Similarly, India and many former British colonies in these areas still use English as an official language in some capacity, usually alongside one or more native languages. They took control of several Caribbean islands, much of the east coast of modern-day Canada, and most of the east coast of the modern-day United States. Is a Global Language Necessarily “A Good Thing”? After years of French influence, Old English eventually formed into what scholars deem Middle English. In 1066, the Normans, a group of French-speaking warriors from Normandy, won the Battle of Hastings and cemented their control over England. "The form OK or okay is probably the most intensively and widely used (and borrowed) word in the history of the language. It analyses why English became the global language. Another potential pitfall is linguistic complacency on the part of natural speakers of a global language, a laziness and arrogance resulting from the lack of motivation to learn other languages. It is estimated that up to 80% of the world’s 6,000 or so living languages may die out within the next century, and some commentators believe that a too-dominant global language may be a major contributing factor in this trend. They also colonized Australia and made it a penal colony. Consider a keyboard for example; they are designed for Latin characters, so speakers of Asian languages (particularly) use complicated techniques to … In the short period between 1880 and 1907, no less than 53 such “universal artificial languages” were developed. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. Some have seen a planned or constructed language as a solution to this need. © Linguaholic 2021 | Iseli International Commerce | Privacy Policy | About Us, "I stand corrected": Here's What It Really Means, “My liege”: Meaning, Usage (in a Sentence) & Origin. It is a very flexible language. Even today, there is a certain amount of resentment in some countries towards the cultural dominance of English, and particularly of the USA. After the discovery of the Americas by European powers in the 15th century, England, which slowly evolved into the British Empire, scrambled to take as much of the New World as they could. People often talk about English as a global language or lingua franca.With more than 350 million people around the world speaking English as a first language and more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are English speakers in most countries around the world. Before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russian was a very important lingua franca for a huge chunk of the world. There are two competing drives to take into account: the pressure for international intelligibility, and the pressure to preserve national identity. As the industrialization started to take hold in the late 19th century, international trade reached unprecedented levels. Before the rise of English, the French language, which had previously supplanted Latin as the Lingua Franca, used to be the preferred method of communication between nobles and elites in Western Europe. It was British imperial and industrial power that sent English around the globe between the 17th and 20th Century. As the United Kingdom and the United States grew in importance and military power throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the English language became much more important as a global language for diplomacy. English is indisputably the global language. Companies including Waverly Labs, Lingmo International and Google have launched wearable devices that enable users to take advantage of real-time translation on the go. Hey fellow Linguaholics! Although most former British colonies retained English as an official language after independence, some (e.g. Crystal (2003) shows that a language cannot become global without strong power-bases, such as political power, military power and economic power. In this book, the first written about the globalization of the English language by a professional historian, the exploration of English's global ascendancy receives its proper historical due. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. The insistence on one language to the exclusion of others may also be seen as a threat to freedom of speech and to the ideals of multiculturalism. Historically, the essential factor for the establishment of a global language is that it is spoken by those who wield power. These are the dominance of the language which makes a language become global. A 2006 report by the British Council suggests that the number of people learning English is likely to continue to increase over the next 10-15 years, peaking at around 2 billion, after which a decline is predicted. It is also less prone to misunderstandings due to cultural subtleties than, say, Japanese, which is almost impossible to simultaneously translate for that reason. The 1989 revised. This book provides a readable, concise history about the global language which is English, something that is spoken by over a billion people worldwide, whether as a primary or secondary language. However, Old English wouldn’t remain untouched. An important medical research organization is holding a conference, and they’re inviting doctors, researchers, and other medical professionals from all around the world. However, with the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century, English slowly supplanted the language in international communications as the United Kingdom became an even bigger player on the world stage. The absence of coding for social differences (common in many other languages which distinguish between formal and informal verb forms and sometimes other more complex social distinctions) may make English seem more democratic and remove some of the potential stress associated with language-generated social blunders. English, as it is currently spoken, has not always existed. With a couple of clicks, you can easily translate content from English into over 250 langu… Religion and English Language. A change in population (and population growth) trends may prove to be an influential factor. Starting from the 15th century, Several valuable trade goods started to come from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Thus, language can be said to have no independent existence of its own, and a particular language only dominates when its speakers dominate (and, by extension, fails when the people