The Effects Of Globalisation On English Being The Official Language Of The United States

The effects of colonisation and globalisation on the evolution of the English language. The British empire was one of the biggest empires in history. The British language is the global lingua franca, a commonly used language for communication between speakers of different languages (Galloway & Rose, 2015), of the present. The British Empire was expanded through colonisation. At the end of the sixteenth century, Britain started establishing colonies beyond the British Isles (Nevalainen & Traugott, 2012). Consequently bringing the English language into contact with other languages and cultures. The term globalisation was first used in 1930, however, it was not until the 1980s that it became a regularly used term (Nevalainen & Traugott, 2012). This essay will discuss the effects of colonisation and globalisation on the evolution of the English language. To outline the effects, six main areas will be discussed: firstly, the process of dialect levelling and focusing as a linguistic consequences of the spread of English; secondly, the development of new varieties of English through internal differentiation; thirdly, the relevance of political, cultural and economical factors on the spread of English language; fourthly, the development of English into the language of science & medicine, banking & finance and international publishing & communication; fifthly, the development of an official status for the English language in different countries; and lastly, the assimilation of English into education and teaching policies of different countries. Each of these areas contributed to the evolution of the English language into the language of the present.

In a community with speakers of different varieties of English, like in colonies, differences between speakers and their dialects tend to become eroded due to the process of dialect levelling. The process of dialect levelling causes differences between dialects to be gradually eliminated, resulting in a general dialect used in that community (Graddol, et al, 1996??). This process took place in many colonies of the British empire. The tendency towards dialect levelling can be explained through the phenomenon called focusing. A community with a strong sense of norms can be called a focused linguistic community, in which standardisation will take place (Graddol, et al, 2007). Such a community needs to contain the following three key means: firstly, there needs to be frequent interaction; secondly, the community needs to experience a sense of loyalty; and finally, a powerful model of a language needs to be present (Graddol, et al, 2007). Resulting in the standardisation of one specific dialect in that community. Looking at the colonisation of America, dialect levelling occurred in America during the eighteenth century, resulting in the American English standard (McIntyre, 2009). The reason for this rapid development of a standard variety of English can be proclaimed to be the social contact in education and the pressure speakers felt to adapt their language use to the model in attendance (McIntyre, 2009). This means that the process of dialect levelling and the phenomenon of focusing might move a community towards uniformity. However, other dispositions can lead to the internal differentiation of languages.

Substrates, moreover, influence the incorporation of linguistic features from a first language into a second language, causing the creation of new varieties of English. During the expansion and establishment of the colonies, a sense of linguistic identity blooms within different areas. The first stage of this is argued to be people noticing that their first language interferes with their spoken English, due to the need for communication between speakers of different languages (Graddol, et al, 1996). Over time a new variety of English can occur within such an area, called a pidgin (Galloway & Rose, 2015). We can define a pidgin as a language of communication, emerging in situations where there is a need for communication between speakers of different languages (Galloway & Rose, 2015). A pidgin can develop into a creole if it is passed on to the next generation and used as a first language (Graddol, et al, 2007). Resulting in a creole having its specific grammar and vocabulary, that differs from standard English (Galloway & Rose, 2015). In the early seventeenth century, slaves were transported to the Caribbean Islands, where slave-traders had the policy to assemble groups of slaves with different language backgrounds (Crystal, 2003). Creating an environment in which pidgin forms of communication, particularly between slaves and sailors, were inclined to form (Crystal, 2003). Upon arrival in the Caribbean, such pidgin Englishes continued being used as a means of communication among slaves, sometimes between landowners and slaves (Crystal, 2003). Consequently, the new generation was brought up with a pidgin as their first language, producing the very first black creole language in that region (Crystal, 2003). The Caribbean was not the only colony where this process occurred. Many pidgin and creole forms of English, new varieties of English, established themselves during the colonisation of the British empire. This allowed the British empire to expand their power.

