English as a Global Language - Essay Example

English as a Global Language Advantages and Disadvantages Order No. 312144 Pages: 6 6530 I Introduction English as a Global language has revolutionized the world by bringing cultures together and making distance a forgotten memory! Joseph A. Foley (2007) comments on English as a Global language by stating that, The traditional ‘native speaker’ as final arbiter can only apply to English as a national language. It is the non-native speaker who is becoming the model for English as a global language.’ (Foley, 2007) The most formidable challenge that confronts people from different corners of the world is the linguistic barrier which stands in the way of progress. Therefore, in order to cross over or break this barrier, we had a dire need for a global language. This is where the English language comes into the picture by catering to this need. In lieu of this, we could consider the English language as a priceless gift to mankind because it has the capacity of not only spanning the entire globe, but also connecting people from different cultures and who speak in different tongues. The necessity of having a global language & its advantages and disadvantages) To be born a native speaker of English provides an individual with an immeasurable advantage in life. The world has never stopped singing its praises ever since its inception as a Global language. In fact, we could hardly find any corner of the earth untouched by English, which has undoubtedly become the unwritten code of communication at an international level. English as a global language has no end to its ‘advantages.’ (Crystal, 1997) Progress made in every field such as education, communication, travel, trade and commerce, economy, Science, medicine, astronomy, philosophy, Psychology and the media and entertainment industry is solely due to English being a Global language. On a much broader platform, English as a global language has served to draw nations together resulting in a multicultural atmosphere and engaging people to exchange their diversities while imbibing commonalities. Having seen the brighter side of a global language, let us now dig the flip side. However, the introduction of a foreign language to a diverse population comes at a price. More often than not, the implementation of a foreign language may adulterate or even result in the death of a local language. "A global language might cultivate an elite class with native speakers, who take advantage of the possibility to think and work quickly in their mother-tongue. If this was the case, they might manipulate it to their advantage at the expense of those who have another language as their mother-tongue and in this way create a linguistic gap between people."(Crystal 2003: 14-15) In the past, the dominance of newly introduced languages has killed other, more obscure languages which served locally as the native-tongues. After the Industrial Revolution during the early 18th century, scientific thought and innovation were given importance with its only rival being religion at that time. Countries like Italy, Germany, Great Britain, and later even the US stood at the fore-front of innovation. However, there was a seemingly major astronomical linguistic barrier that prevented the free flow of ideas between the scientists and philosophers of these countries. This lack of coordination due to their inability to share a common platform among themselves served to greatly delay or alter the outcome of many very useful and crucial scientific projects. Therefore, people came to understand the necessity of having a common language which would make communication much easier for them. A global language positively affects the ways in which the scientific community from around the world interacts, teaches and learns. A few decades ago, it was not unusual for a German scientist visiting English-speaking countries like the USA to face a few drawbacks with understanding the different dynamics, as they were unable to put their ideas precisely across to their counterparts who spoke a different language. In short, the necessity of English as a Global language cannot be denied. Contributing factors of the status of English as a Global language. Trade and Commerce has come a long way since the Barter system days where people used sign language when communicating with outsiders. English as a Global language has contributed immensely by revolutionizing the system of Trade and Commerce by making it flourish beyond imagination. Having English as a common language has helped to boost the growth of Trade and Commerce to great heights. Tourism got a major boost as English became the Global language and people found it much easier to communicate in a foreign land. Tourist spots took full advantage of the situation and expanded far and wide. Tourism serves to draw together people from different cultures, backgrounds and civilizations thereby providing them with a common platform from where they communicate. The divide has narrowed down as cultural exchanges become the norm of the day. Education, Trade and Commerce and Tourism are potent platforms for favorable cultural exchanges to take place. People learn from different cultures about their lifestyles, customs and traditions, religious ceremonies and festivals. This helps not only to increase their knowledge but also serves to help them have a broader outlook in life. Cross- cultural exchanges also foster co-operation and tolerance among cultures and decrease the risk of segregation and racial discrimination. Global attitudes towards a Global language. The rapid globalization of economies that started in the early 80s signaled that the world was not "big" anymore. People-to-people contact was limited to a few hundred miles during the Middle Ages with the exception of a few sailors and travelers. Today, the human population is bigger and still growing more rapidly than ever before. Advancements in communication technologies have made the world a very small place by enabling people from even the most isolated places communicate with each other. Most websites that carry information useful to people who seek such information are now in English. With the largest number of speakers for any language, English is now ruling the