English as Global Language

English as Global Language (GLOBISH?)

Advanced technology of the 21st century has brought a revolutionary change in the fields of Software Technology, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics etc. It also has a great impact on the e-life, e-learning, and e-training. Even science is dynamically stepping ahead and is producing the means for resolving many of the society’s difficult problems. Perhaps these are some of the reasons that prompted man to think in terms of ‘liberalization’ and ‘globalization’ that shrank the whole world. There emerged the English language as a major means of an international commodity like the microchip of computers by making the world ‘a global village’. Now, it is considered as a global language for community and also has been accepted as the language of international relations of business and trade, of Internet and of information technology. Thus, we can say that the world is totally under the control of English that has spread its influence very successfully thereby acquiring a genuinely global perspective. David Crystal, an expert on the English language, rightly observes: English is the global language.

For every citizen of the 21st century the ability to communicate effectively in English became a pre-requisite qualification for success. Writing in English is a process of winning the pinnacle in the world of high Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL).

We see that English has undergone many a change before it became the world’s popular language. During the Anglo-saxon period, London was the centre of civilization. The land in which they lived was known as ‘Engla-land’ (land of the Angles) and the language they spoke was ‘Englisc’. In course of time the term ‘Engla-Iand’ became ‘England’ and ‘Englisc’ became ‘English’. Later, the influence of Rome, Scandinavia, France and others and their contribution enriched the English language markedly. In the fifteenth century, the dominant London dialect became the Standard English. Hence, we can say that no single country or community can claim sole ownership over the English language. In the words of Salman Rushdie, the renowned novelist, the English language ceased to be the sole possession of the English some time ago and it grows from many roots.

Another change may be seen with the advent of the Religious Reformation in the 17th century during which the new English speaking communities migrated to different parts of the world which led to divergent developments in the English language. Webster and other Americans came out with a simplification in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, grammar etc., The vast expansion of American culture and its commercial influence in many parts of the world, emerged with the dominance of the USA.

In the recent past, creative writers from different countries like Canada, West Indies, Australia, Scotland, South Africa, New Zealand have also contributed to this complex language. There arose, Canadian English (CE), ‘Creole’ (CaribE), Australian English (AE), Scottish Standard English (SSE), South African English (SAE), New Zealandian English (NZE). Besides these, Black Vernacular English (BVE), Glasgow English (GE), East African English. (EAfrE), Indian English or Indlish (IndE), Irish English (IriE), Pidgin (PE), West African English (WAfrE), East African English (EAfrE), Singapore English or Singlish (SingE), too sprang up with slight variations in spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. But they did not gain any significance because the standard form of English has already existed as a ‘world-medium’ for the rapidly growing needs of understanding among persons of different nationalities. In fact, most of the countries like UK, USA, Canada, and Australia share it as their mother tongue. Many other Commonwealth countries use it as a second language, and in China, Japan, and Poland etc., it is practiced as a foreign language. Now it comes to us as no surprise, that about 540 millions of its inhabitants all over the world, speak the English language. It is at present, one of the most widely used languages of the world.

The present-day world status of English is primarily the result of two factors, i.e., the expansion of British colonial power, which occurred mostly towards the end of the 19th century, and the emergence of the US as the leading economic power of the 20th century. Even in the United Nations Organization, (UNO), though there are six official languages ­- Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish - it is only English that is used effectively for correspondence. As a consequence, other countries like China, Japan, and Russia have also started their own English institutes with a view to learning English to withstand competition in this fast growing technological world. The following are some of the spheres where English is extensively used to convey the recent changes that are taking place in this largely competitive world:

It is a storehouse of information pertaining to the whole world.

It is practised as an official or semi-official language in over 60 countries and has won prominence in another 20 countries.

It is a window or gateway to world knowledge.

It is a link language in the national and international spheres.

75% of the world’s mail, 50% of the world’s newspapers, magazines, journals, over 60% of the world’s radio and television, and more than 50% of the world’s scientific and technological periodicals use English as the medium of expression.

Of all the information in the world’s electronic retrieval systems 80% is stored in English.

Over two thirds of the world’s scientists write in English.

English enables us to know the advancement in the field of science, technology, agriculture, education, commerce, literature etc.

The literature available in this language covers practically all aspects of life relating to arts, science, humanities, philosophy, and religion.

International trade and industry thrive due to the global reach of English language.

It has proved a great incentive behind the international exchange of teachers and students in different countries of the world.

Besides the aforesaid, a truly multi-lingual ‘World Wide Web’ (WWW) is also rendering yeomen service to the modern man in getting the world data on any subject. The maximum advantage of the Internet is possible only through English. Michael Specter in his essay ‘World Wide Web: 3 English Words’ rightly says:

Whether you are a French intellectual pursuing the cutting edge of international film theory, a Japanese paleobotanist curious about a newly discovered set of primordial fossils, or an American teen-ager concerned about Magic Johnson’s jump shot, the Internet and World Wide Web really only work as great unifiers if you speak English.

This observation reveals to us that English continues to be the lingua franca of the Internet. Besides this, it has been an important medium of the press, broadcasting, advertisement and other areas of knowledge. Harry Mashabela, a Black South African writer aptly says:

Learning and using English will not only give us the much needed unifying chord but will also land us into the exciting world of ideas; it will enable us to keep company with kings in the world of ideas and also make it possible for us to share the experiences of our own brothers in the world.

Jakob Grimm, a German philologist also comments thus:

Of all modern languages, not one has acquired such great strength and vigour as the English...It may be called justly a language of the world...destined to reign in future with still more extensive sway over all parts of the globe.