English Worldwide: Practice 4.

Read the text and answer the following questions

About one hundred years ago many educated people learned and spoke French when they met people from other countries. Today most people speak English when they meet foreigners. It has become the new international language. There are more people who speak English as a second language than people who speak English as a first language. Why is this?

There are many reasons why English has become so popular. One of them is that English has become the language of business. Another important reason is that popular American culture (like movies, music, and McDonald's) has quickly spread throughout the world. It has brought its language with it.

Is it good that English has spread to all parts of the world so quickly? I don't know. It's important to have a language that the people of the earth have in common. Our world has become very global and we need to communicate with one another. On the other hand, English is a fairly complicated language to learn and it brings its culture with it. Do we really need that?

Scientists have already tried to create an artificial language that isn't too difficult and doesn't include any one group's culture. It is called Esperanto. But it hasn't become popular. But maybe the popularity of English won't last that long either. Who knows? There are more people in the world who speak Chinese than any other language. Maybe someday Chinese will be the new international language.

Questions

1. What was the world language 100 years ago?

2. Which group is larger- people who speak English as a first language or people who speak English as a second language?

3. What are two reasons English has become an international language today? 

4. What are two reasons English isn't a good international language?

5. What is Esperanto?

6. What might the future international language be?

English Worldwide: Practice 3.

What do you remember about English as a global language? Try the quiz below:

1. Which is the world’s most widely spoken language?

2. How many people speak English as a first language (mother tongue) worldwide?

3. In which countries is English used as a mother tongue? And what is a mother tongue?

4. In which countries is English used as a second language? What do you consider it is a second language?

5. In which fields of work is English a dominant language?

6. What is a lingua franca?

7. If people cannot communicate by using a common language, they tend to use body language. What are the disadvantages of using body language?

Check this website in order to help you to answer the quiz:

http://www.englishenglish.com/english_facts_2.htm#

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-elt-future.pdf

http://www.aila.info/download/publications/review/AILA13.pdf

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-english-next.pdf

http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eng

English Worldwide: Practice 2.

Complete the text with the correct answers.

English is often used as a ______________ when we have to communicate with people with a different native language. Today, we have many _____________ of English, one example is Japlish. People from Singapore speak _______________. English has spread to all corners of the world because of the _______________. In this way it has become a ___________ language. 80% of the texts on the ____________ are published in English. Moreover, English is used in many professions, for instance within ___________. Due to cultural differences, ______________ cannot be trusted. In Norway, English is used as an _______________ language, whereas in India it is a ________________. When English is used as a second language, it means that it is used within business and ______________ matters. A _________________ is the first language learned as a child. ______________ is a country where English is used as a first language. There are more speakers of _______________ that of English. _____________ means Received Pronunciation. That is the English spoken by the ________________.

English Worldwide: Practice 1.

Watch the video and answer the following question:

Global English with David Crystal

According to Crystal, why is English a global language?

The future of English

The transitions which English has suffered through the history since it arrives in the British Isles in the 5^th century have been remarkable and unimaginable. Nobody could imagine that in Middle Ages, French troops arrived to the Isles and established French as the most important language; nobody could imagine that at the end of Middle Ages it were English and not French or Latin the language of learning and knowledge across the world. What is obvious is the fact that we cannot predict the future of a language.

However, Crystal (1997a) has seen some negative factors affecting to the English as the global language in the future. One of his reasons is the fact that some nations have already rejected English as a language, and if this rejection became a world-wide trend, the future of English as a global language would endanger. Other of Crystal´s reason is that USA could lose its power as an economic, political and cultural superpower, and if it happens, English also loses its position as a global language; what is more, the use of English would become less desirable. Another possible threat to the global status of English is the global nature of English itself. There are many English-speakers which speak English as a second or even a foreign language, and it can provoke that their use of English can vary, and the variations could soon diverge from each other, losing their mutual intelligibility, and thus causing the fragmentation of English across the globe. 

According to David Graddol, English will not dominate as world language:

“English is likely to remain one of the world’s most important languages for the foreseeable future, but its future is more problematic — and complex — than most people appreciate”. 

