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Subject: Global English Paper Author: Sara Michael [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 12:07:57 10/04/06 Wed Sara Michael Victoria Abboud English 1050 October 2, 2006 Worldwide English Is it possible, that in the future, English could be the language of the world? At the rate English is growing, many people believe English could one day become the global language spoken universally. The problem with this proposal is deciding exactly what dialect of English will be used. In order to form a global language a standard for both speech and writing must be made. Should “academic” English be the language used by the world, if so can all the dialects already spoken be condensed into one global language? Many challenges arise when putting together a specific worldwide language different from what average Americans speak everyday. The difficulties in developing “Global English”(Rohde, 1) are quite immense. Lets just begin with the “frenetic pace” (Rohde, 1) at which words are brought into the English language. With so many people speaking the language, words are manipulated and changed regularly. Trying to build a language that combines all these new words proves almost impossible. If we decided to use academic English as the basis for speech and writing, another challenge is formed. The Americans along with the rest of the world would have to remove all forms of slang. A large majority of Americans don’t even know how to use academic English in their everyday speech. To teach Academic English to those who use lax English everyday would take quite some time. If a specific form of English is going to be used globally we will need to form guidelines for the language and stick to them. If guidelines are not set the process of learning English will be never ending. The mass media would also have to conform and use academic English due to its high influence on the world. All these problems are put into consideration when we think about using a different type of English from what we speak everyday as a basis for a global language. Through previous understanding of academic English it is easier for Americans to see what it will take in order to form global English. When Americans learn academic English they are taught all the grammar and techniques the language requires. Yet Americans very rarely actually use the English they are taught in their everyday speech. The differences between academic English and spoken English are extreme. In order for global English to be created it would require vast teachings throughout the world. These teaching would not only be for native speakers but also for Americans. I would presume that a large majority of American would have a difficult time trying to speak in academic English. Thus in order to have English as the global language a set form of speech would be required that would have to be taught to the entire world. Due to the fact that a large amount of the world can speak some form of English, this task of creating a global language isn’t impossible, but will take a lot of effort and time to establish. I don’t necessarily think a global language needs to be made, but if one is going to be created global English is a good language to build upon. Therefore forming a global language is not entirely needed but seems almost inevitable. The world seems to continue to point English as the global language both for communication and for development. Now that the language has been decided, our only challenge is forming a specific form of “English” that can be understood globally. This challenge may prove to be impossible but we wont know that until the future when a global language will most likely be created. Work cited Rhode, David. “Global America Global English.” Do you speak American? 2003. Macneil/Lehrer Productions. 09 Sep 2006 http://pbs.org/speak/ahead/globalamerica/global/ [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]