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World Englishes Assignment 1

World Englishes

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21 views4 pages

World Englishes Assignment 1

World Englishes

Uploaded by

muqaddisahareem
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Assignment Number 1

World Englishes
Tayyaba Akbar
1st Semester (M.Phil. English
Linguistics)
Instructor: Sir Imran Nawaz
ENGLISH AS GLOBAL LANGUAGE

What is a global language?


A language achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a special role that is
recognized in every country. This might seem like stating the obvious, but it is not, for the notion
of \’special role\’ has many facets. Such a role will be the most obvious in countries where a
large number of people speak language as a mother tongue-in the case of English, it would mean
the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Several Caribbean countries and a pinch of
other territories. However, no language has ever been spoken by a majority of mother in more
than a few countries (the Spanish tracks, in this regard, in around twenty countries, mainly in
Latin America), therefore the use of mother tongue does not Can’t give a global status language.
To achieve such status, a language must be taken up by other countries around the world. These
countries must decide to give it a special place within their communities, even if they have few
(or no) native speakers. There are two main ways this can be achieved: First, a language can
become an official language of a country and be used as a means of communication in areas such
as government, courts, the media and the education system. To succeed in these societies, one
must learn the official language as soon as possible. Such languages are often called “second
languages” because they are seen as complementary to a person’s native or “first language.”
Today, English is the most commonly used official language and enjoys a special status in over
70 countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, India, Singapore and Vanuatu. French, German, Spanish,
Russian, much more than the status obtained in other languages
And Arabic is one of the people who developed a considerable official use.

Second, even if this language does not have an official position, the language is a priority
in teaching in the national foreign language. It becomes the language that children are most
likely to learn when they enter school, and the one that is most accessible to adults who, for
whatever reason, never learned it or learned it poorly in their early years. For example, Russian
enjoyed a privileged status among the countries of the former Soviet Union for many years.
Chinese continues to play an important role in Southeast Asia. English is now the most
commonly taught foreign language in over 100 countries, including China, Russia, Germany,
Spain, Egypt and Brazil, and in most of these countries, English has become the primary foreign
language spoken in schools, often replacing other languages in the process. In reflecting on these
observations, it is important to keep in mind that there are several ways in which a language can
be official: it may be the only official language of a country, or it may share equal status with
other languages. And it may have a “semi-official” status, being used only in certain regions, or
taking a back seat to other languages while still fulfilling certain official roles. Many countries
officially recognize the status of the language in their constitutions (e.g. India). In some
countries, the question of whether special status should be legally recognized has been a source
of considerable debate, particularly in the United States. Similarly, the reasons for selecting a
particular language as a foreign language vary widely; these include historical tradition, political
expediency, and a desire for commercial, cultural, and technological contacts. Moreover, even
once a language has been selected, the “presence” of that language varies greatly depending on
the willingness of governments and foreign aid agencies to provide adequate financial support
for language policies.
In a well-supported environment, resources will be directed towards helping people
access and learn the language through media, libraries, schools and higher education institutions.
The number and quality of teachers capable of teaching the language will increase. Books, tapes,
computers, telecommunications systems and educational materials of all kinds will become
increasingly available. However, in many countries, a lack of government support and foreign
aid prevents language education from achieving its goals. Although distinctions such as “first
language,” “second language,” and “foreign language” status are useful, care must be taken not
to interpret them overly simplistically. In particular, it is important not to interpret differences
between “second language” and “foreign” use as differences in fluency or ability. Although one
might expect that people from countries where English has official status would be more fluent
in the language simply because they are more open about it than those from countries where it
does not, this turns out not to be the case: it is noteworthy, for example, to the very high levels of
proficiency shown by a wide range of native speakers from Scandinavian countries and the
Netherlands. But we must also be careful not to introduce sharp distinctions between first and
second language speakers, especially in a world where children are born to parents who
communicate through a lingua franca that they learned as a foreign language. These points
complicate the current state of World Englishes, but the fundamentals remain the same. This
tripartite structure of first, second and foreign language speakers makes it inevitable that a world
language will eventually be spoken by more people than any other language. English has already
reached this stage. Statistics summarized in Chapter 2 indicate that roughly a quarter of the
world’s population is already fluent or proficient in English, a figure that has grown steadily
since the early 2000s, equating to roughly 1.5 billion people. No other language has come close
to matching this growth. Even Chinese exists in eight different spoken languages, but is unified
by a common writing system and is "only" known by around 1.1 billion people.

WHAT MAKES A GLOBAL LANGUAGE?

A language's global status isn't determined by the number of speakers,


but rather by the influence and power of those who speak it.
Throughout history, languages have risen to prominence due to the
dominance of their speakers, not their sheer numbers. For example,
Latin became a global language during the Roman Empire because of
Rome's military and economic power, and later, its continued use in
education was sustained by the Catholic Church's authority. Similarly, a
language's international success is closely tied to its association with
economic, technological, and cultural power. Without a strong power
base, a language cannot thrive as a global medium of communication
or, in an even more concise version we can say
A language's global status depends on the power and influence of its
speakers, not just their numbers. Throughout history, languages have
risen to prominence through military, economic, technological, and
cultural dominance, demonstrating a strong link between language and
power. Language isn't separate from the people who speak it. It
succeeds or fails based on their success or failure. Some people
wrongly believe a language becomes popular because it's beautiful,
logical, or easy to learn. But that's not true. English isn't widely used
because it's simple; it's because of the global influence of its speakers.

A language's global spread isn't due to its complexity, vocabulary size,


literary greatness, or cultural significance. Instead, it's tied to the
success and influence of its speakers. English became global due to
Britain's military power, industrial dominance, and technological
advancements. The media, entertainment industries, and economic
growth further solidified its position.

Key points:

1. Grammar and vocabulary don't make a language global.


2. Military power establishes, but economic power maintains, a global
language.
3. Technology (media, entertainment) fuels worldwide impact.
4. Britain's 19th-century imperialism spread English globally.
5. The US's growing economy and population reinforced English
dominance.

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