He argues that the world´s population speaking English as a native language is falling, and says that the idea of English becoming the world language to the exclusion of other “is part its sell-by date”. Instead, he supports the idea of new generations of bilingual and multilingual speakers.

What we can state is the fact that the world's language system is undergoing rapid change because of demographic trends, new technology, and international communication. These changes could affect both written and spoken communication and probably, in the future, English would not be the dominant language anymore, as either other languages are emerging as a dominant –as Chinese- and English is learned as a second language, not as an official one. Moreover, the need to be multilingual will be enhanced.

But we can question ourselves: “Why not? Why cannot be English the global language in the future?” Indeed, it could be, as the future of a language is not such a predictable thing. 

If you want to check some other sources for improve your knowledge, try this website: Resource 

English as a killer language

Although initially the spread of English has been considered as an economic opportunity, it has been seen as a destructive language too, regarding the linguistic and cultural diversity. Pattanayak (1996) says that this spread of English accentuates the rift between the urban and the rural, the developed and the developing and the mass and the elite. And because it prevents many languages sharing communication, it promotes alienation, anomie, and blind spots in cultural perception.

So, may authors say that the spread of English is responsible for the death of other languages; however, do you really think that English is a killer language? It is obvious that in countries which has been colonized by the English and they now speak English, our language has acted as a killer. Remember the colonization of Australia, for instance, in which native language of indigenous almost disappeared, or the language of the American natives, which is the same case. But the spread of English has not been like this in other countries. English language is in many countries as a co-official language or as a language of trade. Even in East Africa, if you remember, it serves as a thrust of the Swahili, expanded its functional and geographical range.

So, it does not seem that English has to be seen as a killer language. It is not the direct cause of the language deaths in all the situations. Instead, the direct fact in killing languages seems to be the globalization of the economy, which takes the English language as a medium of communication. In other words, English would not be seen as a killer language, by the “medium to murder”.

An overview of the use of English throughout the World

It is different the role that the English language has in all the different countries over the world. However, all countries can be divide up according to whether English is the native language there, the second language or a foreign language. Kachru has divided the English-speaking countries of the world into three types:

- The inner circle: they are the countries which traditionally have got the roots of the English as a native language, and they are Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

- The outer circle: it is also called the extended circle and they are the countries which have not initially the English as a native language, but adopted it as an official language when they were conquered by the English people. They are Singapore, India, etc.

- The expanding circle: they are the countries which have never been conquered by English people but which recognize the importance of English over the world. They have English as a foreign language and they are China, Poland, etc. 

The spread of English across the Globe: Social, Political and Cultural factors

From the seventeenth century onwards, the English began to extend their language over the world. It is due to so important factors as the power of the British Empire, the importance in the Industrial revolution taking place in England for the first time or the supremacy of America in all over the world. Moreover, we all know that English has become a global language in the last fifty years, being the official language of the international and multinational companies and industries, and the language of Internet.

It is important to have in mind how and why English has spread across the globe the way it has: 

Date	Facts
17th and 18th centuries	English spread as a result of British colonialism
18th and 19th centuries	English spread as the language of British leadership in the Industrial Revolution
Late 19th and early 20th c.	English spread as the language of American economic superiority and political leadership.
Second half of 2th c.	English spread as a consequence of American technological domination.

a) British Colonialism

We all know that long before this expansion of English as a global language, there were other minor spreads of the language, as for instance the spread of English to Scotland because of the military escapades of William the Conqueror (11^th century) or to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman troops sent by Henry II.

But in global terms, the spread of English began in 16^th century, when the language became a tool of imperial expansion, and end up by gaining a special place in the history of a significant number of countries. This was what happened in USA, but also in other colonial areas. You have here a table in which you can find how English spread took place in different territories conquered by the English. 

