The Effects Of Globalisation On English Lingua Franca

The article ‘My Two Lives’ which that highlights the concept of ‘Language and Society’ published by the Newsweek, inspires this task. Language is both a system of communication between individuals and a social phenomenon. The area of language and society, sociolinguistics, is intended to show how such factors as class, gender, race, and more govern our use of language. In short, language constitutes humans and their identities. All people either utilize varieties of a language or use two or more languages to respond to a whole range of affective and interpersonal demands; language by depiction must be defined as multilingualism.

Language plays a significant role in defining who we are. It is a method of communication in a structured and conventional way. “Language reinforces feelings of social superiority or inferiority; it creates insiders and outsiders” (p. 242) states Robert MacNeil (2012) in his article “English Belongs to Everybody”.

Language has been an integral part of human existence since the dawn of time. Our innate ability to communicate has guided the progress of civilization since its modest beginnings and facilitates our understanding of what it means to be human. The only practical way to thoroughly express one’s identity is through language, whether it be verbal speech or written text. It is only through this medium that we are able to fulfill our roles as a social people, who use discourse to cultivate relationships both on a personal and communal level. Language defines the human notion of self by revealing culture and beliefs, making individuality context-specific, and providing identity markers.

With the globalization, the English Language became the main language of the communication in the world. In this perspective, Dennis Baron discusses in his article Who Owns Global English” the omnipresence and the prevalence of the English in today’s society. For Dennis Baron, English has become the key success in the world platform.

English as we know it is indeed the dominant language, but does that mean everyone should learn it? Should English be the global language? Should you have to know English to communicate if you are someone that lives in a place where the native language is something different? The answer is no. However, first you must consider the statement “It is a fact that English is the dominant language in the world today. Everyone, in every country, in order to participate in the modern world, should learn English. After all, a language is just a random collection of words, so how hard can it be”. Personally, I believe it is tremendously difficult to learn a new language as an adult, but in order to make the world go round, we all should know more than one language; no one language should rule. Barbara Wallraff, David Crystal, and John Tagliabue share a few words that connect to the statement to show their personal mindset behind English being a global language. In this essay, I will extract statements from each of the authors that explain their views on a global language to support my overall perception.

In the same manner as James Baldwin, I defend language to be a political instrument and the most crucial key to identity, in most cases. Language expresses the identity of the human; thus, connecting local and widespread communities. First impressions depict one’s identity among a group, from the moment one opens their mouth, their language outputs an impression in as short as seven seconds.

Reading and learning from other author’s conversations has been very intriguing and I am excited to join the conversation. In this essay, I will be digging deeper into three texts and using them to formulate a claim about language. Language is interesting to study because it is so important to everyone in the world. Language separates people and brings people together. It can cause mass destruction and solve world problems. On a social side, language can be a barrier for some and a way to take advantage of others. Without a solid control of language, people may struggle in society. My argument is that control over language is unfair to certain individuals because it leads to discrimination, lack of power, and negative social identity.

Language may be the most important part of identity. Language takes an identity from being an individual trait, and transforms it into a social one. The problem with language being a part of a person’s identity is that there are many languages and not all languages are seen as equal. Anzaldua and Fanon address how some languages are seen as inferior and establish an us and them mentality within nations and cultures. Fanon takes the approach of becoming the us or superior language and culture, while Anzaldua makes the claim that a person is able to be a part of more than one culture and language without losing ones own. Anderson uses language to establish the origins of language-based separation based on the us and them concept as well as nations.

“One out of four of the world’s population speaks English to some level of competence” (NADRAG, TIHENEA, and STAN, 2013). It is well known that English is a globally used language and holding balance internationally, but after all how can we ‘dig deeper’ into it? Although undisputedly English is today’s international lingua franca, the comprehension of globalization of the English language of its historical origin, further consequences (to other non-English speaking nations), and trend of benefit with disadvantage might come more important than the language itself as it is practically being used daily and globally.

A language that is spoken internationally is called “Global” or “World” language. A global language is a language in which people speak internationally on a daily basis, in international organizations and diplomatic relations. It is a “lingua franca”, a language that helps people from different backgrounds to communicate with each other. Not many languages that have been established in human history have reached to the point in which they are called a global language, amongst those few languages is English. Approximately 2 billion people around the world use English as a native language, a second language or a foreign language. English is used for many causes, such as; technical and scientific communication, education and employment.

There is no denying that language is a good indication of human civilization. It is the most common and comprehensive way for people to convey ideas and information. Hundreds of languages exist, recording how people interact with each other and even the characteristic of a certain area. Structure, preferred words and pronunciation can imply ways of thinking and communicating, also exhibiting people’s personality. Generally speaking, people who speak American English tend to be open-minded and euthanistic; people who speak French tend to be polite and elegant; people who speak Japanese tend to be implicative and introverted. It is the differences between languages that make the world a ‘melting pot’. Moreover, even people who speak the same language has different accents. In my country China, there are more than 80 diverse kinds of dialects. Although most of people speak Mandarin, which is acknowledged and widely used in social media, certain area speaks their own dialect more often. People who speak the same dialect are more likely to form a small group in their area.

Through the article “Why English Should Not Be The International Language Of The World” (2015) by Robert Nielsen. The author claims that we have to protect the variations of this world’s language and set a new society, a new culture, even a new language for the future space settlements as our official language. The reason why English shouldn’t be the global language is that he notices for those non-native English speaker, using English is unfair for them, even “ International conferences almost always are held in

42), which is mostly working through digital media, especially the Internet. (Gidley J, 2001) Furthermore, globalization is not a process whereby one form or style dominates over eliminates all others. Rather, it is the diffusion of seemingly competing forms and styles around the world. (Firat A F, 1997) The currently occurring, mass ‘Englishification’ of the world is primarily a domination of world languages by textually precise academic and/or business English. While there are some indications that English will in fact be superseded in these roles in the next century (e.g., by Mandarin Chinese). (Gidley J, 2004)

Language is one of the most significant developments of humans. It is one of the few means of communications which enclose a large number of beliefs, values and are provided paths to see the world in different perceptive. The languages are thought to be in danger when people do not speak their native languages or mother tongue in foreign countries. Mother’s tongue is a child’s first language and it can be learned since birth. This mother’s language cannot be used often in foreign countries. As a result, significant numbers of languages are ceasing to pass from one generation to another. Cultural diversity and languages are essential assets of any nation, representing their identity across the world. According to UNESCO, people in several countries such as the USA, UK or Australia tried to adopt English as their common language at the expense of their mother tongue. It was widely agreed that native languages are extremely rich for any cultural and communal heritage because such languages represent not the only linkage of the speakers with their past but also expresses an identity (Baker). It is the language that contribute to the sum of human knowledge. By losing such languages, there is far more chance of losing the heritage and cultural knowledge of ancestors. Additionally, Multilingualism and Bi are believed to be assets for innovation and

In class we spent time discussing the effects of use of English language on a global front. That is when I realized, that if English becomes the world speak; it may lead to appalling consequences. Hence I chose to write this written task, which mainly focuses on the repercussion of English as a global language.