The political, economical and cultural power of the English language was gained, due to the power of the people who spoke the language, all over the colonies, given the English language the chance to expand. For a language to be able to make progress internationally, there needs to be a strong power-base (Crystal, 2003). Language exists in the mouths, brains and ears of its speakers, if these speakers succeed to use the language, on an international stage, the language will flourish (Crystal, 2003). In the British empire, the English language could be considered a guarantor and a sign of political unity in many countries (Crystal, 2003). The desire for such unity was great during colonisation, as well as the bond it reflects between the colony and Britain (Crystal, 2003). After the First World War, political consolidation of the English language commenced, making it possible for the language to grow immensely in the new colonies (Crystal, 2003). Furthermore, in the post-war world, English became a medium of communication in areas that would eventually represent the character of domestic and professional life, culture, in the twentieth century (Crystal, 2003). An interesting example of this being that English is widely used by protesters on their placards to guarantee that their voices are heard all around the world (Galloway & Rose, 2015) In addition, the technological revolution and cultural legacies of the colonial period were evident on an international level (Crystal, 2003). Moreover, English is seen as a neutral language, passing over linguistic, religious and cultural boundaries (Galloway & Rose, 2015). In Singapore, English is the language used in political administration (Galloway & Rose, 2015). All of this combined, displaying that the English language had the chance to expand, flourish and gain power, moving towards having official status in multiple countries.

One of the causes of the globalisation of English is that the language had become the language of science & medicine, banking & finance, international publishing & communication. English has established itself as the language of the Internet, on account of the aim of the Internet is to have access to important American academic and government institutions (Crystal, 2003). The rise of English as the language of science & medicine started with the theory of Copernicus (Crystal, 2003). Copernicus was one of the first scholars with the opportunity to publish and circulate their findings and, since many potential customers were speakers of English, he published his work in English (Crystal, 2003). English is also the language used in the multilingual policies of the European Union, meaning that official documents are published in English (Galloway & Rose, 2015). A study, of 1980, on the use of English in science, proves that 85 per cent of papers in physics and biology at that time were published in the English language, 73 per cent of the medical papers too, chemistry came further behind with 69 per cent. (Crystal, 2003). During colonisation, English thus gained power over several important areas, like science & medicine, becoming an important global lingua franca.

During the twentieth century, the English language gained official status in several countries all over the world, making it the most powerful language in history. In the United States of America, English has been the overpowering mother tongue for many years (Crystal, 2003). Moreover, the English language has shared a co-official status with the French language in Canada for several decades (Crystal, 2003). It developed as a national language in Australia and New Zealand somewhere in the late twentieth century (Crystal, 2003). Furthermore, at the beginning of the twentieth century, English spread around former colonial Africa and it gained official status in the following African countries: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria & Liberia (Crystal, 2003). In today's society, the English language has official status in many countries, which is a direct result of colonisation and has, additionally, led to further globalisation of the English language.

English has made its way into the field of education, due to the process of globalisation and the importance of the English language in the fields of science and technology. Since the 1960s, the normal medium of higher education instruction in many countries have been English (Crystal, 2003). The reason behind this being, that most student will encounter English papers during their study and teaching them the subject matter in the English language will prepare them (Crystal, 2003). In Singapore in the 1950s, a bilingual educational system came alive, with English being used as a unifying language alongside Chinese (Crystal, 2003). Additionally, in the Netherlands, some advanced or university courses are taught in English (Crystal, 2003). English was also taken into the curriculum, as a subject, of many countries, resulting in it being taught as a second language all around the world (Crystal, 2003). Another argument explaining the growth in English use in education might be that universities and colleges have an increase in foreign students and teachers are therefore confronted with mixed-language classes (Crystal, 2003). Therefore, English language teaching as a business has become one of the greatest expanding industries globally (Crystal, 2003). Meaning that the English language has evolved into a major global language, in the field of education.

It is safe to say, that the British empire was the greatest empire in history. Through colonisation and globalisation, the English language evolved into the greatest language of the present. The effects of colonisation and globalisation on the evolution of the English language can be considered significant. Through the process of dialect levelling & focusing and the development of new varieties, the English language spread around the world and gained political, economical and cultural power. In this period, the English language developed into the language of the present. All this was a result of the colonisation of the British empire, which brought people into contact with the English language, which then resulted in more speakers of English and English varieties. Consequently, the English language developed into the language of science & medicine, banking & finance, international publishing & communication and established an official status in multiple countries. Moreover, English found its way into the teaching policies of many countries. The English language, therefore, became a global lingua franca, as an effect of globalisation. Will the English language continue to have this power? That is a question left unanswered.

Reference list

Crystal, D. (2003) English as a Global Language, 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Galloway, N. & Rose, H. (2015) Introducing Global Englishes. Oxon: Routledge.

Graddol, D., Leith, D. & Swann, J. (1996) English: history, diversity and change. London: Routledge.

Graddol, D., Leith, D., Swann, J., Rhys, M. & Gillen, J. (2007) Changing English. Abingdon: Routledge.

McIntyre, D. (2009) History of English: A resource book for students. Oxon: Routledge.

Nevalainen, T. & Traugott, E. (2012) The Oxford handbook of the history of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.