A.P. Minyar-BeloroutchevaLomonosov Moscow State University

ENGLISH AS THE ACADEMIC

LINGUA FRANCAOF THE TWENTY FIRST

CENTURY

ENGLISH AS THE ACADEMIC LINGUA FRANCA

The inevitability of English to be an academic lingua franca of the

twenty first century was prepared by the previous

development of science and technology of Great Britain and

the USA.

English took the role earlier played by Latin in Europe

Language is the barometer of academic power

The Industrial Revolution with its three waves enriched the English vocabulary with new technical

terms that were coined on the basis of Classical

languages Started in Britain at the end of the 18th

century with the innovations of James Watt, Robert Stevenson, continued in the

19th centuries with the discoveries of Michael Faraday, and having reached

the 21st century with its digital manufacturing, the Industrial Revolution gave relevance to the English language fostering the emergence of academic

distinctive expressions and stylistic norms.

To keep pace with the achievements of the day the researchers of different

countries had to learn English as early as the 19th century

Having picked up the academic baton from its former Metropolitan country the US reached new heights in science and

technology to be the model for the researchers of the rest of the world, thus making English the academic

lingua franca.

Today the scientists and scholars of different cultures are holding

conferences, writing academic works and discussing academic issues in

English.

The usage of English as the academic lingua franca of the 21st century can guarantee the advance of humankind and make the dream of the Tower of

Babel builders come true who believed that the world could be better if

everyone on Earth spoke one universal

language.