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The role of English as a global language
Factors responsible for the evolution of contemporary English
The role of English as a global language
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In his article, “Why a Global Language?”, David Crystal informs his audience, which seems to be people of all different countries, of the reasoning behind a global language by incorporating concrete examples and common diction choices into a skillfully structured article, beginning with a description of what a global language is, how it achieves this status, and finally the reasons for having a global language, and the need to adopt one. The reason his article is effective is because it successfully unifies this complex idea and makes the article more understandable, allowing him the chance then to persuade his audience to adopt a global language with this technique. His reasoning is explained through his straight forward common sense and concise …show more content…
He does this by giving clear examples, such as when he states that “without a strong power‐base, of whatever kind, no language can make progress as an international medium of communication” (354), meaning that no language can become global if doesn’t have a strong origin. For example, English would be a successful global language because it’s the language of the most influential and powerful country in the world. By giving a detailed picture as to how a language achieves its global status, Crystal is able to give his readers a better understanding of what a global language really is. This then leads to his next point; why a language is accepted by other countries, and how they implement it.
Now that a language has strong support behind it, it also needs to be accepted by other countries in order for its use, to be spread. He begins by explaining that in order for this to take place; a country has to begin by changing their official language, or a second‐language, by prioritizing its foreign language education to meet the standards of creating a global language that would sweep across its communities in that region and beyond. He then states that the reasons why a country would choose an
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He continues writing, “The chief international forum for political communication – the United Nations – dates only from 1945” (357). He gives concrete evidence of an organization that tried to implement a global language or identity but implies that a global language can do much better. He implies that a global language could better solve problems in the world, specifically in the political sector, in a sense he using the effectiveness of the
United Nations in comparison of what a global language could do. He continues writing, “And never has there been a more urgent need for a global language” (359). By this he means with 21st century and its complex problems and structures, it is more evident that we need a global language to confront and solve language and cultural barriers. The 21st century has brought about much change in society and its thinking, and Crystal believes that much like technology a global language would be an innovation never before seen and it would break down barriers and create a more synchronized world. He gives concrete ideas on how a global language would be beneficial not only to a country but all its aspects and with
As discussed in World Geography class, the world has become more globalized in the modern world due to the expansion of the internet and transportation for easier travel to areas of the world. Through the internet and tourism, the spread of more populous languages grows. According to the Globalization and Diversity textbook, through globalization, smaller cultures have a hard time catching up with the rest of the world; thus, these cultures must adapt to the dominate culture. The Tuvan, Aka, and Seri cultures cannot compete with English, for example, as the numbers of English speakers are significantly higher. In a world of globalization, the need for a common language, or lingua franca, is important for numerous cultures to
In "Lost in Translation," by Lera Boroditsky, the concept that the perception of the world is different for people who speak different languages is proved through various global experiments. The author uses the purpose and audience of the piece to strongly support her main concept. The audience intended for this piece is the Wall Street Journal. Furthermore, the audience is a vast array of people with higher education, and business career individuals. The purpose of the piece is the realization of a profound connection between language and the perception of the world and way of thinking of the foreign language speaking people. Additionally, this piece challenges the world to rethink the way language is taught and received. Boroditsky uses
“Our Native Tongue” is a short article written by Nelson W. Aldrich. Jr, in February 2000. To begin the article Aldrich describes how privileged and grateful he is to know the English language. Aldrich says “I’d been born with a silver tongue in my mouth.” From this statement, readers can assume how amazing the English language is. Silver is an item most people value, Aldrich values English the way some would value silver. Aldrich also says because he knows the English language he has access to many opportunities, that others would have to pay for because they do not know the English language. The article also discusses the first global lingua franca. Lingua franca is “the language of science, business, political, and finical power, and English”. Lingua franca is also a diammoniate language that is accepted between speakers whose languages are different.
Mujica, Mauro E. “Why the U.S Needs an Official Language.” Worldandi.com. 2003. Web. 31 July 2011. .
As we all know that, English is a global language. Language is a familiar feature of our daily life. It is a human and social activity without which human beings cannot function in the society. It is one of the basic needs , and one has to learn it.It is the flesh and blood of our culture.According to Leonard Bloomfield(1935), “Each community is formed by the activity of language.”
