МODELS OF GEOGRAPHICAL AND SOCIAL VARIATION OF ЕNGLISH

Abstract

The article deals with the issues of the English language transformation into a polyethnic system. It considers such aspects as factors, mechanisms, ways, and outcomes of linguistic variation and change that resulted from geographical dispersion of the English language. As numerous varieties have emerged since the establishment of the British colonies in the New World, the Modern English language is well adapted to describe various multicultural environments. It has become the most efficient means of international communication in a wide range of social contexts. Modern English is a language of many faces. It is used by different groups of speakers as a native tongue, a second language, a foreign language, and a lingua franca. Despite a diligent attention of researchers to the processes of the variability and spread of English worldwide, the issues of its macrosystem and interdependence or divergence of its variants require further discussion. The article provides an analysis of existing models of the polyethnic English language development. It focuses on approaches and criteria chosen by sociolinguists to design conceptions of the English language development and functioning. Distinguishing between southern and northern varieties, geopolitical models emphasize the geography of English spread. Biological models, which try to employ biomorphic (‘tree’) and anthropomorphic (‘family’) metaphors to bring up images of the English language history, fail to reflect its functional diversity. Other models of English are constrained by their declarative character. A complex approach combining social and linguistic aspects of language variation is appearing to establish correlations between the parameter ‘type of speaker’ and ‘function of language’, as well as substantiate the functional necessity of all forms of English today. However, the significant variability of English and constantly increasing number of speakers require improvements in the sociolinguistic model so that it could reflect the impact and destiny of languages and cultures interacting in such social settings that enhanced the development of particular English varieties.