The Growth and Importance of English as a Global Language.docx
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The Growth and Importance of English as a Global Language.docx
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TheGrowthandImportanceofEnglishasaGlobalLanguage
TheGrowthandImportanceofEnglishasaGlobalLanguage-HowEnglishdevelopedfromitsoriginsuntiltoday.Discusseswhyitisnowthemostwidely-learnedlanguageintheworld.
Essaybystephanie1820,HighSchool,12thgrade,A-,February2004
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Keywordswidely,estimates,alphabet,restoftheworld,mandarin
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Thedefinitionofagloballanguage,isalanguagewhichhasbeengivenaspecificplacewithincountriesandcommunitiesaroundtheworld,eveninplaceswherethereareveryfewnativespeakersofthislanguage.AlthoughEnglishisnotthemostwidelyspokenlanguageintheworldintermsofthenumberofnativespeakers-therearemanymorenativeChinesespeakersthannativeEnglishspeakers-itisdescribedasa'globallanguage'andChineseisnot.ThisisbecausetherearefewothercommunitiesintheworldthatgiveChinese,beitMandarinorCantonese,aparticularuseorfunction,probablyduetothefactthatitsalphabetissodifferentfromthatwhichisusedinthemajorityoftherestoftheworld.
ItisimpossibletoknowexactlyhowmanyEnglishspeakersthereareintheworld,butaccordingtoestimates,therearemorethan350millionnativeEnglishspeakersandmorethan400millionspeakersofEnglishasasecond,orforeign,language.Thesefiguresareespeciallyimpressiveconsideringthefactthatthismasspopularityonlycameaboutinapproximatelythelastthreecenturies.
TheEnglishlanguage'sinfluencespansacrosstheglobeandismoreinfluentialintheworldofmedia,communication,businessandgovernmentthananyother,evenincertaincountrieswhereEnglishisused,orregarded,asaminoritylanguage.Itisthelanguageofmaritimecommunicationandinternationalairtrafficcontrolandisacknowledgedasthelanguageofpopularcultureprimarilyintheentertainmentfieldsofcinemaandmusic.
TheEnglishlanguage'searliestoriginsarefromtheGermaniclanguagegroup.Thisgroupbeganasacommonlanguageabout3,000yearsago.ManydifferentEuropeanlanguagesdevelopedfromthisGermanicgroup,dependingonwhichpartofthissector-theregionoftheElberiver-theywerecloserto.Forexample,NorthGermanicevolvedintothemodernScandinavianlanguagesofSwedish,Danish,NorwegianandIcelandic;andEastGermanic,whichwasadoptedbySoutheastEuropeancountries.WestGermanic,however,isthelanguagefromwhichEnglishdeveloped,alongwithGerman,DutchandFlemish.
ThisWestGermanic'language'firstcameovertoBritaininthe5thCenturywhenGermanicpeoplesfromJutland(theJutes)andDenmark(theSaxons)invaded.Theyforcedtheoriginalinhabitants-theCelts-totheoutskirtsofBritain-Scotland,Wales,CornwallandIreland.ItisforthisreasonthatthealotoftheoriginalCelticlanguagestillremainsintheScottish,IrishandWelshlanguages.
TheGermanicinvaders'languagewasalmostidenticaltoModernFrisian,thelanguagewhichisnowreferredtoasOldEnglish.DependingonwhereinBritaintheJutesandtheSaxonssettled,newdialectsemerged.ThemostprominentofthesebeingNorthumbrianintheNorthofEngland,MercianintheMidlands,WestSaxonintheSouthandWest,andKentishintheSoutheast.
Aroundtwohundredyearslater,duringthe8thCentury,theVikingsinvadedBritainfromScandinavia.AswiththeoriginalGermanicinvaders,theybroughtwiththemanewlanguagedimension-OldNorse.Thislanguagehowever,wasitselfdescendedfromNorthGermanicandsowasverysimilartotheOldEnglishwhichwasbeingspokeninEngland.AsthelanguagespokenthroughoutScandinaviaatthetimewasmostlyunderstandablebytheAnglo-Saxons,theybrought,withrelativeease,manynewwordstothelanguageofEngland,especiallytotheNorthernregions.
In1066,theDukeofNormandy,WilliamtheConqueror,didasnamesuggests,andinvadedandconqueredEngland,anditsAnglo-Saxoninhabitants.AswiththeVikinginvasiontwohundredandfiftyyearspreviously,thenewrulersofEnglandbroughtwiththemaspecificadditiontothelanguage.However,alsoliketheVikings,thelanguagespokenbytheNormanshaddescendedfromtheGermanicgroupandwascalledAnglo-Norman.However,itwasinfactaFrenchdialectwhichhadsimplybeeninfluencedbyGermaniclanguagefeatures.ItthereforewasunlikethelanguageswhichhadbeenbroughttoEnglandduringtheprevioustwoconquests,asitfeaturedLatinbasedlexisandgrammar,butwithabasicGermanicheredity.AlthoughOldEnglishhadalreadybeenremotelyinfluencedbyLatinduringtheRomanoccupationofBritainduringthe7thCentury,thelanguageofEnglandnowproperlyincorporateddistinctLatinatelinguisticfeatures.