Language?is the most common aspect among human beings, and the most complex and interesting cultural inheritance in any given ideological reality. It is the instrument for communication through which humans express their existence, identity, culture, philosophy, etc. Humans are social beings; every act of social conduction involves communication with others. we build communities, societies, and nations via the use of language. It is even the case with learning a foreign language; the learners acquire the language for different reasons, but mainly for communicative purposes. Teaching a foreign language has become a necessity nowadays; it is a mandatory
According to David Crystal (2003) "Statistics suggest that nearly a quarter of the world's population is already fluent or content in English". For example, Chinese has more native speakers, however it is a more complicated language in terms of grammar, verbs, meaning of the words, etc. However, some linguists have different points of view as to weather a language becoming global depends on the number of people speaking it . Crystal D. (2002: 7-10) claims that ''Why a language becomes a global language has little to do with the number of people who speak it". Furthermore, English can help one to express various meanings. That is happening because English language not only has a lot of words with different meanings but also has various different types of syntax which help the speakers to be more accurate and to give more emphasis to a particular point if it is needed. Another interesting point is that the writing of English language is simple. There are even languages that have hundreds of letters in their alphabets that could have a different meaning when pronounced differently, like Chinese. The Roman alphabet is considered to be very easy to learn and surely much easier than the Chinese writing system which is very difficult for most people. Moreover, the Roman alphabet in English language is very phonetic, rather than character based, hence it can help to
Language is the main way to communicate with others, and when a foreigner comes to a new country, the communication is the major thing he has to deal with. According to the text, “the first is so obvious it hardly needs mentioning-language. Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on, all cause difficulties, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware when he is in this kind of trouble” (p. 69). Language is an obvious blockade in a cross-culture communication, because of the different grammar, words, slang, and so on. If a person knew the language of that country, at least he could know when he is in the trouble and what kind of the trouble, and I perceive this as the most important thing, to be able to understand. The difficulty of learning a language, is not only know the vocabulary and syntax, but the actual meaning of the sentences. I totally agree with this stumbling block of cross- culture communication, due to my experience of being an international student who studies in another country. When I wanted to come to the
Language has been around for thousands of years, used to communicate with each other everyday in some sort of form. It has changed dramatically over the years and is used differently around the world. In the United States, we speak in the English language, while in China, they speak Chinese, it’s various from place to place. It is estimated that there is a total of 6000 languages around the world according to linguists, but that number is still uncertain. (Language, 2016).
Language is a method in which individuals communicate to get their opinion and ideas across to the other party. It varies in its communication methods; it can be verbal and physical i.e. body language. A language is significantly related to the speaker’s language culture and identity, any alteration in language causes an effect on identity. Therefore I believe that language should be standardized under specific rules, regulations that support the language and prevent merging with other languages to avoid cultural assimilation. However, this standardization does not discriminate or disallow any other language to be practiced, by accepting diversity i.e. allowing English to be spoken in a Spanish speaking country, but disallowing Spang-lish. Thus I believe that language blend is unacceptable. Moreover, with rules and regulations speakers should respect their language and avoid its alternation, since it is part of who they are and what makes them special.
Language. It is a sign of who we are and where we come from. As language defines us, so does it unite us, but it can also impose barriers that drive us apart. As our society aggressively pursues globalization, individuals who maintain cultural sensitivity and strive for effective communication despite language barriers will be an increasingly important commodity; individuals who can also pass the gift of adept communication to others will be invaluable. On the eve of my college graduation, the culmination of four years ' immersion in language and communication and the beginning of a lifetime of educating others in these disciplines, I feel increasingly the weight of
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
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been
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
In order to visualize the “global” as an adjective in the collocation “global language”, a study has shown the numbers of people speaking the language. According to them, there are about 6000 languages in the world and not surprisingly English is at the top of the list of most dominant. In the world there are 375 million first-language speakers, approximately the same number of second-language speakers and about 750 million foreign-language speakers (David Graddol, The Future of English? A Guide to Forecasting the Popularity of the English Language in the 21st Century. British Council, 1997). According to magazine Economist, more than one billion people speak some form of English. These numbers could make people think that English is really conquering the world which can be both positive and negative.