Global English - Assignment Example

How many people around the world speak English? Why? According to Crystal (2003), the number of people who speak English has increased in the last century with the estimated number being 1.5 billion. The first significant step in the progression of English and its accomplishment of such a high status as a global language started in the 17th century. This was brought about by the worldwide influence of Great Britain and the United States. According to an Indian, linguist BrajKachru (1991), the spread of English around the world is defined in three main circles: Inner, Outer, and Expanding. The first circle is the ‘Inner Circle,’ which refers to the traditional and historical origin of English. It involves the native speakers of English who include Great British, Australia, Canada, United States and New Zealand. There are more than 400 million speakers in this circle with nearly 70% of them being from the United States. The second circle is the ‘Outer Circle’ which includes countries that were colonised by the United States or Great Britain. In this circle, English is spoken as a second language and the colonized countries including South Africa, India, Kenya, Gahanna, Pakistan, and Tanzania. The third circle is the ‘Expending Circle’ where English is not the official language, although it is recognized as an important foreign language. This circle includes all Asian countries and most countries in Africa. Most of these countries have been helpful in establishing this theory through two main approaches. The first approach involves making the language an official language by using it in important areas like education, science, law, media, and politics. The second approach involves the belief that English assumes status of the most favourable foreign language; the second language taught in schools or preferred to be educated in communities. According to Crystal (2003:5), people in more than 100 countries consider English as a foreign language to be taught in schools. What caused the global spread of English? English language developed from a regional to global language due to a number of reasons. Firstly, English was introduced for purposes of helping the imperial expansion in 16thcentury during colonial era. Industrial revolution also caused the global spread of English. Industrial revolution was led by Britain; Britain invented most of the production machinery. Any country that was to adapt these innovations needed to have an understanding of the English language to interact with the manufacturers. Additionally, United States was among the leading countries in politics and economics in the 20th century. For other countries to be able to imitate it in their political and economic fields, they needed to understand the English language. Resultantly, there was a need to learn the language. Also, computer revolution started in the United States after Second World War and so, the commands or programs were in English language. Therefore, other countries had to learn the language if they were to use the computers at the time. Lastly, English has been a common language sending safety codes in planes and ships. After Second World War, it became the official language for international aircraft. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this spread? One of the most notable progresses of the 21st century is the use of English as global language and mode of communication around countries. In fact, there some people concerned about the effect of this spread on the diversity of cultures, languages, identities and religions. Although English language is not the native language for most countries, it is considered as the most important language in the world. This is because of the special roles the language plays around the world (Crystal, 2003:4). Crystal (2003) claims that “presently, English has a special status in more than seventy countries. One of the most important advantages of this spread is that currently English has become the most popular mode of communication among people of different languages or background, particularly in the fields of education, media, and medical science. Nowadays, people around world are able to understand and overcome communication barriers through the development of English, as a common way of providing knowledge and information. Consequently, this process of conveying information and knowledge is extremely prompted, aiding communication and cooperation among countries in many areas (Crystal, 2003). Doctors, for example, can communicate much easier by using one common language so that they can find solutions to diseases around the world. Because many people are able to share knowledge and ideas using the same language, there is less misunderstanding hence enhanced harmony among them. Even though English language appears to link English speaking countries with other countries in the world, a number of people see the language as a linguistic imperialism because the English language has dominated other native languages. There is a possibility that indigenous languages will lose their position and become marginalized as English continues to gain dominance in education, politics, media and business. According to Robert (1994), the spread of English often lead to marginalization of native languages. Mair (2009) defines English language as languages that control other languages. She calls it ‘’killer language’’. She continues to say that language cannot affect or kill. However, people who try to spread it by learning or teaching it are responsible for killing off identities, cultures and diversities of people who speak other indigenous languages. According to UNESCO, there are 7000 languages in the world, and 1/3 of these languages are at a risk of disappearing due to the introduction of the English language. Approximately, one language dies every two weeks; this means that at the end of the century 1/2 of the indigenous languages will have disappeared (Crystal, 2003). In a country like Australia, for example, hundreds of Aboriginal languages have disappeared, and a number of native speakers have shifted to English language. Another example is Asians countries that use English as second language; nearly a 1/3 of this population are currently using it in their everyday communication. What is lost when a language disappears? Being a bilingual person does not mean that the speaker will stop using the native language. Most people are forced to learn a second language due to obligations stated by schools or country of residence. Tollefson (2000:8) raises a paradox regarding the global spread of English. He says, “Although English is extensively seen as an answer to the economic accomplishment of nations and the economic welfare of individuals, the spread of English also puts in significant social, economic, and political inequalities’’. From a linguistic perspective, loss of a language could be tragic. Even though understanding different languages enabled one to view or describe life in different way, many parents tend to teach their children and the new generation a language can help them find jobs; they do not tend to consider protecting their native language. Once a language dies, it is hard to revive it again. Even so, there are a few languages which have been revived; Hebrew is a good example of such, and it has shown how language is linked with culture. Thus, if communities let their languages die then their identities are likely to die too (Robert, 2008). Moreover, language upholds human knowledge which may include medical and biological information. A lot of human’s natural knowledge is usually encoded by languages. Often Aboriginals groups that have interacted closely with the nature for many years have deep ideas and insights about the indigenous plants, animals, lands, values, traditions and customs. Most of this kind of knowledge is still un-documented and therefore, saving indigenous language from extinction will resultantly save this crucial knowledge. List of References Christian. M. 2009. The Politics of English as a World Language: New Horizons in Postcolonial cultural Studies (ASNEL paper 7). Amsterdam: Rodopi, pp, 39-60.  David, C. 2003. English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 7-14, 39-59. Kachru,B. 1991.World Englishes and applied linguistic in learning: keeping and using language. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, pp. 135-159. Phillipson, R. 1994. English language spread policy. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 107, p. 7-24. Phillipson, R. 2008. The linguistic imperialism of neoliberal empire. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies 5(1) p.1-43. Tollefson, J. 2000. Policy and ideology in the spread of English. in JK Hall & W Eggington (eds), The Sociopolitics of English Language Teaching, Multilingual Matters. Clevedon: Great Britain, pp. 7-21. Read More