From Deficit to Dialect

This book looks at two of the most well-established Asian varieties of English, Indian English and Singapore English, and asks what makes “World Englishes” look and sound as they do over time. Is it how long English has been in a given region? The languages it came into contact with? Or the social attitudes, policies, and practices towards languages in these regions? The book analyzes bilingual speech closely to show how strong the role of indigenous languages is, despite surface similarities in the two varieties. By using a comparative method, it is also able to pinpoint which specific social, historical, and learning factors affect how fast the language changes.