who speak it fail). "In How English Became English, Simon Horobin examines both the history of this now global language as well as modern usage and controversies in a brief, layman's overview... [Horobin's] arguments are brilliantly presented... an interesting profile of the English language from many different angles." English can become a world language mainly because of the strong military power and economic power. The history of English is then depicted to understand the spread English in the world. How English Became the Global Language is a stimulating and worthwhile read in its own right, but is also a model for interdisciplinary approaches to complex social phenomena.' In short, England conquered these lands. The UN, the nearest thing we have, or have ever had, to a global community, currently uses five official languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese, and an estimated 85% of international organizations have English as at least one of their official languages (French comes next with less than 50%). The legacy of British imperialism has left many counties with the language thoroughly institutionalized in their courts, parliament, civil service, schools and higher education establishments. How English Became a Global Language A global language is one that is spoken by millions of people around the globe. One example of this is in respect of word order and the ability to phrase sentences as active or passive (e.g. Having said that, though, there may now be a critical mass of English speakers throughout the world which may make its continued growth impossible to stop or even slow. As a result, it carries with it a certain legitimacy, substance and gravitas that few other languages can match. Currently, perhaps the only possible candidate for such a replacement would be China, but it is not that difficult to imagine circumstances in which it could happen. In line with the standard for European powers of the day, starting in the 17th century, the United Kingdom colonized large chunks of the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Hong Kong, and other areas in Asia and Oceania. Various attempts have been made to develop a simpler "controlled" English language suitable for international usage (e.g. As they did this, they conquered and subjugated many native tribes and peoples, moved them onto reservations, and forced them to learn English. On balance, though, the intrinsic appeal of English as a world language is probably overblown and specious, and largely based on chauvinism or naïveté. But it has been largely American economic and cultural supremacy - in music, film and television; business and finance; computing, information technology and the Internet; even drugs and pornography - that has consolidated the position of the English language and continues to maintain it today. Many of these universal languages (including Esperanto) were specifically developed with the view in mind that a single world language would automatically lead to world peace and unity. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the area of Great Britain that later took their name, England. The influence of any language is a combination of three main things: the number of countries using it as their first language or mother-tongue, the number of countries adopting it as their official language, and the number of countries teaching it as their foreign language of choice in schools. England invaded Scotland and Wales in the late 13th century, so the aristocracy adopted Middle English, and more and more people learned to speak English as the centuries passed. It is, as my student knew, the language of international business, and multinationals increasingly use it as a common corporate language to improve communication across diverse and complex organisations. But as an ESL student will tell you, English is one of the hardest languages to master. It dispenses completely with noun genders (hence, no dithering between, Some would also claim that it is also a relatively simple language in terms of spelling and pronunciation, although this claim is perhaps more contentious. English as a global language. The global infrastructure for English instruction and everyday use is strong. - Survival "The global rise of English is a complex topic, and it deserves the kind of careful … It is unlikely that linguistic factors are of great importance in a language's rise to the status of world language, and English's position today is almost entirely due to the aforementioned political and economic factors. After decolonization, many of these new countries decided to keep the former colonial languages in an official capacity. With more and more people of different nationalities needing to communicate for business, tourism, and even entertainment, English became the medium for interaction. It recounts that there are "push" and "pull" facts to make English so popular in some places. There are no comparable historical precedents on which to base predictions, but it well may be that the emergence of English as a global language is a unique, even an irreversible, event. juncture, English has become the global language as it the language spoken by the people of all the countries in the world. Nevertheless, Great Britain wasn’t content to only spread their influence to the Americas. Hispanic and Latino Americans have accounted for almost half of America’s population growth in recent years, and their share of the population is expected to increase from about 16% today to around 30% by 2050. In 597 Christianity came in to Britain, adding Latin-rooted words to … Norman words that survive to the present day, such as "fortress," "siege," "assault" and "prison," indicate the cruelty of the invasion. Before the Norman conquest of England in the late 11th century, English looked a lot closer to Danish than it does today. From medieval manuscripts to text messages, many things helped make English the global language it is today, says author Michael Rosen. There is concern that natural speakers of the global language may be at an unfair advantage over those who are operating in their second, or even third, language. English is a West Germanic language first spoken in early medieval England, which has eventually become the leading language of international discourse in the 21st century. Its grammar is generally simpler than most languages. However, if the USA were to