As a declared language nut, I feel it is my duty to bring light to the misconception of English as the long-awaited global language. I've worked the issue over in my head many times over the past year or so and an article I recently came across has brought some new fervor to my argument. The English language has some very, very humble roots and has, with the aid of two main historical events, jumped up to become possibly the most widely spread language.
Just how many people speak English is arguable, especially since some might be satisfied with being able to get by in an airport, while others might set the standards at full fluency. Regardless of what one's standards might be, no one can say that the spread of English is nothing less than spectacular. World War II gave English its first big boost of the century, when Standard American English (SAE) took over the radio waves. Computers- more specifically, the birth of the Internet- gave English the foothold it needed to take over the world and usher in the new century. All over the world, non-native speakers of English are exposed to and learn our language. So many, in fact, that the number of those who speak English as a second language greatly outnumber those for whom English is the primary language. To further bring this point home, the number of native Cantonese speakers who learn English outnumber us native speakers.
The fact is that English is the current language of politics, economics, culture, and science. Do we take this for granted? Of course! Is there a possibility that English may lose its top spot? Of course there is.
In fact, I happen to agree with the aforementioned fervor-sparking article in that English is very likely to be taken over and/or lose its importance in lieu of another language (say, Spanish or Hindi). I do, however, disagree with the article in how English will lose its position. The article argues that technology will have everything to do with the decline of English. While I do agree with the idea the development of future technologies will play an important role, I believe that sheer numbers will place the final blow.
My main focus in this point is China. In just the past decade, China has exhibited an amazing spurt of growth and development. If English doesn't give way to Mandarin or Cantonese, then it will be irreparably altered. A language is always changed by those who speak it and there's no stopping the process. For example, the word "father" has a long history. The Sanskrit word "pitar" (pronounced 'peetahr') became the Latin "pater" ('pahter'). Latin, being the widespread language of law as dictated by the Romans, had some impact on the language of the northern Germanic tribes. They borrowed "pater", which eventually became "vater" ('fahter') due to the tendency of Germanic languages to soften and sometimes destroy bilabial pronunciations. The Germanic languages of the tribes who invaded Britain after the Romans left melded and continued to evolve. Modern-day English took the step from "vater" to the more familiar "father".
Basically, my point is that within a few generations, there's a possibility we'll all be speaking "Engrish".
No matter what path English takes in linguistic evolution, the greatest assumption to make is that the rising number of foreign-language speakers on the Internet will have a huge role to play in the devaluing of English. Us native English speakers need to take the hint and learn to face reality: it's a big world out there and our best bet of survival in the future is to recognize English for what it is- a language that is experiencing a temporary boom- and learn other languages like Spanish, German, French, and Cantonese, before we're left in the dust.
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The English Error
June 11, 2006
As a declared language nut, I feel it is my duty to bring light to the misconception of English as the long-awaited global language. I've worked the issue over in my head many times over the past year or so and an article I recently came across has brought some new fervor to my argument. The English language has some very, very humble roots and has, with the aid of two main historical events, jumped up to become possibly the most widely spread language.
Just how many people speak English is arguable, especially since some might be satisfied with being able to get by in an airport, while others might set the standards at full fluency. Regardless of what one's standards might be, no one can say that the spread of English is nothing less than spectacular. World War II gave English its first big boost of the century, when Standard American English (SAE) took over the radio waves. Computers- more specifically, the birth of the Internet- gave English the foothold it needed to take over the world and usher in the new century. All over the world, non-native speakers of English are exposed to and learn our language. So many, in fact, that the number of those who speak English as a second language greatly outnumber those for whom English is the primary language. To further bring this point home, the number of native Cantonese speakers who learn English outnumber us native speakers.
The fact is that English is the current language of politics, economics, culture, and science. Do we take this for granted? Of course! Is there a possibility that English may lose its top spot? Of course there is.
In fact, I happen to agree with the aforementioned fervor-sparking article in that English is very likely to be taken over and/or lose its importance in lieu of another language (say, Spanish or Hindi). I do, however, disagree with the article in how English will lose its position. The article argues that technology will have everything to do with the decline of English. While I do agree with the idea the development of future technologies will play an important role, I believe that sheer numbers will place the final blow.
My main focus in this point is China. In just the past decade, China has exhibited an amazing spurt of growth and development. If English doesn't give way to Mandarin or Cantonese, then it will be irreparably altered. A language is always changed by those who speak it and there's no stopping the process. For example, the word "father" has a long history. The Sanskrit word "pitar" (pronounced 'peetahr') became the Latin "pater" ('pahter'). Latin, being the widespread language of law as dictated by the Romans, had some impact on the language of the northern Germanic tribes. They borrowed "pater", which eventually became "vater" ('fahter') due to the tendency of Germanic languages to soften and sometimes destroy bilabial pronunciations. The Germanic languages of the tribes who invaded Britain after the Romans left melded and continued to evolve. Modern-day English took the step from "vater" to the more familiar "father".
Basically, my point is that within a few generations, there's a possibility we'll all be speaking "Engrish".
No matter what path English takes in linguistic evolution, the greatest assumption to make is that the rising number of foreign-language speakers on the Internet will have a huge role to play in the devaluing of English. Us native English speakers need to take the hint and learn to face reality: it's a big world out there and our best bet of survival in the future is to recognize English for what it is- a language that is experiencing a temporary boom- and learn other languages like Spanish, German, French, and Cantonese, before we're left in the dust.
Like this: