The British Council and the Oxford English Dictionary sponsored a discussion with an expert panel to discuss the state of the English language on Thursday 27 September 2012.
The event considered issues such as:
Does ‘standard English’ exist in today’s globalised society?Who regulates the language – lexicographers, the education system, the media – or the public?Is the language being dumbed down? And does this matter?Should we be worried about the state of English today?John Knagg, Head of English Research at the British Council chaired the discussion with these panel members:
John Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English DictionaryRomesh Gunesekera, novelistHenry Hitchings, journalist and author of The Language WarsPrudence Raper, former Hon Secretary of the Queen’s English Society
