English as a Global Language Global Perspectives Unit 2: Language and Communication.

English as a Global Language

Global Perspectives

Unit 2: Language and Communication

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Learning Objectives

• To reflect on own perceptions of speaking English

• To describe and explain the rise and impact of having English as global language

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Main Task: Video

• How does Professor Crystal answer the second learning objective of this lesson?

• Crystal’s main argument: what is it and what evidence is there to support it ?

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Why a Global Language?–David Crystal

• ‘English is the global language’

• “The British Empire may be in full retreat with the handover of Hong Kong. But from Bengal to Belize and Las Vegas to Lahore, the language of the scepter isle is rapidly becoming the first global lingua franca.” (‘97)

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• “ These are the kinds of statement which seem so obvious that most people would give them hardly a second thought.”

• “Of course English is a global language, they would say.”

• “You hear it on television spoken by politicians from all over the world. Wherever you travel you see English signs and advertisements…”

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• SO why is such a headline still news worthy?– English is not spoken by people everywhere

in the world.– It is not an official language in every country

in the world.

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• IF English is your mother tongue why would you have mixed feelings about this?– IS it a good thing? or bad?

• Good: pride that your language is the one which has been so successful

• Bad: that means that other people can change it without consulting you as an “authority” b/c you are a native speaker and they (for now) are not.– After all – who are they to abuse YOUR language?

• p. 694

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• If English becomes a global language it is no longer OWNED by anyone. – American speakers might gripe that they

cannot understand the tech support person in India who also grew up as a native speaker of English

– British speakers may look around and say • “Look what the Americans have done to English”

p.694

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• What if English is NOT your mother tongue:– Is your mother tongue not as valuable?– Do you need to learn English?

• “… it will take a great deal of effort to master it, and you may begrudge the effort. [However] you will feel pride in your achievement, and savor the communicative power at your disposal…

• but may feel that mother-tongue speakers of Eng. have an unfair advantage

• If you live in a country where… your own language is threatened by the success of English, you may feel envious, resentful or angry.”

– p. 695

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• What is a Global Language?– a language that has developed a special role

that is recognized in every country.– What is a “special role”?

• large numbers of people speak it as a mother tongue

– in case of Eng: USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, several Caribbean countries, and a few other territories.

– What about all the places that don’t speak English as a mother tongue?

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• There are two main ways in which a language can achieve this “special place” in non-mother tongue places.– It can be made an official language.

• One that is used as a medium of communication in domains such as government, law, media, education…

• Presumes that citizens will be able to master the language at an early age (Often described as a ‘second language – one that complements the mother tongue.)

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• There are two main ways in which a language can achieve this “special place” in non-mother tongue places.– It can be made an official language.

• English has achieved this status in over 70 countries in places such as Ghana, Nigeria, India, Singapore, Vanuatu, Rwanda…

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• There are two main ways in which a language can achieve this “special place” in non-mother tongue places.– It can be made a priority in the country’s

foreign-language teaching (without formal official status).

• The language most accessible to children in school• Most available to adults for continued education etc.• English is currently taught as a second language in

over 100 countries including China, Russia, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Brazil…

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• An “Official” language:– Sole official language of a country– Shared official status– ‘Semi-official’ status (only in certain domains)– Formally acknowledged in a constitution (e.g.

India).– Could be unmentioned – Britain (just understood)– Or even controversial as an Official language

(USA)

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• Factors:– historical tradition– political expediency– commercial, cultural, technological contact.– governmental financial support as a foreign

language– availability of resources for teaching

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• What makes a Global Language? p. 698

– not as much with # of those who speak it but rather who those speakers are.

– Latin was an international lang. not b/c it was spoken by more people but by the more powerful people.

– Other dominance factors:• Economic, technological, and cultural power

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• Language does not have an independent existence:– It only exists in the brains, mouths, ears,

hand, & eyes of those who use it.– Languages don’t become dominate because

they are more expressive, aesthetic, used for literature or religion.

– There is nothing inherently better about English

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• Some appealing things about English may be that it has familiarity due to the large amount of borrowed words (particularly with French)

• Possibly has a “simpler” structure (in comparison with German)

• Does not show power relationships (tu/vu) making it a more “democratic” language– (p. 699)

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• Some not so appealing things about English:– Prepositions– Spelling– etc.

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• “A language has traditionally become an international language for one chief reason:

• the power of its people – especially their political and military power.

• The history of a global language can be traced through the successful expeditions of its soldier/sailor speakers– (see examples p. 700 – Greek, Latin, Arabic,

Spanish, Portuguese, French)

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• HOWEVER, while military might can establish a language —

• a Powerful economy is needed to maintain and expand it.– Communication:

• telegraph, telephone, radio, TV…

– Commerce:• international marketing and advertising

– Entertainment:• Movies, Music, (maybe even video games)

– Education:• Drive to make progress in science and technology –

intellectual research and scholarship

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• at the beginning of the 19th century Britain had become a world leader in industry and trade

• “British political imperialism had sent English around the globe”

• “By the early 20th century the world presence was maintained and promoted through the economic supremacy of the new American superpower”

• “Economics replaced politics as the chief driving force. And the language behind the US $ was English”– p.700

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Example of English’s World Influence

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Example of English’s

World Influence

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Example of English’s

World Influence

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• Why do we need a Global Language? (p. 701)• There are limits to what can be done through

translations• Traditionally the “language contact” problem has

been solved by using a lingua franca (or common language).– sometimes in the form of a pidgin– sometimes as a particular indigenous language– (usually the language of the most powerful ethnic

group in the area)

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• Many times an “Outside” language is used b/c of the political, economic or religious influence of a foreign power.

