The Effect of Global English

As an EFL teacher and linguist, this is one of my main concerns.  For the first time in history, there is one language that, while not universally used, is recognized as one of the most dominant methods of communication, especially in the fields of business and entertainment.  It is the official language of aviation.  The number of learners surpasses the number of native speakers by a significant amount, and it is probably the most learned language in the world at the moment.  When the effect of a language on others is spoken of, it is typically to complain.  The addition of vocabulary is seen as threatening, as diluting the pristine beauty of the recipient language.  However, English itself was the recipient of an enormous number of loan words in its past, and in the present it continues to incorporate new terms when it sees fit.  Due to the lack of case limitations, grammatical gender, and a fairly broad selection of phonemes, English takes in new, foreign terms easily, making them its own without much difficulty, whereas some other languages have to do some modifications before new terms are usable.  Complaints about the repression of lexical richness and nuance in recipient languages was mentioned, but we did agree in the end that these problems are not actually due to English being a means of international communication, but a symptom of laziness or incompetence in the educational system of the put-upon country.  As English has grown in importance, we have seen a retreat of other languages, in business where it is a question of efficiency, and in culture, where it might be easier to point to cultural-linguistic hegemony.  In past decades, for example, top pop songs were not necessarily in English.  Today, even native speakers of English accents other than American affect this accent when singing, because "it's just the way you make music."  One might worry about the stagnation of pop culture, but for the ascendance of other languages in English speaking countries' own markets, not to mention the on-going evolution of the English language, which is undergoing several shifts of pronunciation in locations around the world.  The effect of English on other languages, in short, in to provide lexical elements in an expedient way, to give an option to speakers that they may feel is "elegant", or at least more streamlined than the solutions created in their own languages thus far.  Words are not, for the most part, imposed upon a populace; rather, they are adopted as needed.  Loan words are taken on because they serve a purpose.  Whether in Middle English or Modern Spanish, borrowing is not done out of disrespect for the past, but as a strategy for paving the way to the future of linguistic expression and relevance.

The Writer was very concerned with the psychology of language use and learning, reminding us of the idea that each language describes a different reality.  One thing that worried her was the possible distortion caused by attempts to plaster a more prestigious language, in this case English, over the native one.  The prestige of English, and other languages as well, is based on colonialism and colonial ideals, to the detriment of the language of the colonized, often having exterminating power over it.  However, the prevalence of a language does not make it impossible to use another, especially when that other has more importance culturally, so the problem of poor usage cannot be blamed solely on the presence of a foreign language.  The people must support and care for their linguistic heritage if it is to survive.

The Leader rejected the formative quality of language on thought, saying thought is developed before language is in the brain.  The problems of any language, English included, are produced by the willful abuses placed on it by those in power, with an eye to manipulate.  He expressed his disgust with the common ideas of foreign language learning, saying that less formula and more necessity was key, as people really in need find ways to incorporate information that helps them.  As for the preference for recording and disseminating information in English, it is merely because the language has shown itself to be the most efficient means of doing so.  For the most part, colonization was political and value-based, not language based; a knowledge of English was a plus, but not an absolute requirement, while correct public behavior or an expression of loyalty to King or God was an important component of the "assimilated" colonial.  He said also that the blending of languages and cultures is a benefit to the society that allows and promotes it, giving a mix of perspectives and worldviews that can aid the discovery of new solutions and developments.  His final thoughts were on the natural pragmatism of human beings, that which leads us to do the necessary - but only as far as absolutely necessary.  In this case, it means that people learn a few basic principles of a language, but never spend time among natives or learn how the language is used to any reasonable extent.

A Newcomer felt that the benefits of our world language were clouded with a certain amount of pure fashion.  She also saw a closer connection of language and attitude than the Leader, stating that the Anglo attitude for business is part of the success of the language as well as the general success of majority English language countries.  Still, she was secure in the belief that Spanish, her own native language, had a certain amount of power in the world, perhaps due to the number of native speakers.  She also pointed out the increasing number of bilingual schools as markers of recognition of importance for a language, although this comment was directed mostly to Spain and the teaching of the English language.

A small but dedicated group came, with the goal of taming and taking as a tool a language not their own, for the most part.  Those of us to whom it belongs can only nod and make small suggestions.  Otherwise would appear presumptuous.