Place	Facts
Canada	French were present in Canada from 1530, and vied with Britain for domination. Finally, French defeated by Britain. French and English languages there, but French-speakers remained in the East when process of English colonization began. English in contact with native languages, but the former predominated. However, the French of Quebec remained.
The Caribbean	The most spoken language is Spanish, but there are also other European languages (complex colonial history). African slaves in this area, they developed creoles as a means of communicating among themselves. It gained societal status. However, no creole has gained enough status to be accepted as a national language. Nowadays, English and Spanish are the official languages.
Australia	Discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770, it served as the first penal colony. British prisons were overcrowded and convicts were sent to Australia. By 1900 it had 4 million inhabitants from British Isles. Contact between indigenous and colonizers led to borrowing items. English as the official language. There has been American English influence, and vocabulary has been affected.
New Zealand	No convicts in New Zealand, and slow settlement. It became an official colony in 1840. By 1900, it has a quarter of million people. People there are more inclusive of the indigenous population and it is one reason why the language contains a large number of Maori words, in contrast to Australian English. They reject American English in favor of British English.
South Africa	British control in 1806, and settlement from 1820 onwards, when Englishmen got lands there. English became the official language of the region in 1822 and by the end of 19th c., there were half a million immigrants there, most of them spoken English. Afrikaans-speakers used English as a second language, and nowadays English is one of the 11 official languages in South Africa.
South Asia	About 40 million users of English, the 3rd-larger English using area after USA and Great Britain. English developed as a medium of control –administration, education, etc.-  in the period of the British Raj (1765-1947), creating an English-based subculture in the subcontinent. The basis for the subculture was the English language –as language is equated with power.
Former Colonial Africa: West Africa	Bu the 19th c., the increase in trade and activities in opposition to slave trade brought English to the entire West African coast, and several English-based pidgins and creoles developed. English is still taught and used, being an official language there. British varieties of English develop in 6 particular countries, which have English as an official language: Sierra Leone, Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Cameroon and Liberia.
East Africa	Visited by English in the 16th century, it was not explored until 1850s. The Imperial East Africa Company was founded in 1888, and a series of colonial protectorates was established. There are 6 main states with a history of British rule that gave English official status when they gained their independence: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
South-East India and South Pacific	There is a mixture of English and Australian English, and American influence increased in the 1940s. The British influence there began with Captain James Cook and English become rapidly an influential language in the British territories of South Pacific. And because of the very different cultural circumstances in different parts of the region, no one South Asian English variety has emerged.

b) Industrial Revolution    

As we can imagine, British colonialism was the first step of the expansion of English across the world. But it is also very important the Industrial Revolution in terms of the spread of English. Britain was the leader of the Industrial Revolution, and large-scale manufacturing and production machinery were just some of the major technological advancements being pioneered there. Countries which needed this new industrial knowledge could access it via the medium of English, something which made powerful again the language internationally.

And the development of technology was side by side with the spread of English. For instance, English was the language in which the system of telegraph was developed, and English became the international language of all telegraph operators. 

c) American Economic superiority and Political Leadership.

Although Britain had been the greatest political, economic and industrial power in the world in the 18^th century, by the end of the 19^th and the early 20^th centuries USA emerged as an economic and political superpower. During this time, the countries if the world began to came together in international organizations, and they need to be able to communicate. However, it was very expensive to run multilingual operations, so they decided that English would be the language used in their international interactions. Moreover, The League of Nations was created after the World War I, but then it was replaced by the United Nations, which ends up in New York. Thus, the world´s focus shifted to the United States.

The influence of United States combined then the economic and political factors and the huge seize of its population: The United States has 70 per cent of all native speakers of English in the world. 

d) American Technology Leadership.

After the World War II and particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, the computer revolution began all over the world. It was due to the American technology and the American know-how. So, it is logic that the language of the computers is English. The main reason why it is like this is the fact that, although it could be designed with languages of one own country, this process it very expensive. 

e) Other factors. 

- Advertising: During the 19^th century the use of advertisements in publication increased, especially in more industrialized countries, due to the fact that there was more money and also more people interesting on them. In USA, however, they realized that if they put advertisements in their magazines, they could put lower the price of their magazines, something which led them to sell more and more of them. And as the international market grew, the media spread to all parts of the world, and became one of the most noticeable global manifestations of English language use. American English ruled.

- Broadcasting: As it has been already mentioned, the invention and use of telegraph supposed a very great impulse to English language. Britain was the pioneer in the use of telegraph, and all communications were made in English, having being necessary that all telegraph operators spoke English. So, it was one of the most important fact in the spread of English though the world.

