KUCHING – A talk entitled ‘English as a national and international unifying language’ will be organised by Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak (Swinburne Sarawak) on 4 July 2018, from 3.00 to 5.00pm at the Auditorium (G001), Block G of the university’s campus.
It will be delivered by Professor Tony T. N. Hung, Honorary Professor of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), and an Adjunct Professor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Swinburne Sarawak.
The talk is inspired by Sarawak’s bold adoption of English as a co-official language in 2015, making it the first Malaysian state to do so. It will analyse the significant development from the perspective of Linguistics, particularly the field of ‘World Englishes’ where, far from being the imperialistic colonial language it once was, English now serves as the world’s lingua franca. The language promotes unity and progress not only at the international level but also within multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nations in a world where monolingualism is a thing of the past and bilingualism the new norm.
In the 21st century, English is firmly established as a de facto world language with far more non-native than native speakers, and with new varieties of English such as Malaysian, Singaporean and Indian English emerging around the world. Among the implications of these developments is the realisation that English is no longer the exclusive property of a handful of traditional English-speaking countries such as UK and USA, and that variety and diversity, rather than conformity to a single monolithic norm, is its essence.
Professor Hung was Professor and Head of the Language Centre at the HKBU from 1997 to 2011, and a Senior Lecturer in the English Department of the National University of Singapore from 1981 to 1997. He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of California (San Diego), Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics from the University of Lancaster, Bachelor of Arts in English from McMaster University, and Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University.
To date, his publications include eight books, 50 articles/book chapters and over 40 conference presentations, in the fields of World Englishes, Phonology, English Grammar, and Language Teaching.
The talk is open to members of the public and admission is free. To register, email to Dr Melinda Kong at mkong@swinburne.edu.my or Sia Lin Huong at lhsia@swinburne.edu.my (or contact Sia at 016-890 9977) by 3 July 2018.
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