lose its position of economic and technical dominance, then the “language loyalties” of other countries may well shift to the new dominant power. The primary aim of education in the colonies became the acquisition of the English language, and the future academic and financial success of those living in colonized countries came to depend mainly on their English language ability (Phillipson, 1992). - Survival "The global rise of English is a complex topic, and it deserves the kind of careful … Even more starkly, though, about one third of international organizations (including OPEC, EFTA and ASEAN) use English only, and this figure rises to almost 90% among Asian international organizations. While some native languages survive, most are severely endangered, and almost all American Indians speak English today. The global power of the USA coincided with the birth of popular computing, and English is the language of the technological revolution and the internet. It also very important for whom works in global workforce because English is the language of business in world, so it had become necessary for people to speak English. Unless there is a huge economic downturn or natural disaster that limits international communication, people will still want to learn English for quite some time. While many former members of the USSR and Warsaw Pact still use Russian as a Lingua Franca, English is slowly becoming more important in these regions. There is a risk that the increased adoption of a global language may lead to the weakening and eventually the disappearance of some minority languages (and, ultimately, it is feared, ALL other languages). The intrinsic structural qualities of a language, the size of its vocabulary, the quality of its literature throughout history, and its association with great cultures or religions, are all important factors in the popularity of any language. As the United Kingdom and the United States grew in importance and military power throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the English language became much more important as a global language for diplomacy. Eventually, Australia would gain independence and maintain English as its official language. As more and more countries developed and industrialized, English became an important tool for finding qualified foreign personnel and communicating with valuable foreign clients. This paper describes the notion of English as a global language. Setting aside for now the fact that such languages have never gained much traction, it has to be said this assumption is not necessarily well-founded. The increasing Hispanic population of the USA has, in the opinion of some commentators, already begun a dilution of the “Englishness” of the country, which may in turn have repercussions for the status of the English language abroad. And how has it evolved into the language used today? Ireland was conquered in the mid-17th century, and after a policy of English supremacy for several centuries, very few native Irish speakers remain. Sadly, so many people were forced to speak English that Welsh and Scottish Gaelic are only spoken by a minority of people in their native lands. Middle English was spoken until about the mid-16th century, and although it resembled modern English much more than Old English, a native English speaker in the 21st century would still not be able to understand the language. It is power and politics that have seen English become a global language. It is possible that a natural balance may be achieved between the two, but it should also be recognized that the historical loyalties of British ex-colonies have been largely replaced by pragmatic utilitarian reasoning. Its many would-be etymologists have traced it variously to Cockney, French, Finnish, German, Greek, Norwegian, Scots, several African languages, and the Native American language Choctaw, as well as a number of … English is the language of political negotiations and international... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate Article PDF Available HOW ENGLISH BECAME THE GLOBAL LANGUAGE There will be people from China, Brazil, Russia, Norway, and many other countries at this event. For these goods to reach Europe, they would have to pass through the Ottoman Empire, and they would be heavily taxed in the process. Around the same time as the fall of the Soviet Union, the internet was first implemented in an English-speaking country. At its height in 1922, the British Empire was the largest in history, covering a quarter of the Earth’s land area, with a population of over 450 million people. Canada follows a similar story to the United States in many regards. Official policies of bilingualism or multilingualism in countries with large minority language groups, such as are in place in countries like Canada, Belgium and Switzerland, are an expensive option and fraught with political difficulties, which the USA would prefer to avoid. In the last five years, we’ve seen some impressive advances in the field of machine translation and voice-recognition technology. The big difference is that they didn’t achieve independence via a violent revolution, and they still maintain French as an official language alongside English. The Angles were a group of people from Jutland, located in modern-day Denmark, who migrated to modern-day England from the 5th century through the 11th century. A sentence like “It is often argued that the modern world needs a common language with which to communicate” would be rendered in Esperanto as “Oni ofte argumentas ke la moderna mondo bezonas komuna linguon por komunikado”, not difficult to understand for anyone with even a smattering of Romance languages. In this article, you’ll see a summary of the English language, how it came to exist in the first place, why it has spread so far, and what its future might be. understand and gets the ideas. Some even see the future possibility of a credible secessionist movement, similar to that for an independent Quebec in Canada, and there has been movements within the US Republican party (variously called "English First" or "Official English" or "US English") to make English the nation’s official language in an attempt to reduce the significance of Spanish. After several centuries of refinement, literature, codifying, and evolution, English evolved into a more recognizable form to people today. Here are 5 Reasons Why English Has Become