Global Language
How English became an international
language
By
Francis Talbot (Dip. Eng. Tech; MA
Applied Language Studies; PhD;
University of Westhampton
[email protected]
1
What is a global language?
• A common language (or lingua franca) of
communication in a global society
• The language continuum:
• Local language → intranational language →
regional language → global language
• East African example: Kikuyu → English
→ Swahili → English
2
How does a language become
global?
•
•
•
•
conquest
trade
migration
introduction of new channels of
communication e.g. IT
• expansion diffusion
3
The English-Speaking World
4
‘British political imperialism had
sent English around the globe,
during the nineteenth century, so
that it was a ‘language on which the
sun never sets’. During the
twentieth century, this world
presence was maintained and
promoted, almost single-handedly,
through the economic supremacy of
the new American superpower. And
the language behind the US dollar
was English’ (Crystal, 1997)
5
The current status of
English
• 1,400 m. peoples were English have
‘official’ status
• 1 bilion people learning English as second
or foreign lang. (British Council English 2002)
• 1,200-1,500 millions native/near-native
speakers (probably figure) (Crystal, D 1997)
6

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