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Global English: A Double Edged Sword

The official language of 53 countries, including the UN and the European Union, English seems to have flourished worldwide. Finding people that speak or understand English is not as difficult as it used to be. Students outside the native speaking countries are taught English in primary school, business is primarily conducted in English, and more than half of the Internet is in English.

This language, sometimes called “Global English”, can be understood and used by non-native speakers. Different from American or British English, Global English is close to “normal” as it can be.

The widespread usage of the English language is not, as some might think, a form of global imperialism. In fact, it is the opposite -- different countries can now be on the same diplomatic level by communicating in English. And that is a good thing. With lowered barriers between cultures, almost anyone can connect to the world, making countries such as the United States truly multicultural.

The problem with Global English, however, is that the other 6,908 languages (according to the Ethnologue) do not have such a prominent role. The National Science Foundation suggests that around 50% of those languages are endangered. Even as businesses now realize that other languages besides English, such as Mandarin Chinese and Spanish are necessary, some languages can be placed on the wayside, and forgotten.

Other languages besides English, from an ethical standpoint, are equally as important. Each language helps shape a culture’s identity, and is worth preserving based on that merit alone. Just because a single language is more convenient for society does not mean that other languages should disappear. English homogenizes the world, removing the linguistic and cultural differences of other languages that should be celebrated. The lure of money, political power, and even education are not good enough reasons to rely on English. Ideally, people should not feel that learning English is the one solution to their problems. Ideally, people should feel the urge to learn multiple foreign languages, and not equate “talent” or “success” to knowing English.

Currently, the European Union is engaged in a project called ELDIA, or “European Linguistic Diversity for All”. Endangered languages will be sought out, and policy makers will be able to appraise the situation, as well as raise awareness of multilinguilism. So far, there are 14 languages under review, and although that is a low number, the amount is bound to increase as the group finds more research.

As English is heavily relied upon, the other languages deemed less useful have a lower chance of being passed on to the next generation. “Linguistic diversity”, similar to biological diversity in species, can decrease. And as a language is lost, a piece of the culture and history it belonged to is lost as well. Global English provides its own solutions, for example, by internationalizing material written about endangered languages, but the stakes for other languages grow higher by the year.