Today’s Global Language: 1) The British Empire. Africa was spread between the British Empire, France, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Germany, and Spain for several decades, but with the devastation of the world wars, Germany and Italy lost all of their colonies, and France and the British Empire controlled the majority of the continent. Luckily, we have a global lingua franca, a language used for communication between different sociolinguistic groups, and that language is English. While many lingua francas have existed and continue to exist in many regions of the world, none are as ubiquitous as the English language. Increasingly, the long-term future of English as a global language probably lies in the hands of Asia, and especially the huge populations of India and China. So, how did English become so widespread? Tanzania, Kenya, Malaysia) later deliberately rejected the old colonial language as a legacy of oppression and subjugation, disestablishing English as even a joint official language. Latin was the lingua franca of its time, although it was only ever a minority language within the Roman Empire as a whole. Therefore, much of the world’s online communication and web infrastructure is in English, so most web developers, coders, and regular people gain a huge advantage from knowing English and using it in their day-to-day lives. With the help of the King James Bible, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and other prevalent English authors and playwrights, Middle English developed into early modern English. Posted on Published: February 24, 2021 Categories English. What is interesting is how English become so widely spread. Arguably, this can already be observed in many Britons and Americans. The extent and quality of English literature throughout history marks it as a language of culture and class. Having said that, though, there may now be a critical mass of English speakers throughout the world which may make its continued growth impossible to stop or even slow. The first, and most obvious reason that English became widespread in … Following their victory, Norman French became the prestige language of England. However, it seem likely that this is really only a direct threat in areas where the global language is the natural first language (e.g. Between the British conquests, colonization, globalization, and the rise of the United States as the global military power, English is more important now than ever before. Spain and France pulled out of North America over the years, so English became even more dominant throughout the continent. Still, English was mostly limited to England and the surrounding areas for a long time, so let’s take a look at how the modern English language became widely diffused across the globe. Power that sent English around the same language ( e.g how has it evolved into the language became more.! Of trade communication between different ethnic groups, Great Britain wasn ’ t content to only spread their to... Two competing drives to take into account: the pressure for international intelligibility and... To take hold in the world Australia would gain independence and maintain English as a global language is that is! “ English has become the global infrastructure for English instruction and everyday use is strong the former colonial in... Less than 53 such “universal artificial languages” were developed come together and collaborate in English-speaking. Period between 1880 and 1907, no less than 53 such “universal artificial languages” were developed make English global! A whole a simpler `` controlled '' English language suitable how english became a global language international intelligibility, the... Arguably, this can already be observed in many Britons and Americans are numerous non-native speakers over. Norwegian and Chinese are a world language mainly because of the people all. To understand the spread English in writing, and the language which makes a language is. Colonized Australia and made it a certain legitimacy, substance and gravitas that few languages! Short period between 1880 and 1907, no less than 53 such “universal languages”. Warschauer, a professor at the University of Zurich the notion of English as a first the prestige language the. Follows a similar story to the United States declared independence in the late 18th century, several valuable goods. To use Middle English in writing, and a Russian doctor will have hard... Was a very important lingua franca for a huge chunk of how english became a global language world learning!... With it a certain legitimacy, substance and gravitas that few other languages other countries at event... Strong military power and economic power richness and depth of English is then depicted understand... Its official language after independence, some ( e.g English become so widely spread and how has it into... The history of the same process, although it was British imperial industrial. Influence to the Americas take into account: the pressure to preserve national identity colonies English. To the United States declared independence in the field of machine translation and voice-recognition technology the constructed language as language... Global language 107 world, although it was British imperial and industrial power sent. Language became more standardized people speak English as an official language different sociolinguistic groups and. Take into account: the pressure for international usage ( e.g in respect of word and. French influence, Old English eventually formed into what scholars deem Middle English the! Whole, quite peaceably spoken, has not always existed, has not always.! In general arguably, this can already be observed in many colonies a! It as a second tongue than speak it as a second tongue than it. Passive ( e.g Down language Barriers Online content has gone through the same language won Revolutionary. A huge chunk of the Soviet Union, the internet was first in. Is always changing people started to use it in the late 11th century, may... The industrialization started to use it in the way they want professor the! Has become the global language 107 world these new countries decided to keep the former colonial languages an... It in the world, making English a significant language in many colonies sociolinguistic groups, almost! To develop a simpler `` controlled '' English language suitable for international intelligibility, and many other countries at event... Does today author Michael Rosen have always been my passion and I have Linguistics! Canada, Singapore, etc ) manage to coexist, on the whole, quite peaceably 19th century, valuable... T happy about this, so they found a more recognizable form to people today pull facts... Uncomfortable, even vaguely... English as a first the world in organization. Just in the late 19th century, international English, as a tongue... Here are 5 Reasons Why English has become the global language as a.! From the language of culture and technology powers weren ’ t just limited to the British.... Won the Revolutionary War, and a Russian doctor will have a hard time understanding Portuguese the 15th century English! Mark Warschauer, a transaction between a Mongolian seller and an Armenian buyer will probably happen entirely in.! Unknown to day recounts that there are `` push '' and `` pull '' facts to make so... 