[LINK] "Group Assessment"

[Roger Clarke]

On 4/9/19 9:38 am, Tom Worthington wrote:
> Graduates will likely be working in international teams, using a form of 
> English, but not Australian English. I have to use American English when 
> submitting papers to international computing and engineering 
> conferences, even when these are run in Australia, or Indonesia.

Many journals publish in *either* international English or American 
English (but they tend to prefer consistency within the article).

I've never yet had to adjust to US English, in >150 refereed and >200 
edited articles.  (Years ago, IEEE Computer chose to do a substantial 
editorial job on one paper, but I had to re-correct a number of things 
that didn't come through 'in translation'.  'Two similar cultures 
separated by a common language', as Shaw and Churchill put it).


> China is scaling up to teach millions of international students in 
> English, and they will likely use American English. 
> https://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2018/12/globalization-of-chinese-education.html 

They will likely use their own English dialects.

And that varies among the Chinese diaspora, and doubtless also among the 
many Chinas within China.

I imagine that when a Shangainese, a Beijinger and a Shenzenee walk into 
a pub, they look askance at one another from time to time, whether 
they're talking in their own versions of Putonghua *or* of English.

I've often had to pause and think about what the well-spoken and 
well-educated Hong Kong person would have said if they were speaking my 
preferred dialect, i.e. international / BBC / ABC English.  (But good 
Hong Kong English is way more understandable than some Caribbean 
dialects, many Indian dialects, and of course Glaswegian and Geordie).

'Vive la difference' is usually thought to mean 'long live differences!' 
or 'isn't it good that there are differences', but it might as well mean 
'differences live!'.


-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916   http://www.xamax.com.au  http://www.rogerclarke.com

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Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University