Paper 4

The text, an extract of an article by the BBC World Service website highlighted some of the more important issues raised in the present and future status of English in an international context.

One of which was the showcase of the expansion in other languages around the world. We most clearly see this in the text which states, “...about 1.5 billion people around the world speak it- but fewer than 400 million have it as their first language.” This shows that the expanding circle of English is getting bigger. In this increasing bubble of language, eventually, it will pop. This is further supported in the article in the discussions of translations by the internet and computers around the world. This is an important issue in English’s longevity because, with more global enabling of translation and support for other languages to be used without disadvantages, English will die.

This global enabling includes the use of new technologies that can translate even easier than ever before. We see this in the author’s reflection of how this would be applicable to the article itself which is shown when they wrote, “...with a couple of clicks on your computer… you could just as easily be reading it [the article] in German or Japanese.” This outward thinking perspective is a great showcase of the translative technologies being a huge problem for the English language as it will soon just be translated and equally summated with all of the other languages in the world as they are understood as first languages.

Not only is translative technology an important component of the English language for the world, but also the technological developments around the world in generality. That is inclusive of the manufacturing of products in foreign countries like China, which, is the largest producer of the world in products with a notorious “Made in China” sticker on almost everything you order on a regular basis. This idea of the superiority of language development through production can be backed by the author of the article who wrote, “There are probably more people in China who speak English as a second language than there are Americans who speak it as their first.” This communicational requirement can be soon mediated by technology and replace all other forms of communication as it will be easier and quicker to communicate for both parties using translative technology.

This is becoming increasingly obvious when we consider the trends in the world and otherworldly activities besides raw communication. If we take perhaps what the author thought which was when people want to “...play the latest video games or listen to the latest popular music…” They must know the language to fully understand and grasp the content. So in trends outside of regular communication, people’s own expressions are limited by language. This means that if the English language doesn’t stay prominent and dominate the markets of gaming and music etc… Then English will die.

David Crystal’s ideas also bring light to other ideas like the power of global language. This is the prominence of English throughout historical events, most notably the industrial revolution. This further aligns with the idea that the development of technology and broadening bridges between linguistic communities and their differences is what continues to drive change. Despite the overwhelming power and popularity of English now, it is more likely than not that the language will change. Just like if you told someone from the 16th century or before then that Latin wouldn’t be the most prominent language they would have looked at you like you were crazy. However, with the current momentum and popularity of English right now, it will be a prolonged period of time before English falls out of touch with its dominance as a language.