When using, consciously or not, a variety of a "standard" language, we project a certain image of ourselves. Whether we express ourselves in a specific regional dialect, or with a lot of words or expressions from a certain age group, or in a variety associated with a specific ethnic group, we make an impression on the listener, and the impression can be positive or negative. This is due in great part to the views and stereotypes people may hold towards these varieties.

• Describe a situation in which using a certain variety of a standard language could have a negative impact on the speaker. State which variety you are referring to and explain the impact it has.
• Describe a second situation in which speaking a certain variety of language can be a positive thing for the speaker. State which variety you are referring to and explain the impact it has.

Length : 350 words minimum.

Varieties of English Worldwide
In the United States. through media (TV shows. movies or interviews), we are commonly exposed to other varieties of English. such as British English. Indian English and Australian English. These varieties. considered dialects of English are characterized by systematic differences in pronunciation and vocabulary compared to American English. We will examine these differences. We need to keep in mind that, just like American English, the British, Indian, and Australian varieties of English are not uniform in the sense that many regional varieties exist within the confines of the British Isles, India and Australia. For each of these varieties, we will therefore focus on the most widely used regional varieties within each country: standard British English spoken in London and surrounding areas (BBC English), Indian English spoken in the area of Delhi and Australian English spoken in the Eastern and Southeastem regions of Australia.

1. British English
I would imagine that all of you have been exposed at least once to British English. You have probably noticed some pronunciation and vocabulary differences compared to English. Can you think of some of them? Here is a short list (by no means comprehensive) of words used in British English with their American English equivalents:

What about differences in pronunciation? Here are the most obvious ones:
• dropping of word-final -"r" as in teacher
• stretching of [o] into [θow] as in code

• is changed to [o] as in job
• double t is maintained and not changed to the flap [r] as in better
• the combination 'an' is slightly nasalized as in France or can't

2. Indian English

Here are some vocabulary specific to Indian English:
This variety has greatly been influenced by phonetic elements from local languages such as Hindi or Urdu. Here are the most obvious differences in pronunciation:
• 'r' is slightly rolled and pronounced [r]
• 'w' is pronounced [v]
• no difference exist between the long and short vowels [i] as in need and [I] as in quick
• [t] and [d] are pronounced as ejective. meaning the air is released more forcefully by the tongue

3. Australian English
This variety evolved directly from the English language spoken in England in the late 18th to first half of the 19th century. With time and a certain degree of isolation. the Australian variety evolved as more distinct from British English.

Here are the most obvious pronunciation differences:
• the sound [e] as in fate is pronounced [aj] as in fight
• the sound [a] as in water is pronounced [o] as in boat.