Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 1

Elementary

1 Warmer
What is good English? How would you like to sound when you speak English?

2 Find the information

Scan the article to find the information. 1. Where is Ghana? 2. Why do people in Ghana speak English? 3. Which well-known person speaks Ghanaian English?

3 Key words
Write the key words from the article next to the definitions below. Then scan the article. Circle the words as you find them and read them in context. phrases mimic Ghanaians standard tyrannical reign

1. a period of time when something or someone cruel or unfair is very powerful ______________________________ (title) 2. groups of words ______________________________ (para 1) 3. people from Ghana ______________________________ (para 1) 4. the form of a language that most people think is correct ______________________________ (para 1) 5. to copy ______________________________ (para 3) colonial features prestige value neglect

6. the high reputation and respect that someone or something has because of their impressive achievements, quality, etc. ______________________________ (para 4) 7. to think something is important ______________________________ (para 6) 8. to fail to look after something ______________________________ (para 6) 9. relating to a system or period in which one country rules another ____________________________ (para 10) 10. important parts of something ______________________________ (para 11)

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Elementary

CA

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N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 1

Elementary
9 Now, more than 50 years after the countrys fight for independence in the 1940s and 50s, Ghanaians are accepting a new standard: Ghanaian English. 10 The idea that intelligence is linked to English pronunciation comes from colonial thinking, said Delalorm Semabia, 25, a Ghanaian blogger. People used to think that if you speak like the British then you are as intelligent as the British. 11 The best example of Ghanaian English is [former UN Secretary General] Kofi Annans clear pronunciation, said Ghanaian columnist Kofi Amenyo. He keeps the Ghanaian features in his pronunciation but he is also easily understood by the peoples of the world. 12 But Ghanas young people are not so interested in Kofi Annans pronunciation. For them, Ghanaian English is important because it is connected to music and technology. 13 In the 90s, many local artists wanted to sound like Usher or Jay-Z, but now they dont, said Semabia. Slowly, people are accepting the use of our own languages for example, now we can google in Akan. 14 For us, English is our language we want to break away from the old limits, to personalize it, mix it with our local languages and have fun with it. Language should be flexible and fun.
Guardian News and Media 2012 First published in The Guardian, 10/04/12

Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Afua Hirsch 10 April, 2012 1 Question: Have you eat? Reply: No, I go eat after small small. This is just one of the phrases Ghanaians use that is very different from standard British English. 2 Ghanaians are speaking English creatively like their West African neighbours they are following the examples of Nigerian Pidgin and Sierra Leonean Krio. But there is an argument about what is the correct way to speak English. 3 On one side are the traditional Ghanaians who were taught during their education to mimic Received Pronunciation or BBC English, as it is also known. 4 On the other side, many people no longer connect a British accent with prestige. Now when Ghanaians try to speak like the British, other Ghanaians often laugh at them. 5 In the past we have seen people in Ghana try to mimic the Queens English, speaking in a way that doesnt sound natural. They think it sounds prestigious, but it doesnt, said Professor Kofi Agyekum, Head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana. 6 There has been a change, he says. Now, many people value being multilingual, and they would never neglect their mother tongues. They are happy to sound Ghanaian when they speak English. 7 Ghana has nine local languages that are supported by the government, including Akan languages spoken in the south. Twenty-six more languages are officially recognized and at least double that number are also spoken. 8 But the idea that sounding British has prestige also has a long history in Ghanaian society.

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Elementary

CA

P H

N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 1

Elementary

4 Comprehension check
Are these statements true (T) or false (F) according to the article? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Young Ghanaians want to speak the Queens English. Professor Kofi Agyekum says that Ghanaians do not sound intelligent when they speak with a British accent. Kofi Annan tries to hide his Ghanaian accent when he speaks English. The Ghanaian government supports nine local languages. Many more languages are officially recognized in Ghana. Usher and Jay-Z both come from Ghana. It is possible to search the internet in one of Ghanas local languages using Google. Young people want to mix English and African languages.

5 Words related to language

a. Complete the word wheel with language-related words from the article. 1. m 2. li language-related words 3. ac 7. Q 4. multil 8. ph English tongue 5. Received P 6.BBC E

b. Use the words on the word wheel to make sentences of your own.

6 Discussion
Discuss this quote from the end of the article.

Language should be flexible and fun.

7 Webquest
Search the internet to find the answers to these questions. 1. How many people live in Ghana? 2. Which languages are spoken in Ghana? 3. What does Kofi Annan sound like when he speaks English?
N T O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012 NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Elementary

CA

P H

Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English

Level 1 KEY

Elementary

2 Find the information

1. in West Africa 2. because Ghana used to be ruled by the British 3. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General

5 Words related to language

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. mother tongue linguistics accent multilingual Received Pronunciation BBC English Queens English phrase

3 Keywords
1. tyrannical reign 2. phrases 3. Ghanaians 4. standard 5. mimic 6. prestige 7. value 8. neglect 9. colonial 10. features

7 Webquest Teachers note

A good opportunity to listen to Kofi Annan can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABdBcp14Y0Q (TIME Magazines 2009 interview with him). Read about Ghana on the CIA World Factbook here: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/gh.html. Basic facts about the languages of Ghana can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Ghana and here: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/tribes/ languages.php.

4 Comprehension check
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. F T F T T F T T

Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2012

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NEWS LESSONS / Ghana calls an end to tyrannical reign of the Queens English / Elementary

O FR BE C O DO O M W P W N IA EB LO B SI A L TE DE E D