DAVID CRYSTAL – ENGLISH AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE
1. WHY A GLOBAL LANGUAGE?
English language is the undiscussed lingua franca of the world. For some newspaper, it is seen as the symbol of
globalization, progress, diversification. It is spoken all over the world, and it is used as a means of communication
between countries of different language. The consequence of English being a global language, is that nobody “owns” it
anymore, and some people – whose mother tongue is English – may feel quite defensive of it. How did English end up
being a global language?
2. WHAT IS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE?
In order to be considered as “global”, firstly, a language must be adopted within a community, which will have to use
it as a second language. That means that the language must be an instrument of communication within the domains
of government, media and educational system. Secondly, a language teaching can be prioritized within a foreign
country. The acceptance of a language within a community needs to be supported by the country’s history, politics
and the desire for commercial, cultural and technological contact. Moreover, the community needs to give people
access to the language, by allowing them to learn it.
3. WHAT MAKES A GLOBAL LANGUAGE?
Many have been wondering why English has become a global language, and some have tried to give an explanation to
this by referring to how simple English can be as a language. Some others may think it’s because of the number of
people who speak it, however the reason why English is a global language is because of the political, economic and
military power of the people who speak it. The spreading of the language us also supported by new communication
technologies and the industrial competitiveness. English was in the right place, at the right time: at the beginning of
the 19th Century, Britain became the world’s leading industrial and trading country; by the end of 19th Century, the
USA’s economy was the fastest growing in the world.
4. COULD ANYTHING STOP A GLOBAL LANGUAGE?
The short answer to this question is “yes”: first of all, if the economic, political and military power is being taken away
by another country, then the scenario of a new language becoming global can become reality. An alternative cause
could be machine translations: person A speaks in their own tongue and – through a machine or an App – the
sentence is being translated to person B’s tongue. However, before this method becomes globally widespread, English
will gain more and more power.
THE FUTURE OF GLOBAL ENGLISH
The Kenyan author decided to reject English in favour of his birth language, Swahili, for his work “Decolonising the
Mind”. He says that the English language was forced upon his community in Kenya, causing an antagonism against it
and the English’s colonial power. Some colonies have rejected the use of it, however, worldwide, English continues to
be the “preferred” language, especially if you want to be able to be known or want to have economic power. In fact,
English is now the world’s lingua franca, and the contrast between intelligibility and the identity of a country is
currently in a debate. Some people might solve this conflict by promoting a multilingual or bilingual environment, but
this requires a climate of cooperation which does not exist.
CONTRASTING ATTIDUES: THE US SITUATION
The future of English could be linked to the future of the American success in the world. In fact, the only thing that
could threaten the globalization of the English language is the presence of minorities within the United States, which
could affect the unity of the nation itself. There have been many efforts to establish English as an official language in
the country, however the vast number of minorities is fighting back. The first attempt to guarantee a peaceful
coexistence of languages was made by Bill Emerson in January 1995, who published an act stating that the USA should
benefit from the diverse ethnicities, and that there should be a common language for the nation. The purpose of this
Act is to help immigrants learn English to allow them to pursue better work opportunities in the United States.
