It is true that, as soon as you enter the international world, there is only one safety that you can rely on for familiarity. This safety is the English language. English has become the planet’s language and is used globally in technology, commerce, and power. Its globalization has allowed people from different cultures and backgrounds to communicate, form relationships, and become educated at a level that was not possible before. Although these are all good things, the question must be asked, “How does this globalization affect English itself?” The English we use today might seem as strange to future generations as Shakespeare’s English is to us!
In her essay, Not The Queen’s English, Carla Power states that “new English-speakers aren’t just passively absorbing the language – they’re shaping it.” She continues by listing some of the “new Englishes” that have been formed in different regions of the world, including Spanglish, Japlish, Englog, and Hinglish, that are all threatening the traditional English standard as we know it. The idea is that people are forming a language that allows them to communicate and form new identities with each other, and because English is well-known across the world, these new languages can easily be based off of English. So should they even be considered as English then? To a native English speaker, it would be difficult to understand a foreigner who learned English in their own country, because there is no enforcement or real need for this foreigner to learn the “right” English. They can get by on what they have learned.
The evolution of English is definitely something that is affected by its globalization. It seems that native speakers of English have the most to lose as they are stuck with the “old” version of this language, while new versions, among which includes an international Standard English (different from the English we speak), are spreading. Is it really such a horrible thing though? Would it be a disaster if English was revolutionized into something completely different? One theory explains the idea of a “Tri-English world”, where a person would speak local English which consists mainly of dialect, a national English that would be used in schools and work, and an international Standard English that would be used for international business. Now it seems that, with all the enthusiasm for learning the language and making it usable for all, this theory wouldn’t be impossible.
It is clear that English is changing under the circumstances of globalization, and because of this we must ask ourselves if we are willing to conform. English is global because it is the language of power and technology and if we as Americans sit back and ignore the idea that the English we know might not be the international English required to compete and succeed globally, we could fall off the wagon that leads the way in revolutionizing our world. There is much opportunity in embracing whatever comes of this globalization. The market for English teaching has become so large that most countries spend more than $1 billion on it yearly. English is the common linguistic denominator between culture groups and nations and only time will tell whether or not globalization will swallow the English we know so well and produce a new global language that only hints to the familiarity we find comfort in.
I have noticed that I sometimes use Spanglish when I talk to people that know both English and Spanish. I don’t think about using Spanglish it just happens by habit. My reason for using Spanglish is that I do not use the Spanish language often and when I am talking and I forget a word in Spanish, I use the English word to replace it in my sentence and I carry on the conversation. It is a matter of forgetfulness and convenience.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that maybe one day “globalization will swallow the English we know so well and produce a new global language that only hints to the familiarity we find comfort in.” and I think this already exist but it is still in the beginning stages. I know I use and have heard other people use tri-English before. Example when I am work I use profession English language, when I am with friends I use a more relaxed English language and around Spanish speaking people I use Spanglish. All that we have read in chapter three has made me think that our English may develop. The English language has never stayed the same, new words are being added to our dictionary yearly, and it is an ongoing process.
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ReplyDeleteWe responded to the same question and came up with the same conclusions. English as we have come to know (and at times hate) is never going to be the same now that the world has gone global. Depending on how you view change, this can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI really don’t mind all the English writing conventions I had to learn in school. I can’t say I remember all of them all the time, but I try because it sounds normal to me. However, I can’t say I slight other cultures, especially those outside the United States, that do their best to communicate in an ‘English’ they can make sense of.
Poor, poor prescriptionist though. How they must hate what they hear and see!
I think the problem with acknowledging English as the global language is that people then have the opportunity to become lazy with language and the opportunity to learn new language. I absolutely agree with you on the topic of how powerful and current the English language is, but I can’t help but identify the problem that will develop if we identify it as the main language. People will become dependent and lazy on this fact. “Well, if it’s all everyone is speaking, then I’m good; I don’t need to learn another language”. What a dangerous world we’d live in if this happened.
ReplyDeleteNow, I’m no stranger to Spanglish. In fact, I’m fairly certain that was all I spoke during my two years of high school Spanish. It’s one of those “easier” languages (when did it even become a language?) that lets a lot of people get away with really only speaking English instead of learning Spanish as well. And, this is the problem. The problem is that the English language has began accommodating people; letting them get away with learning “just enough” instead of enriching the lives of others with other languages. So, I completely agree with your points about English being so powerful. I guess my concern is what will be done with this power. But, thank you so much for sharing! You’ve got some great points and you really made me think.
English Thoughts- Everwey,
ReplyDeleteI like that you pointed out the unappreciated fact that English is a “familiarity” that people rely on when far from home. My parents own a travelling agency when I was younger and prior to migrating to America, we traveled to several countries. I never noticed it before but there is one language that we spoke and looked for regardless of which country we resided. We never traveled to America before officially moving here but going to China, Japan, France and etc, we spoke English. I knew there was more than English and Tagalog (my native language) but I still relied on it whenever we traveled somewhere away from home. English is affected and differs in places it is spoken and used. I grew up with Hispanic/Latino friends and I do know of Spanglish. Personally, I speak Taglish with family members and other Filipinos. Although English is developing sublanguages, I don’t think it is a threat to English. Because it had been practiced as a global language or a “lingua franca” (as I learned from AmberLog), it also allowed and help create a better society for the world. Together, everyone is moving forward with better technology and experiments; an aspiring future because we communicated. English breaks down language barriers between other languages. It is often learned in grade school and developed in adulthood.