Themixtureofthesetwolanguages-FrenchandOldEnglishcametobeknownasMiddleEnglish.TheFrenchdimensionbegantoslowlydiluteitselfhowever,whentheoriginalNormanrulerslostownershipofNormandywhenitwasconqueredbytheFrenchKingin1204,andthereforelostcontactwiththeprovincetheyhadonceowned,andfocusedontheirmainland-England.
TheMiddleEnglishlanguageremainedmoreorlessthesameforseveralcenturies(apartfrominevitablelexicaldevelopments)untilthelate1400s,whenagreatinventionrevolutionisedtheEnglishlanguageandbecamethelastmajorfactorinthedevelopmentofModernEnglish.Thisground-breakingdevicewastheprintingpress,whichwascreatedbyWilliamCaxtonin1476.Itmadesuchasignificantimpactbecause,forthefirsttimeever,theEnglishlanguagecouldbewrittenandproducedinmassamountsrelativelyeasily.Thismeantthatnewscouldbespreadquickerandwithlessdifficulty,asbulletins,leafletsandbookscouldbeproducedinlargequantitiesatalowerprice,aswritingwasnolongerdonebyhandandthereforetookalotlesstime.Asbookswerenowcheaper,theliteracyrateroseandthemassesbegantoeducatethemselves.Readingwasthereforenolongerreservedforthenobility.
Thisalsomeant,however,thattheEnglishlanguagehadtobestandardisedforeveryonetobeabletoreaditwiththesamefacility.ThedialectofLondon,wherethefirstprintingpressandmostofthefuturepublishinghouseswerelocated,thereforebecamethestandardwayofwriting.SpellingandgrammarruleswerefixedandtheMiddleEnglishdialect,finallybecamethestandardisedlanguagethatweknowittobetoday.Thiswaslaterconfirmedin1604,whenthefirsteverEnglishlanguagedictionarywaspublished.
So,nowthatEnglishhadmoreorlessfullydevelopeditself,howdidit,insteadofother,ancientlanguagessuchasLatin,Greek,ArabicandChinesegrowtobecomesopowerfulandovertakethesewell-establishedlanguagesinbetweenShakespeare'seraandthe20thCentury?
ThefirstreasonistheexplorationandcolonisationofdistantcountriesandareasaroundtheworldbyBritainwho,attheheightofitsempire'srule(late19thandearly20thCentury),ruledover1/3oftheworld.TheBritishexplorerstravelledfarandwide,conqueringregionsandestablishingEnglishastheirprimarylanguage,asameansofexertingacivilisinginfluenceoncountrieswithintheempire,andinordertodemonstratetheirsuperiority.Manyofthesecolonies,mostofwhichhavesincebecomeindependent,stilluseEnglishastheirprincipalorofficiallanguage,forexampletheUnitedStates,Australia,NewZealand,HongKong,Singapore,Nigeria,thePhilippines,andMalaysia.Thisisduetothefactthatmanyofthesecountrieshavenumerousdifferentregionaldialects,forexampleinIndia(whichutilisesEnglishasitsofficiallanguage)acensusrecordedover200differentmothertongueseventhoughtheIndianconstitutionrecognisesonly18officialIndianlanguages.
ThecolonisationoftheUnitedStatesinparticularmadeagreatimpactupontheuseofEnglishasagloballanguage.Asearlyasduringthe1750s,renownedphilosopherandwriterDavidHumerightlystatedthat,'OursolidandincreasingestablishmentsinAmericapromiseasuperiorstabilityanddurationtotheEnglishlanguage'.Thisisbecauseduringthe1800s,Englandwasfirmlyestablishingitselfasthe'workshopoftheworld',andwiththeonsetoftheIndustrialRevolution,duringwhich,Englandpavedthewayfortheinventionoftechnologicalwonders,Americagainedspeedintheraceforeconomicpower.
Withtheinvention,intheearly1900s,ofsteamtechnology,cametherealbreakthroughintheglobalisationoftheEnglishlanguage,asthepressbecamemechanisedandsonewsaboutBritishandAmericantechnologicaldevelopmentstravelledfurther,andmorefrequently,tothecoloniesbythenewrailwaysandsteamships.Thenewsofthesemiraculousinventionsnowreachedtherestoftheworldwithsuchhaste,andinternationalmarketssoonrealisedthatiftheywantedtomakeasignificantimpactduringtheIndustrialRevolution,theyhadtoimprovetheirknowledgeofwhattechnologywasbeinginvented.AsmuchofthistechnologycamefromEnglandandAmerica,thedirectionsabouthowtousethemachinerywerewritteninEnglishandsoforeigntradershadtolearnEnglish,oratleasthaveenoughcapabilitytoensurebasicunderstanding.Infact,ithasbeenstatedthatwhenalloftheindustrialandscientificdevelopmentsfromAmericaareaddedtothosefromBritain,itcanbecalculatedthatoverhalfofthesignificanttechnologicalyieldoftheIndustrialRevolutionwaswritteninEnglish.
Thesetechnologicaladvancementsthatwerebeingmadehadwidespreadlinguisticconsequences.Newterminologyusedtodescribetheindustrialandscientificdevelopmentswasinvented,andrapidlybecamepartoftheEnglishlanguage,addingtho
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