world. It is interesting to note that most of these speakers learn English as a second or a third language. It is now the Lingua-franca of most of the worlds countries because according to the opinions of people around the world, English has become indispensable. There was never a question of doubt or debate about people’s acceptance of English as a Global language. A global language can act as an instrument of social cohesion. The best example of this is a diverse country like India. Although the most widely spoken language is Hindi, it is English that acts as a liaison in this land of unparalleled diversity. The USA and the UK have a massive influx of immigrants every year who do not speak English as a native language. But they eventually settle in these countries and adopt English (as it is spoken in these countries) as their social language to help them blend in with the local population. Large numbers of foreign students travel to these developed countries to get a higher quality of education. This would be impossible if the foreign students did not know the native language of the countries they visit. So English is easily accepted by one and all around the world because people have come to understand that a common language like English helps them to make good progress in life. "One of the most notable features of globalization has been the outsourcing of services to countries with cheaper labor costs. Global English has helped accelerate this phenomenon and give India a competitive edge." says (David Graddol 2006, p 34). In his book, "English Next", David discusses the role of English as a Global language and the impact it has had on the economy, technology and the culture of the world. The concept of outsourcing works simply on the fact that work can be electronically transferred outside the borders of a nation to another nation where cheap labor is available in abundance. The only requirement here is that the country that receives a job needs to speak the language of the country that outsources the job. Armed with a largely young, English-speaking population, countries like India are set to take full advantage of outsourcing. China, in the meanwhile has not seen as much success with outsourced jobs that require linguistic skills, as India. Instead, China has always concentrated on attracting manufacturing jobs that do not require a person to know a specific language. China is now trying to catch up by teaching English as a second language in schools. A Global language does play a major role in determining the nature and the course of economic growth in a country. Arguments for and against the use of English as a global language English is the most widely spoken language around the world and hence it makes it much easier to have it as a Global language. Other languages around the world are spoken by a very minuscule section of the population when compared to the whole world. A human being is perfectly capable of speaking more than one language and it is possible to keep local languages alive. Hence, learning English as an extra language would prove to be more a boon than a bane because it would ensure great progress. There are many multi-lingual people on earth, and almost all of them have English as their prime language. It is possible to keep a traditional language alive while adopting a global language for other purposes. The advantages of global languages by far outweigh the disadvantages of having a global language. Since a good section of the population around the world have English as the mother-tongue, it makes it much easier to adapt to English as a global language. Moreover, English is a much easier language to learn and I don’t think people would find learning another language as easy as English. It is also very dynamic and flexible as a language. ‘Globally it is imposing itself as the language of business, aviation and scientific research.’ Kushner Eva, (2003) In other words, the ideal thing would be is to ‘accept English as a practical tool of communication without ceasing to strive for the maintenance and strength of other languages in symbiosis with their own cultures.’ Kushner Eva, (2003) Though it is really difficult to estimate the number of English speakers across the globe, recent research by David Graddol and David Crystal, both British linguists, show ‘that there could be as many as 1.2 – 1.5 billion speakers of English worldwide.’ (Anne Burns, 2003) Conclusion People who do not know English are at a great disadvantage because they would not be in a position to communicate outside their home country and hence progress would be very slow. Migrating abroad or touring would not be fun and interesting if they do not have English as their Global language. English is a much easier language to learn in comparison to other world languages because it is simple and with easy to understand system of phonetics. The pronunciation and meanings of words are much easier to grasp which makes communication all the more easy. Other languages have a very complicated system of alphabets and phonetics and the pronunciation and meanings of words are not easily understandable. For this reason English is considered to be the most suitable language for use globally. In conclusion I could say that in my opinion the advantages of English as a global language by far outweigh the disadvantages. Bibliography Anne Burns, (2003) Opportunities or Threats? The Case of English as a Global Language. Journal Article. Publishing Research Quarterly. Vol. 18, No. 4, pgs. 18 -25, Springer New York. www.springerlink.com/index/NJM7FJQ1167RN1QF.pdf Crystal David, (1997) English as a Global language. (Book Review) by Danny Yee, Cambridge University Press. David Gradoll (2006) English-Next British Council   Emilie Zelander (2004) English as a Global Language - Good or Bad? http://dooku.miun.se/engelska/englishB/languageprof/Student%20work/VT06/First%20final%20drafts/EmilieZelander_Essay.htm Foley A. Joseph, (2007) English as a Global Language, RELC Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1, 7-17.www.linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S037821660300170X Kushner Eva, (2003) English as a Global Language: Problems, Dangers and Opportunities. Diogenes, Vol. 50, No. 2, 17-23 (2003) Read More