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English as the global language
The role of English as a global language
Factors that influence language change
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Argumentative Essay on whether English should be a global language The English language arose from the early Anglo Saxon inhabitants in ancient England and spread to Scotland and other European countries via the British Empire and later to the United States through colonial political and economical influences. It later dispersed to other parts of the world through these same influences to become one of the leading languages of the world. It has over the years developed by adopting different dialects to create a language, which is the standard lingual Franca in many countries. The rapid growth of the English language and its adoption by different cultures across the globe is sufficient ground to make it the global language. According to Crystal, …show more content…
This is because it has different verbs, prepositions, conjunctions, tenses and nouns that make it easy to learn compared to other languages like Chinese and Spanish whose system is hard to grasp. In most cases, many non-English and Chinese speakers will understand the English alphabet faster than the Chinese and Spanish alphabet. Based on the number of people who use it as a language and its easy nature to learn, English is the best candidate as the global language, which should facilitate communication in the changing environment. This draws the line between English and other languages whose usage is predominant across Europe and parts of Asia. In terms of numbers and effectiveness in learning, English is more superior to other languages. Background of the English …show more content…
It has been adopted by different sectors making it one of the most used languages in the globe. This has been attributed to its effective nature, easy learning and rich history. However, conservative groups exist who argues that there should be global language since it may cause the emergence of superior cultures. Nevertheless, it is evident that different cultures ranging from the early polish immigrants, the African American community, the advertising and media will greatly benefit from the globalization of the English language. This will prove in the end that English is indeed a global
My earlier paper highlights how English is acting as a killer language for native languages. As globalisation has created a global village, the people of different languages need a lingua franca to communicate with one another. At present, English is a true lingua franca and a global language. Crystal opines “a language achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a special role that is recognised in every country.” (Crystal 3) English is spoken in different parts of the world as first, second or foreign language. Crystal calculates that nearly 85% of international organizations and 99% of European organizations are using English as official language. Crystal discovers link between language dominance and economic, technological and cultural power. Language with strong power base propagates as international language. He opines a language achieves its role as international language due to its political and military power. This is very true in case of English. During Roman Empire, Latin was used as an international language. In nineteenth century, English language grows with the growth of Britain. Britain became world power and its imperial policies led to the spread of English around the globe. No doubt, colonialism led to the global use of English. It grows rapidly by coming in touch with local languages, which makes English a hybrid language changing and growing to meet communicative needs. In nineteenth century, it becomes a global language, “a language on which the sun never sets.” (Graddol, future 6) Graddol estimates that approximately 1.5 billion people in the world are using English as a first or second language. It becomes the international currency of science and technology. It occupies a d...
There is no doubt that English has been the dominant global language for a century, but is it the language of future? Thousands of people have thousands of answers. Maybe it still need time to tell. As David Crystal (1...
Zelander, Emilie. “English as a Global Language – Good or Bad?.” MittUniversite: Mid Sweden Univeristy. N.p., 2006 Web 13 Oct. 2013.
English is without a doubt the actual universal language. English is the world’s second biggest native language, the authorized language in 70 countries, and English speaking countries are responsible for about 40% of the word total GMP. English can be at least understood everywhere amongst scholars and “educated people, as it is the world media language, the language of cinema, television, pop music in the computer world. People all over the world know numerous English words, their pronunciation and their meaning. According to “English as a Universal Language,” written by Carlos Carrion Torres, “English first began to spread during the 16th century with the British Empire and was strongly reinforced in the 20th century by the U.S. world domination in economic, political and military aspects and by the huge influence of American movies.” Because of its easy verb conjugation and Latin roots English is also the ideal language to establish a universal language. By establishing a standard of universal language it will be easier to communicate domestically and internationally, which can be beneficial for societal
This essay will discuss how the English language contributes to globalization. It also shows some problems that arise from this. Furthermore, we will give or suggest some solutions for these problems.
2.1. What is the difference between a 'S' and a 'S'? ENGLISH AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE COMMUNICATION ERA The English Language has emerged as a global language and continues to reign as one of the prime languages used for various communications in several parts of the world. It is taught as either the first or the second language in more than 100 countries around the world including Russia, China, and France (Crystal, 1997).
Language is the medium that has been used in transferring our thoughts which is produced in mind, in order to communicate with people around us. After World War 2, English language has become lingua franca because of the socioeconomic demands and the revolution of linguistics (Hutchinson and Water, 2001). In addition, English language is officially the most vital language in the world. Globalization has encouraged all the people around the world to use English language in their communication especially in the education system. So, it is important to acquire English language.
English is the first language in 427 countries. English is the second language in 350 countries. English is the most taught foreign language in 100 countries. English has an official status in 70 countries. "English is taking over the world", said University of Alaska language expert Michael Kraus (Ferrell and Hotz 2).
The development of the English language was a combination of cultural, political, social and religious events that each playing their own part shaping the modern English language spoken today as a first language by 400 million people . As Baugh and Cable convey to us in A History of the English Language; ‘It understates matters to say that political, economic, and social forces influence a language’. Although it cannot be identified exactly when the inhabitants of Britain began to speak English, there are some sources that give an insight into the nature of the forces that played a role in its foundation such as: the four medieval manuscripts;
Old English (450-1100 AD), which is also referred to as Anglo-Saxon, is thought historically to be the earliest form of the English language. Originating with the arrival of three West Germanic tribes, who encroached
English spreads widely in each countries, no matter the area of region or information transfer, English becomes an important position in global language. As the specification of a global language, it essentially refers to a language that learned and spoken internationally, so English can be the most out-standing. According to the number of English-speaking calculations, English is the official language used by most countries, English is the most widely used second language in the world, and the percentage of web pages with English content is estimated to be over 50% (Crystal, 2003). Meanwhile, the history and usefulness cause English to be a global language, and they mainly influence to spread English faster in China and to bring convenience
Why has particularly English as a language become a global language? Researching this topic, answers to this question can be found in a global power the British Empire and the USA had during the history, especially since World War II (David Crystal, English as a Global Language, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2003). Most of the improvements which are essential for the mankind have their roots in English speaking areas and that is why English is dominating the globe in medical research, technological innovation and rock ‘n’ roll.
The main reasons of English currently being the global language are: the need for the some common language to ease communication in the modern global society; special features of English language; and the economic and political dominance of Great Britain and the US in the last century that ensure the spread of English around the world.
It is amazing to see how English has evolved from a very small ethnic groups: Angles and Saxons in the 5th century to the largest area of speaking. It is slowly but surely spreading to the whole world wide. Currently, there are approximately 350-400 million native speaker, 1 billion people across the world uses English as their second language and maybe 1½-2 billion people can understand it and have at least some basic competence in its use, whether written or spoken.
In parallel with the spread of globalization, English has undoubtedly become an international means of communication. Being a lingua franca, that is any of various languages used as common or commercial tongues among peoples of diverse speech (the Merriam-Webster dictionary), English has effectively exerted its power as the primary language in many spheres of activity, such as culture, economy or diplomacy.