Is English a Global Language? Essay

In most cases, some people think that it is not important for them that several languages die out every year because they believe that if there are fewer languages in the world that means they need not to learn so many languages at all and their life will be easier to have a communication with foreign people. While others do not think so, which sound reasonable but ironical based on the fickle situation in society and history. Because for me, despite the adventure of being entitled as ‘absolutist’, I will consistently support that it is significant to prevent the truth that several languages die out every year.

“Functional arguments emphasize the usefulness of English as a gateway to the world”. I do agree that english useful language in that it is an effective way to communicate thoughts and ideas, however I do not agree that it is the “gateway to the world”. Instead I believe that english can potentially be a co-language in that it can be the language of world trade and

English has become the most widespread and powerful language on Earth. The imperial English Empire spread English across the globe; from America to Asia. English’s position in the world was cemented by US cultural and diplomatic dominance; evident in American movies, fast food, and clothing. English has proven it is not moving anywhere anytime soon, as English only grows in use over time. Thus a debate has arisen: Should English be the official Universal Language? On one hand, English can harm other cultures, international relations, and scientific development; however, English is very flexible and widely used, making it the perfect candidate for a global language.

According to the speculations of linguistic expert, John McWhorter, who wrote the article, “What the World Will Speak in 2115,” in one hundred years English will become the most widely understood language. If current trends continue, in the future one can imagine a world in which humans all share a single universal language. Having a common language would potentially open the doors to many opportunities for increased economic activity and cultural interaction. Additionally, as we travel into the 22nd Century, lesser used and more complex languages that are spoken today will become extinct. Subsequently, the few languages that survive will evolve into

The reason for a language’s death having little importance is that it is just a tool for communication. Any tool can be replaced. For example, “The very thing that made it a mistake for the missionaries to try to stop people from speaking Native American languages…makes it a mistake to care whether people continue to speak (it’s not as if English is worse).” (Michaels, 2006) English became the tool for communication, replacing the Native American languages. This happens to places where a new language is introduced, and begins to grow more popular compared to the native language, for some type of need. This leads to the dominating language to become the lingua franca.

One of the most important causes of language death is language shifts due to economic incentives of hegemony. A language shift is when people adopt the language of the hegemonic society replacing their mother tongue in both their personal and professional lives (Mithum 1998:182). The shift of language is motivated by the hope for economic prosper as hegemonic languages like English and French dominate the economic market place. This language shift is also understood through the terms of

Over centuries we have seen the amount and complexity of languages all across the globe reduced. If this trend continues, we could see the number of world languages potentially reduced from 6,000 to 600 in the future. Colonization and urbanization has led to the abolishment of languages spoke by smaller and less dominant civilizations. McWhorter uses the Native Americans in North America and the Aboriginal

Language is a vital tool for human beings. Human language is a measure for communicating thoughts, ideas, and identity to one another. Cultural relations, economic dealings, and the shaping of friendships are all dependent upon language. While it could be viewed that today’s languages are the result of past language extinctions, the death of language signifies a loss much greater than just words.

In the article “What the World Will Speak in 2115,” by John H. McWhorter, he informs us of the possibility that in the future there will be fewer languages spoken in the world and the languages that remain will be in a simplified form. We also learn how the English language has changed from its original form and spread around the globe and how other languages are in danger of becoming extinct. Perhaps communication among different nationalities will improve as languages simplify or through the continual spread of the English language but will it be at the expense of our native languages.

According to the research done by United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 97% of the people are using only 4% of the world’s languages. While the assimilation of languages makes communication easier, it also causes nearly 50% of the existing languages to become endangered. Whether language extinction brings positive or negative effects is still long in debate.

Languages may refer to the communication between individuals, but it also reveals the individuality of different geographic locations, the uniqueness of different cultures, and the history of different people. It contributes to the image of an ideal world, but the current situation diminishes the diversity of the people, thus moves them away from their ideal society: 97% of the world’s people speak 4% of the world’s languages while 96% of the world languages are spoken by 3% of the world’s people (Turin). Furthermore, one language dies every 14 days and by the end of the next century, nearly half of approximately 7,000 languages spoken on Earth today will disappear as many communities will abandon native languages in favor of dominating languages such as English, Mandarin, or Spanish (Rymer). Most endangered

Will Esperanto be the mainstream language in the future? Nowadays English grow to be the first language to use internationally in academic or daily communication, English is one of the most spoken languages in the world and is by far the most common second language in the world. Linguischtick (2015) left his comment under Nielsen’s bog said Spreading English has definitely contributed to the death of smaller linguistic groups. I don’t wish to minimize the damage. But the future may be a little bit less boring than you think. Through his blog “Why English Should Not Be The International Language Of The World” (2015) by Robert Nielsen, he worried about that English might takes over other language in the international conversation. Based on his suggestions which conclude to learn a brand new language, promoting polyglotism society or to learn Esperanto which is neutral, the advantage of learning Esperanto is there is no native speaker, everyone start from the bottom.

There are approximately 6,000 different languages spoken in the world today. Many of which will be considered the primary language and others are believed to disappear in the future and decrease the number of languages to 600. An article written by John H. McWhorter in The Wall Street Journal, “What the World Will Speak in 2115”, gives a good explanation of what is possibly going to happen in the near future for languages. Some of the main points of this article may give reasoning’s to why this might be true or not.

In order to predict the possible futures for English as a global language it is imperative we look back in history, the formation of the language, the spread of the language. Which social, political and economic factors meant English would thrive and others would fall behind. The very fabric of life is embedded in pattern and the rise and fall of languages is no different, applying the systems that we’ve seen in the past to modern day will enable us to extrapolate the future paths of languages across the planet far into our social future.

     “In the world were over seven thousand languages have exisisted, one language had become dominate. This dominant language is English.” “In the majority of countries throughout the world speak English as their second or first language, no longer just America or England.” English has taken many forms, American English, the Queen’s English, Australian, Canadian English, and several others. Even American English has taken several types of English, Jersey English, East Coast English, West Coast English, Southern English, slang English, and Ebonics. All of these languages have major variants between them, but are all of them are still understood aboard. Without English the world couldn’t operate,