91
issn-i 2631-2840 | issn-e 2631-2859
Alexánder Padilla
Universidad Central del Ecuador (Ecuador)
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5059-3199
:10.29166/kronos.v2i1.2614
To recognize what is or what is not an appropriate
use of English, language scientist have disposed the
ocial term «Standard English». If so, what does this
term really mean? and what were the conditions and
bounds where this term was created? in consequence,
who are the people that really speak in this strict way?
is book discusses through an anthropological and
linguistic way the term «good English». us, in gen-
eral words the author discusses: How can somebody
know whether his use of English is appropriated or
not? What are the causes of such distinction (good/
bad) in real practices using this language? Moreover,
the specic objective beyond the common negative
answer about not standard English, this book oers
an explanation from the social, cultural and historical
facts about the meaning of being an English user in
dierent parts of the world.
is book is divided in two parts, the rst part contains
5 chapters which focus on the explanation of the relation
between appropriated and bad English, and its persistence
and reproduction in dierent settings. e second part is
divided in 5 chapters, then they focus on the analysis of
the linguistic manifestation of some cases of study, such
as, the mother tongue or lingua franca through the roles
of social, historical and geographical factors.
e rst part explains the social construction of
English regarding the people’s believes about the acqui-
sition of a new language or the natural way of speak-
ing in native countries. us, this part explains that
speaking English becomes natural in native countries.
Standard English is a term which meaning is discussed
throughout the book dismissing the idea of the uni-
versal truth. e author argues that Standard English
(good English) is not recognized as a universal truth,
but as a social construction which really depends of
the social circumstances.
e important elements discussed are the precon-
ceived notions which are called language ideologies.
Language ideologies are acquired implicitly in life
in an unconscious way and they led to simplify the
distinction of the features of the language. According
to this distinction in the language, people are able to
judge whether somebody speaks appropriated or not.
Besides, it allows to recriminate and separate who
speaks well and who doesn’t. In fact, the book shows
cases of linguistic research and surveys; they indicate
that students from native countries, ( students for
example) are considered speakers with the perfect use
of Standard English. However, students consider
themselves imperfect speakers due to the fact that exist
an inferiority toward British pronunciation because
their pronunciation is considered as that one that is
truly correct.
Furthermore, the book oers the perspective of
users of English in some places where English is not
the mother tongue. In these kind of environments
English users tend to speak English with a wide variety
of styles around the world, adding a sort of mixture
of local words and phrases. Again, not mother tongue
English users are considered unappropriated users
of this language, hence the distinction becomes the
legitimation of a social hierarchy and control. en,
the author explains how the accent, dialects, etc. is
an element of prestige or social class; showing the
example of the results of a study of surveys applied in
and users. At the end of this part, the author
points out the causes and the negative consequences
of speaking dierently, it means, out of the standard
English, such as, the segregation, isolation, injustice
and discrimination in social relations.
e second part of the book is made of linguistic
manifestation of English presented in some cases of
study such as: mother tongue acquisition of Standard
English, African American English, Singlish, New Delhi
English and English as a lingua franca. ese cases of
study constitute the attitudes developed from dierent
Peterson, Elizabeth. (2020), eBook, Oxford
| - | vol. | n.°
Recibido: 30 de marzo 2021
Aprobado: 30 de abril 2021
92
users of English and their own point of view. us,
in this part of the book the author explains several
cases which are located in countries which mother
tongue is English, however there are some dierences
among them. ese dierential facts are caused due
to the roles of linguistic tendencies, social factors, and
historical factors. For instance, one of the examples
in the cases of study is the specic words, accents or
phrases that distinguish and identify one group of
people from other, due to the people circumstances
or the distinction related to race or ethnicity.
e case of study about the use of English as a lingua
franca in the book, presents people who already have
the enough knowledge of English; however, English as a
lingua franca is seen as the modication or adaptation
system for their users that share features in the same
group of speakers which is called similect. In spite of
these kind of users who do not share a mother tongue,
there is a tendency to focus on the practical message
and transmit it to dierent backgrounds but without
sounding as a native speaker. en, the book contains
an exhaustive analysis of the sound and pronunciation
of vowels, consonants and accents according to the
vernacular region of the user.
Making sense of Bad English is a book which oers
a new perspective to the users of this language; further-
more, it leads to know new perspectives according to
the «good» use the language and it’s benets of an ap-
propriate speaking as much as the dierent nuances of
users around the world. e author approaches English
as a sociolinguistic phenomenon and its implications
in real life, according to the relationships among other
users. us, the book reconstructs the general idea of
«bad English» not like a negative condition. It rather
oers some empirical descriptions which support the
facts and history behind the linguistic dierence, even
in native English countries. e book also describes the
actual situation of the new users of English, as much
as their relation, adaptation, variation and changes
carried out from their own users in order to obtain
acknowledge.
is book is about a linguistic issue however the
author expresses it in a simple and practical way in
the framework and theoretical discussion. So, the
author has focused her eorts in the content and the
information of the uses of English instead of the form
and the technical terms. For this reason, the book is
easier to comprehend and accessible for a wider range
of public, from English users, teachers to linguistics
and sociologists.
