1.5 billion People use the English language for business purposes and communication in their daily lives while another 400 million people are native speakers of English. These numbers supersede any language that is spoken on earth either for business or as a native language (Bryson). Undoubtedly, the English language has grown over time to achieve global status. Each new dawn, corporations and nations are considering the adoption of English and those who are yet to adopt it have to use interpreters (Neeley, 2014). As such, the language has become a necessity. This paper argues that the English language should be made a mandatory learning objective for every curriculum in the world to reduce the diversity in languages and pave the way for language homogeneity globally .
Compared to all other languages, English is considered the simplest language to learn. Indeed, the English language is clear and briefer compared to other languages like German and other European languages (McKay, 2016). The simplicity of the English language can make it easily acceptable by different cultures across the globe. Teaching compulsory English curriculums can streamline inventions, business undertakings and interactions of people in the world, without incidences of discrimination. Additionally, other European languages are known to be complicated. European languages are widespread in the world, but none of the languages matches the simplicity of English in the learning perspective. For instance, some European languages have problems associated with articles and gender. Regarding combinations of letters in words, German in particular is full of combinations, making it almost impossible to pronounce and literally requires exercises for articulation. In the Netherlands, there are businesses whose names have more than 40 characters that businesspersons have to fold their business cards.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Therefore, English becomes a better version since it has clear and widely accepted acronyms such as CIF, FBI, and IBM. Additionally, the English language has simple spellings and pronunciations that make it easy to learn coupled with the wonderful structure, simplicity, and an impressive amount of vocabulary. To this end, the English language is set to become global due to its cultural and political power. According to David Crystal, a language becomes global due to the political power of the people speaking it (Crystal, 2003). Throughout history, English has been the dominant language in the military, war, and in colonization (BBC, 2010). While others scholars argue that simplicity cannot be measured and nothing can be termed as easy, the simplicity of a subject depends on the leaner and not the language and English is no exception. Some factors that may make a leaner acquire foreign language fast are aptitude, motivation, personality, age, and even style.
English has been considered as a major reason for the extinction of languages, erosion of cultures, and the erosion of the borders between languages. Nevertheless, the language has envisioned more good than harm. English can reduce the diversities experienced in global meetings where several languages have to be considered in the process of making a decision. Indeed, the English language is already being commonly used in many countries, with amicable results in bringing quick national cohesion. Notably, a common characteristic of many countries using English as a second language is the extinction of local languages. While the use of local languages may not be completely ignored, English rules in most formal undertakings within the country. Presently, people presume it is better to learn English than a local language, which will be used less frequently in other parts of the world. Consequently, as English is being considered as the modern language, people are abandoning their cultures for something that will be accepted worldwide. The reason is, modern developments, which have brought about globalization, make it necessary for individuals to learn a language that can be communicated in most parts of the world. The fact that English is widely spoken causes the drastic changes in languages and prevalent need to be proficient in the English language. Additionally, the desire to be modern has made English the dominant language that most people seek to learn, whether in classes or online platforms. As such, this need for common language makes English the most obvious choice for use as an international language. Since time immemorial, there has been a great need for a universal language among human beings. English, being already spoken by a large number of people worldwide, makes it the most dependable choice for a common language. The figure below attests to this fact.
The benefits of having a global language are numerous and are not limited to the fact that the universal language will make communication easy and faster and it will enable the appreciation of technological advancements, economic development, and science (Burns, & Caroline, 2001). While the attempts by people to create a common language have always borne no fruits, English has the potential to give desirable results when incorporated into school curriculums globally. Indeed, the global English that is being adapted by everyone is different from the English spoken by native English speakers or British English. Nevertheless, the move is plausible, because not many variations exist in the English language. In the case English is not taught and incorporated in the global curriculums, the risk of its extinction rises. As such, its place can be taken by other languages such as Mandarin, whose demand has been on the rise in recent years. However, compared to English, Mandarin is difficult to learn. In addition, the influence of Mandarin globally cannot be compared to that of English. The chart below shows language extinctions globally and why certain scholars are of the view that English should be embraced as a global Language due to its ability to foster progress.
Conclusively, the English language is spoken on a worldwide scale by many people as compared to any other language. As such, the language should be introduced in schools where non-English speakers seek to join the quest to achieve a global language and enhance their economic and sociological welfare. The simplicity of the language makes it easy to be learned and provides vast benefits for the learner. In addition, there has always been a need for a common language in the world, which would foster development economically and technologically as well as in science. As such, it is vital to consider the possibilities of having English as a global language.
References
BBC. (2010, December 20). How English evolved into a global language. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12017753
Bryson, Bill. “English as a world language.” Chapter 9. Changing Words in a Changing World: pp. 429-435. PDF.
Burns, A., & Caroline, C. (2001). Analyzing English in a Global Context: A Reader . Routledge, UK: Routledge.
Crystal, D. (2003). English as a global language (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge university press.
Han, Z., & Odlin, T. (Eds.). (2006). Studies of fossilization in second language acquisition (Vol. 14). Multilingual Matters.
McKay. S, L. .(2016). English as a Global Language from Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning Routledge. Accessed on: 14 Oct 2018 https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315716893.ch3
Neeley, T. (2014, August 01). Global Business Speaks English. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english
