Global Spread of English - Article Example

Argument Name Course Lecturer Argument Causes of the Global Spread of English Language forms an important aspect in any society. The instrument of language was used by the Europeans in the quest to attain dominance of the world. In all the countries that were under the British colonization English was engaged as the language of power. Thus language is considered as the most durable legacy of colonialism. In almost every colony the aspect of language was considered as important aspect that the colonies were able to pass on to the colonized nations. Hence English in most countries was considered as a major ingredient to economic success. Therefore the need for a form of communication that would enable the growth of business in many countries. In order to enhance the growth of business there was need to formulate a communication process that would serve a universal purpose. Due to business oriented communication there was the spread of English. The spread of English is attributed to the utopian dream whereby national language played an important role in the unification process of distinct nation states. There was therefore the need for an international language that would facilitate the communication among governments in sectors such as business and industry, science and technology and education (Mahboob, 2009). It was therefore argued that a common language that would be used as a common medium of communication among governments would reduce the probability of occurrence of conflicts among nations. In this case English was considered as a suitable language that would be adopted by countries in order to foster the communication process internationally. English was regarded as a primary language of international communication due to the fact that the British Empire during the nineteenth century and after the Second World War gained economic and political dominance. The spread of English was further accelerated by the collapse of the Soviet Union. Therefore the spread of English attained an international status basically among cross cultural communication. The main aspects that accelerated the spread of English involve the need for an international medium of communication that would foster economic and social integration among nations. In addition the spread of English was further instigated by language policy that involved in the spread of the language. In this sense language policy refers to a wide range of both governmental and non-governmental activities that are designed for the purpose of influencing language acquisition and language use. The government policies therefore contributed to the spread of English to a great extent as the government involved in making choices in regards to the type of language to be engaged in schools and as a medium of communication (Phillipson & Skutnabb-Kangas 1996). Advantages and Disadvantages of the spread of English The spread of English involves both advantages and disadvantages. English language as a form of communication offers advantage for some individuals and groups while at the same time provides serious disadvantages to some groups or individuals. Assumptions are made that English as a language and means of communication offers an economic advantage to individuals and countries. The spread of English came with the advantage of gaining a higher status in the society. The higher status that is acquired through the use of English language enables individuals to possess a high standing within the society both socially and economically. Language learning forms an influential method of developing fresh behaviors that can be used to prompt higher status. In addition English offers educational and economic chances to individuals. Economic opportunities involves the fact that individuals will be in a position to engage in trade internationally to enhance their business. In relation to education individuals will have an advantage of acquiring more knowledge and skills since most education programs are formulated through the use of the English language (Phillipson, 2000). In the attainment of education the population will be able to gain more employment or job opportunities across the globe since most employment agencies require that an individual has a proficiency in English as a language. English as a language promotes incorporation together with intercultural understanding within a particular population. The main disadvantage of English involves the fact that due to the widespread of the language other minority languages are considered inferior. This in turn leads to such minority languages being viewed with a lot of suspicion. More concentration and focus has been laid on learning English in many countries hence contributing to the erosion of culture. Culture and language are interrelated and therefore one cannot function without the help of the other. Due to the fact that more emphasis is being laid on learning English language such that other minority languages has been forgotten and in turn the results of erosion of culture being felt. Culture erosion occurs in situations whereby emphasis is focused on one language that is considered international and therefore the minority languages being forgotten and erosion of the minority language culture. In the process of learning English language certain cultural values that accompany the language are adopted by the English language learners. It is also argued that English acts as a barrier rather than a source of opportunities. English acts as a hindrance to job and employment opportunities and education chances (Canagarajah, 1999). Language Disappearance The spread of English to international levels enabled the English language to be regarded as more superior as compared to other minority languages for instance German and French. English learning was therefore introduced in school through the use of various means and textbooks. This was due to the fact that English was considered a Lingua Franca or the common language by international standards. English as an international language was used in various conferences worldwide and as a means of communication