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A language with rather humble roots, one that has been twisted and bent, one that has taken and borrowed from other languages, and one that has been the subject of much debate as to the correctness of certain usages, today English is the language that the world uses to communicate. The world uses English for a variety of reasons from commerce and trade, to political decisions, to technology and science, and beyond. The entire world uses English to get business done. Thus it truly has become the lingua franca for the world.
To understand how English became the lingua franca for the world one must begin by understanding the colonization influence of the British Empire, beginning with the Americas in the early 1600’s. Once the language itself had been somewhat established in Great Britain, although not necessarily agreed upon, the next obvious step was to take the language and the culture to new parts of the world and colonize. The British Empire set out to the Americas in two vastly different manners, yet both had major influences on the language of what soon would become America.
The British Empire was somewhat late to the game in the world of colonization. The Spanish had already colonized much of South America and the Caribbean and the Dutch were right on their heels. The English had done very well in the previous two centuries and were facing a time of economic stalemate. They had become an overcrowded population and soon, if they were not careful, there wouldn't be enough work and resources to go around for everyone. So, like any good empire does, they set out to find lands that could become colonies and allow their people a place to go, become productive for the crown, and spread the language and culture of Eng...
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...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.
Works Cited
Bailey, R. (1991). Images of english: a cultural history of the language. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Crystal, D. (2012). English as a global language. (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press
Kirkpatrick, A. (2007). World englishes: implications for international communication and english language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Colonization itself was first lead by Spain and Portugal as they searched for riches. England was the next country to follow in suite. Europe had always had an interest in expanding their territories. When land was expanded, they could add a new kingdom and have more power to use. The reason that the people of England wanted to travel was because they were oppressed and were losing their homes and jobs. They were also heavy taxes and reforms from government types and so they were desperate for a way to have land to live on and homes to live in. Many had hope that traveling to the new world would improve their situation.
Colonization was important because it allowed trade and exploration. By colonizing in North America, England could further explore Canada. Colonization also helped establish the slave trade. Colonizing in India benefited England because it diversified their produce supply. There was great benefit in India. England could acquire resources that they could not have come across otherwise. These include peppers, spices and teas. In other words, in order to trade effectively the English had to set up a colony from which they could trade. Britian understood this and had a lot of colonies globally. Britain possessed colonies along the eastern seaboard of North America at the beginning of the 18th Century, as well as a number of islands in the Caribbean. The U.S. state of Georgia became a British Crown Colony in 1732 and Britain acquired the Ceded Islands of the Caribbean in 1763. Successively Britain later acquired colonies in New South Wales, Sierra Leone, Trinidad, Mauritius and the Cape. Colonization was as far reaching as Bengal and Madras. “The Empire on which the sun never sets” is a very accurate statement. Likewise, the British needed to be reimbursed for establishing these colonies. They had to use the colonies to create growth for their
The British Empire started in the mid fifteen hundreds, with Britain. This lone country started importing and exporting goods to other places which would allow trade for the people. Although trade was good and there was a great abundance of food and livestock, Britain wanted to trade more with countries that were further away. There first destination was with East Asia. One of the greatest helps for trade and finding new land was from the help of Francis Drake. Even though “Drake managed a circumnavigation of the globe,” he found land on North America which was named Roanoke Island. The goal was to scout the territory for other resources that would be helpful, and to find gold if they were able to. The people only stayed for a short time and
British empire started in 1707 and collapsed in 1990. After Portugal and Spain started conquering the world during the 15th and 16th century, the British government became envious of these two nations. Thus they decided to set up their own colonies and trade routes at the same time as France and the Netherlands. The very first voyage was done by John Cabot and was requisitioned by the King VII in 1496. Although Cabot believed that he had reached Columbus’s Newfoundland, he had actually landed in Asia. The following year, Cabot led a new expedition in search of the Americas but unfortunately his ships were lost out at sea and nothing was ever heard from John Cabot ever again. It was only after the Queen Elisabeth I came into reign during the late 16th century that expeditions started again. By this time, Spain was already in control of the Americas, Portugal had set up numerous trading posts on the African and Brazilian coasts. Britain was always following the paths of the other countries thus were never able to fully find new land since it was always in the property of other states at the time. It was during the early 17th century that the British Empire finally decided to take shape, by firstly implementing colonies in North America and the Caribbean islands. We should note that at this time also, there was the creation of private companies such as the well-known English East India Corporation. This corporation was mainly used to administer colonies and make sure that overseas trading was going smoothly. After numerous failures in implementing colonies in the Caribbean islands by the British Empire, they were finally able to set up successful colonies in St.Kiits (1624), Barbados (1627) and Nevis (1628). All this colonies had on...
English is the Global Language of today. There is great controversy circumventing this view. Although there are positive outcomes, the negatives outbalance them to some extent as it means that many languages will die out as a result. As a global lingua franca, English has the puissance to enhance communication between individuals, being particularly favourable and propitious in the area of economics and trade. Despite this, it has persistently been the substratum for the death of numerous other languages, consequently posing a threat to identity, and the value of language and culture.
The development of globalization has spread English worldwide and English has become the dominant language (Phillipson, 17). I have to admit that English is monopolizing other languages in some countries and it is an unprecedented threat to some cultures. However, the global spread of English has a lot of positive effects, such as helping countries to raise power, to expend their influences, and to allow the rest of world access their culture and hear their opinions.
A summary of the settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans and then Norman French provides the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th century, when English reasserted its dominance after the decline of official French, until the 17th century when a 'standard' English evolved. It will be shown that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through the centuries, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally it will be proposed that present day worldwide English, is in a similar position to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, as now globally, and that this may lead to its decline as the main global language, due to increasing unintelligibility.
the language of the coloniser but also internationally a “small” language. Second, English has become
McCormick, K. (2012), 'English and Other Languages' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 245-290.
The settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans followed by Norman French paints the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, when a'standard' English language evolved. It will show that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through time, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally, it will suggest that present day English is in a position analogous to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, and that this may lead to its decline as a global language, due to decreasing intelligibility. The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by north and west German ethnic groups who brought their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7).
In history, it is displayed that language and globalization can come hand in hand in the means of spreading throughout the world. The English language is mainly spoken in the U.S and Britain as a first-language. However, it is being increasingly spoken around the world everyday as a way of communication. As a result of the British colonialism, the U.S and British pop culture and media, as well as the economic aspect of the world, English has become the global language of communication today. By having so much value and importance, the English language is considered significant in terms of forming ways of globalization and communication. Thus, the result of the three factors influencing the spread of English around the world created a valuable position for the English language to becoming a Lingua Franca.
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;
New locations, mingling with different cultures and being away from the changes that were also happening in England, played a major part in the forming of a new variety which we have come to know as American English.
In history most lingua franca were created by empires. It was the way for them to communicate with the cou...
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.