The Future Status of English as a Global Language
Jill Chao 95501004
Professor Michael Cheng
Writing and Reading (II)
March 31, 2009
Argumentative Essay
The Future Status of English as a Global Language─Now is No Forever! As an English major and a bilingual person, it’s hard to jump out of the box and deny the deep, great, far-reaching influence and outspread of English. It seems true that English has become the universal language─the one accredited language to use in professional academic fields, the almost instinctive choice of language for people to speak in foreign countries, remarkably the none-English-speaking ones, and a universally basic personal asset to survive in the modern society. Yet to think of how English obtained its status quo as a world language and the uncertainty of its future, it would be too imprudent to say that English will still definitely be the global language in the future. Before further elaboration, it is necessary to clarify the phrase “the future status of English as a global language.” Here, a global language is defined as a language that can be used in any part of the world for the purpose of communication. And the future status is supposedly considered as the status in the long term─not 2 or 5 years, but rather decades and centuries, because the future is an ongoing, unstoppable flow of time and shouldn’t be condensed into merely a few years to come. People who believe that the future status of English as a global language is assured think so because, they say, English is already a dominant language now. Though it’s true, I believe it is important to understand how English, rather than Russian, Japanese or any other language, achieved its current position. In an article that explains how English got to its prominent place, “The World Language,” the question is clearly answered: “at first, because the British not only built a global empire but settled America, and now because the world (and notably America) has acquired its first truly global-and
Professor Michael Cheng
Writing and Reading (II)
March 31, 2009
Argumentative Essay
The Future Status of English as a Global Language─Now is No Forever! As an English major and a bilingual person, it’s hard to jump out of the box and deny the deep, great, far-reaching influence and outspread of English. It seems true that English has become the universal language─the one accredited language to use in professional academic fields, the almost instinctive choice of language for people to speak in foreign countries, remarkably the none-English-speaking ones, and a universally basic personal asset to survive in the modern society. Yet to think of how English obtained its status quo as a world language and the uncertainty of its future, it would be too imprudent to say that English will still definitely be the global language in the future. Before further elaboration, it is necessary to clarify the phrase “the future status of English as a global language.” Here, a global language is defined as a language that can be used in any part of the world for the purpose of communication. And the future status is supposedly considered as the status in the long term─not 2 or 5 years, but rather decades and centuries, because the future is an ongoing, unstoppable flow of time and shouldn’t be condensed into merely a few years to come. People who believe that the future status of English as a global language is assured think so because, they say, English is already a dominant language now. Though it’s true, I believe it is important to understand how English, rather than Russian, Japanese or any other language, achieved its current position. In an article that explains how English got to its prominent place, “The World Language,” the question is clearly answered: “at first, because the British not only built a global empire but settled America, and now because the world (and notably America) has acquired its first truly global-and
Cited: Author unknown. (1999). The World Language. The Economist, Millennium Issue 31 Dec. 1999:85 ----------------------- [1] The BRICs: An acronym which refers to Brazil, Russia, India and China; the four nations that are economically fast growing. The term was first brought up and used by bank holding company Goldman Sachs in 2001.