Edgar W. Schneider's dynamic model of postcolonial Englishes adopts an evolutionary perspective emphasizing language ecologies. It shows how language evolves as a process of 'competition-and-selection', and how certain linguistic features emerge. The Dynamic Model illustrates how the histories and ecologies will determine language structures in the different varieties of English, and how linguistic and social identities are maintained.Kirkpatrick, Andy (2007). ''World Englishes: implications for international communication and English language teaching''. Cambridge UP. Chapter 3.

Underlying principles

Five underlying principles underscore the Dynamic Model: Schneider, Edgar (2007). ''Postcolonial English: Varieties around the world''. Cambridge UP. Chapter 3. # The closer the

contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * ...

, or higher the degree of bilingualism or

multilingualism Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...

in a community, the stronger the effects of contact. # The structural effects of language contact depends on social conditions. Therefore, history will play an important part. # Contact-induced changes can be achieved by a variety of mechanisms, from

code-switching In linguistics, code-switching or language alternation occurs when a speaker alternates between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation or situation. Code-switching is different from plurilingualis ...

to code alternation to acquisition strategies. #

Language evolution Evolutionary linguistics or Darwinian linguistics is a sociobiological approach to the study of language. Evolutionary linguists consider linguistics as a subfield of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology. The approach is also closely linked ...

, and the emergence of contact-induced varieties, can be regarded as speakers making selections from a pool of linguistic variants made available to them. # Which features will be ultimately adopted depends on the complete “ecology” of the contact situation, including factors such as demography,

social relation A social relation or also described as a social interaction or social experience is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals ...

ships, and surface similarities between languages etc. The Dynamic Model outlines five major stages of the evolution of

world Englishes World Englishes is a term for emerging localised or indigenised varieties of English, especially varieties that have developed in territories influenced by the United Kingdom or the United States. The study of World Englishes consists of identi ...

. These stages will take into account the perspectives from the two major parties of agents –

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

s (STL) and indigenous residents (IDG). Each phase is defined by four parameters: # Extralinguistic factors (e.g. historical events) # Characteristic identity constructions for both parties #

Sociolinguistic Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any or all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and society's effect on language. It can overlap with the sociology of l ...

determinants of

setting # Structural effects that emerge

References

{{Reflist Anglic languages Language contact Sociolinguistics Theories of language

Underlying principles

See also

References