The word esperanto translates into english as one who hopes. This complex, frustrating, and fascinating language has had a lengthy journey to become the language we know today. English is a universal language for a multitude of reasons. These are the kinds of statement which seem so obvious that most people would give them hardly a second thought.
English has become an universal language essay 306 words. Among the many languages, english is the one language that is widely spoken and used in the world. Why did english become a universal language and when. Download citation how english became the global language in this book, the first written about the globalization of the english language by a professional. English as a universal language essay 1172 words bartleby. Jeschonek is an awardwinning writer whose fiction, comics, essays, articles, and podcasts have been published around the world. A new book by esther schor delightfully captures its idiosyncrasies in plain english. English is now the dominant or official language in 75 territories. How english became the universal language of the world. Although to some extent the book did not fulfill my expectations of proving the case why english has become the global language, i think the author did a good job of weaving together historical facts to make a circumstantial case.
English as a global language with millions of popular intuitions at a level which had simply not existed a decade before. How english became the global language researchgate. It is the worlds second largest native language, the official language in 70 countries, and englishspeaking countries are responsible for about 40% of worlds total gnp. English is the international language of business, commerce, science, medicine,and many other key areas. Through out history, people have had to communicate to each other, whether it be for business, for hunting, or for fighting.
If english became a universal language, the world will change in a range of different ways, whether that be communication, trade, or culture. It may be the idea of an international auxiliary language for communication between groups speaking different primary languages. How english became the global language ef english live. In how english became english simon horobin investigates the evolution of the english language, examining how the language continues to adapt even today, as english continues to find new speakers and new uses. More people are trying to learn english than any other language in the world. English can be used everywhere with educated people around the world. People in those countries value english because it is the lan. English became the lingua franca around wwii, but it was already used all through the british colonial empire, establishing it in north america and australia among others. When south sudan became independent in 2011, it made english its official language despite having very few resources or qualified personnel with which to. The influence of english as a universal language is a subject matter.
This book provides a readable, concise history about the global language which is english, something that is spoken by over a billion people worldwide, whether as a primary or secondary language. For communication to be smooth among the different cultures there is a need for a universal language that will be understood by all. Some answers highlight the british empire that spread the language. And how has it evolved into the language used today. How english became the global language is a stimulating and worthwhile read in its own right, but is also a model for interdisciplinary approaches to complex social phenomena.
His crossgenre science fiction thriller, day 9, is an international book. Over a decade ago, in 1997, there was a panel discussion at the university of michigan on the topic of english as the universal academic language. The downside of english as the universal language the. How english evolved into a global language bbc news. In 1776, one vote gave america the english language instead of german. And when you want something, the wise king of salem. The origin of english dates back to the 5 th century, however, the english language today is very different from how it was spoken then. True, the united states is today a net exporter of english, and nearly all countries whose most common first language is something else are net importers. Nowadays, english has become the universal language in the world. The history and development of english is fascinating and, of course, as a language it is always changing. Our latest freakonomics radio episode is called what would be the best universal language. Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language.
Even in diplomacy, where french once ruled supreme, english is now dominant in most regions. The universal language of literature books the guardian. English is without a doubt the actual universal language. In april, 1987, an election judge from missouri wrote to ann landers citing the following excerpt from the local election manual to support the argument that everyones vote counts. The number of people who speak hindiurdu, spanish, or arabic at home is in the same ballpark as the number of native english speakers. Introduction the phenomenon of the english language transformation into the global language arouses an intense academic interest in the theory and practice of the generally accepted language of worldwide communication smokotin, petrova, 2014. How english became the universal language of the world %. His young adult fantasy novel, my favorite band does not exist, won the forward national literature award and was named one of booklists top ten first novels for youth. The rise of english in diplomacy began in 1919, in the aftermath of world war i, when the treaty of. Here are five of our favorite books about the evolution of the english language. From the very beginning of human civilization it has always been the main international language used. The english language is considered as a universal language, mainly because it is the most spoken language worldwide. Note that theres no hope whatsoever that english will become a universal first language. In a series of books culminating in 20s evocatively named.
