English has become an inherent part of our daily life. It has gained ground in almost all technical, scientifical and social fields, being one of the most spoken languages in the world. Moreover, both on national and international level, it is a tool for business communication and cultural exchange. Although, many million people speak English as their native language, the number of second language speakers is even higher. People with another mother tongues need to learn English in order to fully understand, explore and live in today’s society. At a political level, the language is even more important. The European Union is a good example that shows this connection between language and political activities. Functioning as a common language between …show more content…
The main attraction is Hardian's Wall which was built by the Romans as they invaded and conquered the British Isles around the last century BC. But archaeological traces are not the only things they left behind. Their native language Latin had a large influence on the English vocabulary. Indeed, daily used words like digital, media and camera have Latin origin, not to mention scientific terms like testify, spectrum and abdomen. Although English has also borrowed words from other languages, the amount of words derived from Latin is one for the largest. Moreover, as languages are always in a state for flux, they continued to change after being integrated into the English language. Certainly, one of the easiest changes to observe are semantic changes. With attention to the fact that language and society go hand-in-hand, it may be possible that the current withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU is going to have a linguistic impact on the way how the European mainland defines the meaning of English …show more content…
References
Björkman, B. (2013). English as an academic Lingua Franca: An investigation of form and communicative effectiveness. Berlin [u.a.]: De Gruyter Mouton.
British National Corpus: Data cited herein have been extracted from the British National Corpus, distributed by the University of Oxford on behalf of the BNC Consortium. All rights in the texts cited are reserved.
Dröschel, Y. (2011). Lingua Franca English: The role of simplification and transfer. Bern: Lang.
Haspelmath, M., & Tadmor, U. (2009). Loanwords in the world's languages: A comparative handbook. Berlin [u.a.]: de Gruyter.
Housesteads Roman Fort & Museum│Visit Hadrian's Wall.
Language has been said to effect culture and a person’s way of thinking; in addition to culture effecting language. Throughout the last 100 years there have been apparent and subtle changes in the English language. The changes an English speaking person may see throughout their life time are different catchphrases, the way language is written, the type of formality used, and how deeply English is affected by cultures; as well as how it effects other cultures around the world.
Nevertheless, having two official languages does not restrict an individual from learning a different language or communicating with it – in fact, it is favored. What having two official languages does however, it allows people from different backgrounds to understand each other and their worldviews: creating a sense of
Language can bring people together but can also isolate. The United States is known as a melting pot, not only does that refer to culture but also the many different languages. We know of language barriers, but very seldom do we think of the language barriers within our borders. Even with the language barriers it solidifies the need for a national language, the United States of America should allow the freedom to express one’s culture while maintaining English as our national language, therefore offering common ground to its citizens.
In today’s society, especially in the United States, most people are monolingual English speakers. As a result, these monolingual speakers are at a significant disadvantage compared to those who speak more than one language fluently. This disadvantage is crucial to realize since it is important to learn how individuals and the nation can be enhanced. Multilingual speakers have an advantage in global affairs that involve countries that speak different languages. Speaking multiple languages makes it easier to communicate with people when involved in foreign affairs. Those who speak multiple languages are also more aware of other cultures in society. Monolingual speakers are not as exposed to other cultures and have difficulty understanding or even recognizing them. Furthermore, being multilingual increases your
Sharma, B., 2008. “World Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca, and English Pedagogy”, Journal of NELTA 13 (2), pp. 121-130. Available from
Ypsilandis, G.S. & Kantaridou, Z., (2007). English for Academic Purposes: Case Studies in Europe, Revista de Linguistica y Lenguas Aplicadas (2): 69-83.
For many years, the thought of English being the official language of the United States has come with a little controversy. Some argue that English should be the official language because it is the most dominant language in the world. Some believe by doing so, it would create a stronger unity among the American people. Proponents believe that although the United States is diverse, it may be too much for the American people to juggle multiple languages. Others believe that English shouldn’t be the official language and instead be one of many prominent languages that are widely used in our nation such as Spanish, French, and Chinese. I believe English should be the official language in the United States. However, I believe more emphasis should be placed on learning new languages especially among youths in school and during developmental stages.
Englishes in use today across the Australian, African and Asian continents are the results of eighteen and nineteen-century colonialism (Urszula, 2013). Various colonisers brought with them a version of European-base language to make a standardisation in their home location and overlaid the languages of indigenous peoples. Particular region, environmental, geographical and political factors also affect the forms of English, as vocabulary, pronunciation differ from one place to another, like Australian English, American English, Indian English (Urszula, 2013). The Indian linguistic B. Kachru (as cited Kachru & Smith, 2008) has put forward that today’s Englishes are can be viewed in three concentric circles: the Inner circle – represents countries where English is used as a primary language like U.K, U.S.A, Australia, Canada New Zealand; Outer circle – include countries like India, Philippines, Singapore and Nigeria, where English has been adopted due to colonisation as an additional language for intranational purposes like education, law and administration; Expanding circles – includes countries like China, Japan, Korea and the Middle East, where English is primarily used for inter-national
SeargentPhilip, and Joan Swam. English in the world: History, diversity, change. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012.
English is, almost certainly, the most important subject that a child can learn in school. Without knowing proper English, a child will not be able to communicate effectively with the English speaking nation. They would be shut off from education and other people in this country. A person who does not poses proper English limits his or her ability to achieve their highest potential. Knowledge of the English language is important to learn to be able to communicate with others, in the teaching of immigrant students, and in finding and maintaining a job.
...nology is moving ahead at the speed of light. With all this advancement comes the inevitable need for a language that unifies the world. The need for a common language to conduct our business and economic affairs, and our need to communicate internationally on political and world interventions has made English the leader in world languages. It is not the language spoken first by most, but it the language that the world uses when it comes together to communicate.
Language is nothing but a media which expresses feelings, ideas, experiences and even pains properly to others. Cultural background is the origin of language. Language is one of the channels which promote human relations and human affections. Language always unites the people and sometimes language itself diverse the people. Without the language we cannot imagine the existence of human beings on the earth. Language is a system of words that people used to express thoughts, feelings each other. The word ‘language’ derived from Latin “lingua” which means ‘tongue, speech’. The word sometimes used to refer to codes, ciphers and other kind of communication systems. For example computer programming.
It can be seen that English has become a global language, which is determined by lots of factors like history, culture and daily usefulness. Because of these factors, the number of people who speak English is still increasing now. English, as a significant part of social life gradually exerted profound impacts on education, job hunting and international communication. Also, it provides the whole world with a chance to share ideas and communicate freely. We are quite curious to see the further development of English as a lingua franca in the
Even though there are advantages as well as disadvantages, the need for international language for communication, politics, economics and security is necessary and English is the best “language candidate” for that function. English is a language spread all over the world and it is used by millions and millions of speakers. According to my opinion, people should use English as a tool to communicate with all cultures but every country must keep their culture and language is a great part of it. In conclusion, language defines identity of a country and everyone should keep their language and explore others.
According to Braj Kachru (1985), the spread of English around the world has given rise to different kinds of Englishes (pp.12‑13). The transportation of English into new contexts of use and its various functions in non-native settings have brought with it new challenges of description and interpretation. Kachru (1992) argues ...