Globalization of Language

Learning one language doesn’t cause you to forget another. More than half the world plays soccer, but other sports continue to thrive. Why should languages be any different? In fact, it seems widely agreed upon that a person who speaks more than one language is worthy of admiration. The fact that nearly two billion people are learning English means that there are more bilingual people than ever before. Though shared languages between countries are necessary for globalization to thrive, the popularity of English is incidental and could change. English is a tool, just like a piece of technology. Much of the world’s economy is tied up in English-speaking countries and for that reason, English is like a cell phone provider offering the best plan. But if the dollar continues to drop, the most viable option could shift. Mexico and Korea don’t need English to communicate if Korea begins to find it profitable to learn Spanish.

According to The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language on pg.61 of the EL text, Mandarin Chinese is number one in first-language speakers with an estimated 726 million people. While English comes in second with 427 million and Spanish and Hindi rounding out the top four each with 266 million and 182 million respectfully. Now based of these statistics how can it be possible that English has become the universal language of communication? The answer by many points to money. These statistics do show what language people first learn to speak and they rank the way they do due to there being a billion people in China and close to a billion in India and all of the countries that Spain has spread their language during their history. What these statistics fail to show is how most non-English speakers are now learning to speak English. Why are all these people learning to speak English? They are learning it because if you can speak English you will have a job. The global economy has interlocked every country in the world and the driving force behind the majority of this economy is the USA. The USA is an English speaking country and the world needs to learn English in order to keep up with the complex economy. Now as all these people throughout the world learn English they are impacting their own native language. By becoming bilingual they are integrating English not only into their language but into their culture. This integration of English has had both a positive and negative effect on the world. The positive is that the economy of the world affects every country and this economy is dominated by English speakers. As people of the world learn English they can understand this complex economy and better themselves and their country. The negative impact of English becoming a world language is that it is endangering many languages in the world and some have already become extinct. There are native peoples throughout the world whose languages are in danger in being lost in history due to the necessity to learn English. According to James Geary in his essay “Speaking in Tongues”, located on pg.57 of the EL text, he states that, “of the roughly 6,500 languages now spoken, up to half are already endangered or on the brink of extinction.” This is a grave concern to many and Geary goes on to say that, “The death of a language… marks the loss of an entire culture.” The globalization of English has become a hindrance for many smaller languages to survive.