The universal language of literature with so many of the worlds great books not written in english why do british publishers translate so few, asks maya jaggi maya jaggi. People have different theories on what effect english as a universal language will have on the world, and its competing languages. Pick up a book, learn a few words, or even start a course today and take your first steps. He says that english was far from the dominant scientific language in 1900. English is a west germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval england and eventually became a global lingua franca. The rise of english in diplomacy began in 1919, in the aftermath of world war i, when the. As a worldwide student,it is important to talk and compose a standard english as opposed to the ideal english model in your mind. English for business, french for arts, diplomacy, etc. In some contexts, it refers to a means of communication said to be understood by all living things. Before we learn how it became a universal language, lets explore a little about the history of english language. In the alchemist the overriding trope of the universality of mans desirethe soul of the universeis the universal language.
With more than 350 million people around the world speaking english as a first language and more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are english speakers in most countries around the world. When a jewish ophthalmologist created the artificial language, he dreamed of a common language. The english language is spoken by more than a billion people throughout the world. Opportunities to acquire a knowledge of the english language by visits, often prolonged, to britain, intermarriage, the presence of an influential british community in the capital, the services of.
In how english became english simon horobin investigates the evolution of the english language, examining how the language continues to adapt even today, as english continues to find new speakers and. And for many, many years it was the universal means of communication in western europe from the late medieval period to. English became the lingua franca around wwii, but it was already used all through the british colonial empire, establishing it in north america and australia. I surmise that the standard of english is the essential needs of advanced dialect, what s more it can help understudies. The book focuses on english grammar and how english evolved when speakers of different languages came together.
The bahaii faith, a universal religion originating in iran, maintains a universal language would promote dialogue, elicit better understanding. Survival the global rise of english is a complex topic, and it deserves the kind of careful treatment found in northrups exceptional book. Is english the worlds current universal language because. But this universalenglish thing is a doubleedged sword. This comes out, for instance, in a very accessible recent historical analysis of how english became the global language northrup 20. English is the language of political negotiations and international business. You can subscribe to the podcast at apple podcasts or elsewhere, get the rss feed, or listen via the media player above. Humans may speak a universal language, say scientists. For a millennium or more, english was a great importer of words, absorbing vocabulary. Both names derive from anglia, a peninsula in the baltic sea. People often talk about english as a global language or lingua franca. In this useful short textbook, the reader will find the. Over the years for the need of a universal language, english has become a universal language in the world. Universal language may refer to a hypothetical or historical language spoken and understood by all or most of the worlds population.
You may think of latin as the dominant language of science. English is closely related to frisian and low saxon. The search for a common language goes back millennia, but so. Gordins upcoming book, scientific babel, explores the history of language and science. Of course english is a global language,they would say. English is the universal language essay 1182 words 5 pages. Minae mizumura similarly describes english as a universal language. So, a little more thought may have been handy at times, but generally mccrums account is engaging and thoughtful, and production is pretty good. English as a global language, second edition institute for cultural. Do you think that the positive effects of this trend outweigh negative effects. It is the worlds second largest native language, the official language in 70 countries, and englishspeaking countries are.
About three times as many people are native chinese speakers as are native english speakers. Will english become the universal language of the future. Nevertheless, linguists find it to have the right number of alphabets to be easily learnt. Engaging with contemporary concerns about correctness, horobin considers whether such changes are improvements, or evidence of slipping. Some dictionaries have up to 600,000 words, although most native english speakers have a vocabulary of up to only 60,000 words. How did english become a socalled universal language. During the 1500s, english became the modern language we would recognize today. How did english become the worlds most spoken language. Mcwhorter is a professor at columbia university, political commentator, and linguist. Why english should not be the international language of.
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