• In historic times Latin was a lingua franca throughout the Roman Empire

• However many times a lingua franca extended only over a small community of speakers

• In modern times languages have developed major international roles in limited areas of the world – such as: Swahili, Arabic, Spanish, French, English ,

Hindi, Portuguese

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• The prospect that a lingua franca might be needed for the whole world is something that has emerged strongly only in the last half of the 20th century.– Particularly with development of organizations such as

the United Nations, World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, etc.

– The UN was established with 5 Official languages:• English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese

– (Note: “Half the budget of an international organization can easily get swallowed up in translation cost”).

• p. 702

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• What about international academic and business communities,

• Internet use and standards

• The UN – (started with 51 members in 1945)– as of 2002 was made up of 190 members

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• Dangers of A Global Language: (p. 704)– cultivate an elite monolingual social class who

have the advantage of being able to use it to get richer while those who are not as proficient or even ever exposed to it stay poor.

• (maybe this could be called linguistic prejudiceness or discrimination)

– Hasten the disappearance of minority languages (or make all other languages unnecessary).

– Others?

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• Advantages?– World wide communication– No need to learn other languages can focus

on more important matters.– Harmony and peace – no misunderstandings

• What about “civil” wars? (USA, Spain, Vietnam, former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland)

• Or others between “same language speakers”– American Revolution for instance

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• Other factors to be considered in a World Language:– Linguistic Power (p. 706)

• will those who speak it as mother tongue be at an advantage?• will research (etc.) carried out in other languages be ignored?

– Linguistic Complacency (p. 707)• questions of attitude and society not ability.• “It is all too easy to make your way in the world linguistically with

English as your mother tongue… We become lazy about learning other languages… We all have to make a greater effort. English may be the world language; but it is not the world’s only language and if we are to be good global neighbors we shall have to be less condescending to the languages of the world — more assiduous in cultivating acquaintance with them.

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• Other factors to be considered in a World Language:– Linguistic Power (p. 706)– Linguistic Complacency (p. 707)– Linguistic Death (p. 707 ff.)

• Language domination and death is independent of the emergence of a global language.

• possibly 50% or so of the world’s (6000 or so) languages will be lost in the next 100 years

• Emergence of a global language has only a limited causal relationship with these affairs.

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• Can anything stop a Global language?– a change in the global balance of power

• (would have to be very large to overcome the entrenchment of English at this point).

– IF machine translation could become a reality

Other thoughts?

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• “For [a number of reasons], all the signs suggest that this global language will be English. But there is still some way to go before a global lingua franca becomes a universal reality. Despite the remarkable growth in the use of English, at least 2/3 of the world population do not yet use it. In certain areas of the world, English has still a very limited presence. And in some countries, increased resources are being devoted to maintaining the role of other languages (such as the use of French in several countries in Africa). Notwithstanding the general world trend, there are many linguistic confrontations still to be resolved.” – p. 714

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• “Now, more than any time in linguistic history, [governments who wish to play their part in influencing the world’s linguistic future should there fore ponder carefully &] need to adopt long-term views, and plan ahead – whether their interests are to promote English or to develop the use of other languages in their community (or, of course, both). If they miss this linguistic boat, there may be no other.” – p. 714

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Impact of English in the World

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Census of Widely Spoken Lgs.— Ethnologue 15, 2005Language L1 Speakers (in

millions)L1 + L2 spk

1 Chinese (Mandarin)

873 1,051

2 Spanish 322 382

3 English 309 508

4 Arabic 206 452

5 Hindi 181 301

6 Portuguese 177 192

7 Bengali 171 211

8 Russian 145 255

9 Japanese 122 123

10 German 95 123

Vietnamese 67 67

Korean 67 67

French 65 114

Indonesian 23 163

http://www.enthologue.com

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References (maps and graphs)

• Graddol, D. et al. 1996. English: History, Diversity, and Change. New York, Rutledge. – Map of English-based pidgins and creoles (p. 209)– A representation of English in the world. (inside front

cover)

• Mesthrie, R. & Bhatt, R. M. 2008. World Englishes: The Study of New Linguistic Varieties. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.– McArthur’s Circle Map of World English (p. 28)– Kachru’s Circle model of World English (p. 30)

The Future

(English Only?)

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Consider the Following Quote:

• If you know only one language, you're a prisoner, stuck in the tyranny of that one language. -Andrew Cohen, professor of linguistics (1944- )

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Reflect: On the rise of English

• How do you think an English only policy conflict with the freedom of speech? Etc

• What do we lose by having one language?

English as a Global Language Global Perspectives Unit 2: Language and Communication.

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Transcript of English as a Global Language Global Perspectives Unit 2: Language and Communication.