throughout the world. In this case English as a language was viewed as providing individuals with certain advantages and opportunities as opposed to other languages. More emphasis was put on English learning as a prospect for countries to attain economic advantage or engage in the communication process with other nations. In many countries English was therefore used as a means of communication or integrated in the education curriculum making it mandatory for students to learn English as it was the only medium of communication within the school context. The Islamic countries too embraced English as a language in various ways through learning the English language and incorporating it with various languages in their countries. As a result of putting more emphasis on English learning and language as an international means of communication other minority languages gradually disappeared. Thus the emphasis on English as a language led to the disappearance of the minority languages as they failed to be recognized internationally. Such minority languages were only used in the context of their existence in particular countries (Tsuda, 1992). The disappearance of the minority language further instigated the use of English in major conferences across the world. With the spread of the English language attributed to the colonial era during colonization, the British Empire became superior both economically and socially in terms of the English language use. After the colonization period the British colonized countries adopted the use of English in their countries making English language more superior. The colonized nations through the adoption of English language as a means of communication and trade led to the disappearance of other minority language within the respective countries. With English language being superior to other languages there were a lot of inequalities both economically and socially among the minority groups or the non-English speakers worldwide. The differences between the English language as a superior language and the minority languages on one hand. The disparity between English and the minority languages led to the sources of inequalities in language and the eventual disappearance of the minority language as English gained supremacy worldwide. The disappearance of language involves individuals to lose their identity and self-esteem. Through the process of language disappearance the culture of individuals is also lost. This is due to the fact that language and culture are correlated in many aspects and one cannot function without the other one (Tollefson, 2000). British English vs. Singaporean English Within the ideal context all English speakers would engage in the process of speaking the same language involving the use of the same accent, use similar spellings and utilize the same vocabulary. In regards to the real setting globally the number of English learners and speakers are on the rise hence the diverse variations of the English language itself. British English in this sense is considered more superior that the Singaporean type of English. The variation lies in the aspects of accent, spellings, pronunciations and the vocabulary employed in the usage of the British English language. The superiority lies in the fact that British English is regarded as royal English or the Queen’s English. Thus the British type of English is usually associated with royalty as it was spoken during the queen’s regime. Its royalty involves the utilization of a unique type of accent that is usually associated with royalty and power. This is also the reason why the British English gained a lot of supremacy during the colonization period. The British English was imparted on the colonies gained by British that eventually led to supremacy both socially and economically of the British Empire (Seidlhofer, 2001). The superiority of the British English has led to the incorporation of various countries with the British English together with its accent, vocabulary and spellings. The type of English that is taught within Singaporean schools is founded on British English but the spoken Singaporean English differs from the British English. An important aspect of the British English involves the prestige that is associated with the language. Hence in Singapore English speakers with British accent are generally linked with such values and qualities as intelligence an elevated social standing and higher level of education. Most Singaporean English speakers involve the use of a foreign accent in the speaking for prestige among other reasons. However, making a transformation in the Singaporean education system may lead to the erosion of the Singaporean local identity through the promotion of the foreign language, accent and vocabulary. This may lead to Children in Singapore identifying with the foreign language and concepts by terming it as superior to their own culture, identity and language (Jenkins, 2006). List of References Mahboob A, 2009, English as an Islamic language: a case study of Pakistani English, World Englishes, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 175–189. Phillipson, R. & Skutnabb-Kangas, R. 1996, English only world-wide or language ecology?, TESOL Quarterly, vol. 30, issue 3, pp. 429-452. Phillipson R, 2000, Language Policy and Linguistic Imperialism, Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Article Canagarajah, S., 1999, Resisting linguistic imperialism in English teaching, Oxford University press. Tsuda. Y., 1992, The dominance of English and linguistic discrimination. Media Development, 16, 32-34. Tollefson, J. 2000, 'Policy and ideology in the spread of English', in J. K. Hall & W. Eggington, eds, The Sociopolitics of English Language Teaching, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon, Great Britain. Seidlhofer, B., 2001, closing a conceptual gap: the case for a description of English as a lingua Franca. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 11/2: 133-58. Jenkins J., 2006, Current Perspectives on Teaching World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca, King’s College London, England, TESOL Quarterly, 40: 1 , pp. 157-181 Read More