languages other than English were the main language.

2. It has developed in an area where a native variety of English was not the language spoken by most of the population.

3. It is used for a range of functions among those who speak or write it in the region where it is used.

4. It has become ‘localised’ or ‘nativised’ by adopting some language features of its own, such as sound, intonation patterns, sentence structures, words, and expressions.

Identification of new Englishes (Platt et Identification of new Englishes (Platt et al., 1984) al., 1984)

?

Cultural frameworks describing Cultural frameworks describing Thai and British CultureThai and British Culture

Thai Thai __________________________________________________________________________________________________

CollectivismHigh contextIndirect

British British __________________________________________________________________________________________________

IndividualismLow contextDirect

HofstedHofstedeeHallHall

KaplanKaplan

Research Research procedureprocedure

Population and samplesPopulation and samples

Thai representativesThai representatives: 30 feature articles : 30 feature articles written in English by Thai writers taken from written in English by Thai writers taken from English magazines published in ThailandEnglish magazines published in Thailand

English native speaker representativesEnglish native speaker representatives: 30 : 30 feature articles written in English by English feature articles written in English by English native speakers taken from English magazines native speakers taken from English magazines published in Britain.published in Britain.

• Criteria for identification of the Criteria for identification of the prominent head nounsprominent head nouns• Criteria for identification of the Criteria for identification of the modifiersmodifiers•A statistical method, Chi squareA statistical method, Chi square• Concordancing programConcordancing program

Research Research instrumentsinstruments

ModifiersModifiers

Identifying most prominent head Identifying most prominent head nounnoun

Identifying Identifying modifiersmodifiers

•pre-or post- modifierspre-or post- modifiers

•types: word, phrase, types: word, phrase, or clauseor clause

Frequency Frequency CountCount

Frequencies Comparison, Frequencies Comparison, statistical teststatistical test

Fine analysis of significant Fine analysis of significant modifiersmodifiers

FindingFindingss

Noun Noun modifiersmodifiers

Average modifiers per head nounAverage modifiers per head noun

TEA : 0.77TEA : 0.77 BEA : 0.63BEA : 0.63

General findings on noun General findings on noun modifiersmodifiers

Type TEA BEA

Premodifiers 48% 55%

Postmodifiers

52% 45%

Proportion of premodifiers and Proportion of premodifiers and postmodifiers in TEA and BEA postmodifiers in TEA and BEA

Comparison of Thai and British writers’ Comparison of Thai and British writers’ Preference for Premodifiers and Preference for Premodifiers and postmodifierspostmodifiers

Premodifiers: Premodifiers: = 1.74 = 1.74

Postmodifiers: Postmodifiers: = = 45.0345.03

Cut off value (p<0.05) = 3.84

PostmodifiersPostmodifiers

Thai English Thai English British English British English - Greater amount of noun modifiers

- Smaller amount of noun modifiers

- Higher preference for postmodifiers than premodifiers

- Higher preference for premodifiers than post modifiers

- Significantly higher amount of postmodifiers

- Significantly lower amount of postmodifiers

- Lengthy and complicated noun modifiers

- Short and simple noun modifiers

- Provision of unnecessary information is common and favourable.

- Provision of only necessary information is common and favourable.

- Indirect - Direct

ConclusionConclusion

Factors influencing features of Thai English

Thai language

Thai cultures

- Collectivism

- High context

- Indirect

Thank YouThank You