- Motion pictures: The new technologies altered the way of public entertainment, and it also serves as a thrust of the English language. The development of the cinema was made initially by France and England, but the years during the World War I supposed a kind of blockage of cinema, and then American began to dominate it. Moreover, when the sound was added to the films, it was the spoken English which came to the movies. And although the film industry was developed also in other countries, it is still English language the dominant medium, maybe because the main studio, Hollywood, is in an English-spoken area.

- Popular music: The other important entertainment technology was the recording industry, and also here the English language had the dominance. All the major recording companies in popular music had English-language origins, and when popular music arrived, it was in English scene mostly. The pop groups of English-speaking nations dominated the recording world: Elvis Presley in USA or the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in UK. No other single source has spread English around the world so rapidly.

- International travel and safety: The medium in transportation and accommodation is English. Equally, English instructions about safety on international flights and sailings and indications about emergency procedures are in English. English then has become the international language. “Airspeak”, the language of international aircraft control, emerged after the Second War World, and it was decided that English would be the international language of aviation.

- Education: Internationally, areas as science and technology have the medium of English language to spread over the world their ideas. It is the main reason why many countries have adopted English as the chief foreign languages in schools. It is obvious that people all over the world have to know English if they are students, as most of the important words in the field of education are written in English. 

The recency of world English

According to David Crystal, there have been many predictions about the emergence of English as a global language during these last two centuries. However, the term “global English” is a very recent expression. For a language to be “global”, it has to achieve a truly global status; that is, it has to develop a especial role and this special role has to be recognized in every country.

English is the first language in what we know as the English language countries; that is, in Britain, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. But English language is also present in countries which have been colonized by English people and now, they use English as co-official language. It happens in countries such as Zimbabwe, or India, or Singapore, where they use English as a primary medium of communication in such domains as government, the law courts, broadcasting, the press and the educational system. Then, in a different way, English achieve a special role when it is a priority in a country´s foreign-language teaching policy: it is not official but it is also essential. 

The term “global English” is a genuine application of the 21th century, and it could not have had such application a half-century before. For this term there was another expression: lingua franca, which probably is as old as language diversity itself. And the prospect that a lingua franca may be needed as a practical tool for the whole world is something which has emerged strongly only since 1950´s.

Lingua Franca: A language or mixture of languages used as a medium of communication by people whose native languages are different.( Reference ) 

English Worldwide timeline

Timeline: World-wide English

Date	Events
1600	British East India Company founded
1606	Virginia Company of London sends 120 colonies to Virginia Jamestown founded
1633	English trading post established in Bengal
1637	English traders established in Canton
1646	English occupies the Bahamas
1649	Cromwell invades Ireland
1655	English capture Jamaica
1668	British East India Company gains control of Bombay
1710	English South Sea Company founded
1760-1780s	Industrial Revolution took place. In an age of inventions and contraptions, of science and industry, of expanding cities and smog-gurgling factories, the language must swell to accommodate new ideas. Newly coined words include biology, caffeine, centigrade, bacterium, chromosome and claustrophobia.
1770	Captain James Cook discovers Botany Bay, Australia.
1778	Cook discovers Hawaii
1790	The first penal colony established in Sydney, Australia.
1800	British capture Malta
1822	English becomes the official language of the Eastern Cape of South Africa
1840	New Zealand becomes an official colony.
1842	Hong Kong ceded to Great Britain
1851	Victoria, Australia, proclaimed separate colony
1852	New constitution for New Zealand
1887	First Colonial Conference opens in London
1893	USA annexes Hawaii
1919	League of Nations founded
1920	Gandhi emerges as leader of India
1945	United Nations founded
1947	India proclaimed independent
1962-1975	Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Malta, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Guyana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Bahamas, Papua New Guinea all of them become independent of Great Britain.

Topic 6: English Worldwide

English World-wide

This is your last topic of this course, and probably my last contribution to you concerning the subject "History of the English Language". What you have in this blog about the concerned topic is the theoretic part, in which you can find your basic timeline, as well as the factors why English has become a global language all around the world.

You have also here some exercises in which you can test yourselves about the learnt theory, exercises that will help you for your final exam.