Introduction: Worlds of English
Competence aims in focus:
The aims of the studies are to enable pupils to
- give examples of other varieties of English than those that are used in the Anglo-American core area, and reflect on their distinctive character
- employ a nuanced, well-developed vocabulary – for both general and specialized use
- use and communicate information based on figures and statistics
(Translation: udir.no)
The history of English in 10 minutes
Not everything which is claimed here is necessarily 100% historically correct, but the animation is still worth checking out.
Where did English come from?
This animation is shorter, but also a little bit more advanced when it comes to content.
Links
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How did English become the world’s most widely spoken language? (ESL)
(blog.esl-languages. com) -
How English gave birth to surprising new languages (BBC Culture)
(bbc.com) -
Japan turns to Basil Fawlty in race for Olympic English (BBC News)
(bbc.com) -
Video: Which English?
(macmillandictionaryblog.com) A few pointers from Professor David Crystal, English language expert. -
Video: World Englishes
(youtube.com) More from Professor Crystal