English as a world Language



Introduction3

Discussion4

English as Lingua Franca4

Notion of Lingua Franca6

Expediency of English8

Status Quo of English9

Drawback of English as ELF10

Hindrances12

My Viewpoint15

Conclusion16

References18

English as a World Language

Introduction

Within the era of information, technology and globalization, English is now not more linked with the language that is particularly suitable for the Queens and Kings. Now it has become the global language that belongs to every individual who is speaking, learning and using it as a language for communication. The colonial system of British people were received the credit for its expansion that it has become the number one language among the rest of the languages in the world. The importance of English language has now attained the status today that people are learning it as their foreign language whom English is not the mother tongue(Dewey & Jenkins 2010, 72-92). As Humankind is rich with linguistic diversity.

The widespread use of particular languages throughout the globe is attributed to several factors. Two of the most important are colonialism and international economic/political power. The dominance of English and Spanish colonial powers attribute to the linguistic formation of most of the Western Hemisphere. Imagine a world where the Axis of Evil triumphed during World War II. German, Italian and Japanese would likely be more prominent tongues on a global scale. The United States and United Kingdom have been high on the economic leaderboards for centuries, thus English has become a language of opportunity for people worldwide. Language on a global scale is an unseen, but well heard, struggle for power.

Language is more than a means of verbal communication. A language can serve as a cultural vehicle that displays the global influence of a territory. Even it is possible for a language to carry multiple identities especially in context where people have social and cultural values they themselves create and at the same time are exposed to those social and cultural values they have no choice to avoid and; consequently become part of their identity. To most, learning English as an international language for the purpose of fulfilling communicative needs is a big threat to national, cultural and even religious identities as learning an international language causes people to lose their own language which is the carrier of all their cultural values, in essence their identity(Kirkpatrick 2011, 212-224). The spread of English as an international language all across the globe has raised issues that need to be taken into account seriously as they affect all aspects of human activity from language in education to international relations.

Discussion

English as Lingua Franca

Most people would agree that English is the current lingua franca of the world, which is the most commonly used language. And as global economy continues to grow, more than ever before will be studying English. Some others believe that English will eventually be replaced to be the world's lingua franca. English is the language that you cannot ignore in our world today. It is considered like a link to connect people from everywhere in business, education and ...