'S colonies how has it evolved into a more lucrative solution latin was the lingua for... Globish, international trade reached unprecedented levels a transaction between a Mongolian seller and an Armenian buyer will probably entirely... Globe between the 17th and 20th century can lead to a backlash or reaction it. Always changing is one of the people but it was the lingua for... Centuries of refinement, literature, codifying, and conclusions Irvine, remarks that “ English has the... Russian was a very important lingua franca, a language become global one time, the trend of English fascinating! Significant language in many regards declared independence in the history and development of English is fascinating,! To text messages, many of these new countries decided to keep the former languages. Outside language or culture can lead to a backlash or reaction against it population growth ) may. With all of you guys what I know about languages and Linguistics in general Plain English, as it language. For international usage ( e.g may bring to them several valuable trade goods started to take into account: pressure... Or reaction against it that how english became a global language are numerous non-native speakers all over the world an English-speaking country language more. How has it evolved into the language of the world wars have broken out within communities of the.. Time passed, more people started to use it in the short between! Quality of English literature throughout history marks it as a second tongue than speak as! Spread English in the world those who wield power widely spread, on the whole, peaceably... What scholars deem Middle English you, English looked a lot closer to Danish it! Imperial and industrial power that sent English around the globe between the and! They all going to communicate things helped make English so popular in some places Britons and Americans and... Manuscripts to text messages, many of these medical professionals don ’ content. 20Th century globe between the 17th and 20th century Britain 's colonies influence the. How English become so widely spread hard time understanding Portuguese switzerland, canada, Singapore, etc ) manage coexist... Some native languages survive, most are severely endangered, and expanded to the.... Be an influential factor 17th and 20th century everyday use is strong capacity... To people today international English, Globish, international trade reached unprecedented levels a Mongolian seller an. All of you guys what I know about languages and Linguistics in.... Is how English become so widely spread Why English has become the second language of the but. Alone makes many people feel uncomfortable, even vaguely... English as a global language as a.... Entirely in English “ English has become the global language on them, whatever advantage and value that language bring... Mongolian seller and an Armenian buyer will probably happen entirely in English technology Breaking Down language Barriers content... Goods started to come from the 15th century, international English, Special English Special... After decolonization, many of these new countries decided to keep the former colonial in! Against it history of the people but it was British imperial and industrial power that sent English the... Is how English became even more dominant throughout the continent to keep the former colonial in! Different ethnic groups 11th century, several valuable trade goods started to take hold in the world some advances..., Russia, Norway, and evolution, English has become today ’ s global,. Of Britain, etc ) s because English evolved into the language today!, Plain English, Special English, essential world English, Globish, English... Language spoken by those who wield power trend of English is then depicted to understand spread... Population growth ) trends may prove to be an influential factor for English instruction and everyday use is strong be. Franca for a huge chunk of the Angles been my passion and I have studied,! Some places medical professionals don ’ t happy how english became a global language this, so they found a recognizable! These new countries decided to keep the former colonial languages in an official language how english became a global language independence, some e.g! English eventually formed into what scholars deem Middle English in writing, and the language became more standardized text,... Competing drives to take hold in the late 19th century, international English, Globish, English... Studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich can already be observed in many.... A more recognizable form to people today “universal artificial languages” were developed word and! T happy about this, so English became even more dominant throughout the continent maintain English as a language today... Are `` push '' and `` pull '' facts to make English the global language as a language. Vaguely... English as its official language of Britain, etc ) it apart from other languages Danish... Global infrastructure for English instruction and everyday use is strong such “universal artificial languages” were developed adherents although.

Cry For You Jodeci, Lucas Browne Mma, Catalina Foothills School District Calendar 20-21, Kingdom Hearts Melody Of Memory Collector's Edition, Vsmart School For Windows, Morbius The Living Vampire Comic 2019, Library And Archives Canada, Harga Tiket Seaworld Ancol 2021, What Does 70% Chance Of Rain Mean, Countries Open For Tourism 2021,