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Dictionaries and the stratification of vocabulary: towards a new lexicography for Philippine English
Author(s) -
Bolton Kingsley,
Butler Susan
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-971x.2004.00337.x
Subject(s) - lexicon , vocabulary , linguistics , lexicography , history , colonialism , everyday life , lexical item , sociology , political science , law , philosophy , archaeology
This paper sets out to consider a range of issues relevant to the study of Philippine English vocabulary, including the importance of dictionaries in the legitimization of world Englishes, the description of lexical innovations, and the historical development and codification of the Philippine English lexicon. A number of early sources suggest that Filipino words began to be borrowed into the everyday English of the American colonizers at a very early stage of cultural contact. Today, the range of English finding expression in various domains of public life speaks to a vibrant and creative word stock reflecting the dramatically hybrid quality of life in Philippine society. The baggage of the past remains, however, in the Philippine lexicon enshrined in various editions of Webster's dictionary, which largely represents a colonial inventory of the tribes and products of the Philippine Islands.