London, Mar 15 (UNI) There is a call for English taught in schools to take up a more global vocabulary.
A report says hybrid languages such as Hinglish, a mixture of English and Hindi, and Chinglish, a fusion of Chinese and English, should be part of the curriculum.
Instead of naughty, pupils could be told to stop being a 'badmash' and canteens might advertise 'machi-chips' beside the conventional description of fish and chips.
The call comes from the leftwing thinktank Demos, which says Britain is in danger of being marginalised due to an 'outdated' attitude to the language.
Sam Jones, co-author of the report, said international influences need to be recognised as well as the growing use of hybrid English by immigrant groups. ''English can no longer be seen as a single language, but more as a family of languages,'' he said.
''Each of these reflect the different ways people experience the world. We all encounter this every day, from the sketch show Goodness Gracious Me to comments on the BBC website,'' he said.
''Such variation is now as much part of the English language as grammar and word order. The problem is that it is rarely seen as such,'' he added.
The thinktank says the Oxford English Dictionary should be replaced as the leading authority on English by a website listing words suggested by the public.
The site would let people across the globe contribute their own new words and definitions, creating a growing database in the same way as online encyclopaedia Wikipedia.
But some language experts say the proposals would worsen matters.
The Queen's English Society said, ''It is important there is a standard set of English we all understand, whatever children might use in the playground or new words appear on the Internet.'' ''Schools are already having difficulty teaching standard English because of a growing international influence, and they don't need to be further sidetracked.'' In South Asia, Hinglish has already moved into the mainstream and is used on music channels and in advertising. In the UK, Hinglish has appeared in TV programmes such as 'The Kumars at Number 42', where actress Meera Syal is credited with fast-tracking the word ''chuddies'', for underpants, into everyday use.
The report also says new immigrants to the UK should be allowed to go to school to learn English in lessons alongside British pupils.
UNI
A report says hybrid languages such as Hinglish, a mixture of English and Hindi, and Chinglish, a fusion of Chinese and English, should be part of the curriculum.
Instead of naughty, pupils could be told to stop being a 'badmash' and canteens might advertise 'machi-chips' beside the conventional description of fish and chips.
The call comes from the leftwing thinktank Demos, which says Britain is in danger of being marginalised due to an 'outdated' attitude to the language.
Sam Jones, co-author of the report, said international influences need to be recognised as well as the growing use of hybrid English by immigrant groups. ''English can no longer be seen as a single language, but more as a family of languages,'' he said.
''Each of these reflect the different ways people experience the world. We all encounter this every day, from the sketch show Goodness Gracious Me to comments on the BBC website,'' he said.
''Such variation is now as much part of the English language as grammar and word order. The problem is that it is rarely seen as such,'' he added.
The thinktank says the Oxford English Dictionary should be replaced as the leading authority on English by a website listing words suggested by the public.
The site would let people across the globe contribute their own new words and definitions, creating a growing database in the same way as online encyclopaedia Wikipedia.
But some language experts say the proposals would worsen matters.
The Queen's English Society said, ''It is important there is a standard set of English we all understand, whatever children might use in the playground or new words appear on the Internet.'' ''Schools are already having difficulty teaching standard English because of a growing international influence, and they don't need to be further sidetracked.'' In South Asia, Hinglish has already moved into the mainstream and is used on music channels and in advertising. In the UK, Hinglish has appeared in TV programmes such as 'The Kumars at Number 42', where actress Meera Syal is credited with fast-tracking the word ''chuddies'', for underpants, into everyday use.
The report also says new immigrants to the UK should be allowed to go to school to learn English in lessons alongside British pupils.
UNI
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