Summary of Why a Global Language

Summary of Why a Global Language

In why a Global Language, author David Crystal explains what a global language is, how English has become the global language of today, and also why it is important for the world to have a global language.
The article begins with David Crystal going explaining how English is the global language today. He explains how English is everywhere, it can be found all around the world, even headlines in other countries are written in English. From here David switches views and shows the reader that not everyone understands English, others all around the world, view English differently. English is not everyone’s first language and some even may feel threatened that because English is growing so quickly, it makes their first langue’s seem powerless. David ends this first section saying that it is natural for people to feel overwhelmed or threatened by English, but as English grows, everyone is able to benefit more from one global language.
In the next section of the text, David Crystal Explains what a global language is. He explains that for a language to be a global language when it has developed a “specific role” in other countries. This “specific role” basically means that a certain amount of people needs to understand this language. It is because of second languages that the use of a global language has become inevitable. English is becoming the global language today because in over 100 countries English is taught to students as a second language.
The next section talked about by David is “what makes a global language?” He goes on to explain that the number of people who speak the language is important but it isn’t quite as important as how powerful the group of people who speak the language is. If a small country is somewhat powerless and becomes taken over by a much larger more powerful country, then chances are the country is going to start using the larger country’s language as their main language and the existence of the old language will go away. Also different languages are adapted faster or slower depending on how easy they are to lean. English is derived from many other languages witch makes it easy to learn. And also English is gender exempt. Language has a lot to do with the culture of the language’s people.
The last part of the article explains why a global language is needed. As the technology of the world today is growing so rapidly, communication around the world is more necessary now than it has ever been in our past. With the increases of international contact, it has become more important that a global language is set up to allow easy communication. Because English is already known by so many, it has made its way to becoming the next true global language.

Paraphrase Practice pg. 354 paragraph 14

The strength of a language depends less on how many people speak it and more on the power of the people who do speak it. Languages don’t live anywhere other than in the minds and mouths of the people who speak that language, if these people were to die off or somehow forget their language, the language is going to die off. If a culture is strong and powerful, the language is going to be spread along with the culture and grow. If the culture is weak or dyeing off the language of that culture is going to be weak and die off with it.