WHY ENGLISH?

The dominance of English language

Alejandro Aznar Argelich

English: Intercultural Communication

Overview
1. Introduction 2. Top reasons that made English a Dominant Language

3. Threats and consequences

4. Linguistic imperialism 5. Conclusions 6. Bibliography
English: Intercultural Communication

1. Introduction
Have you ever thought why you are studying English... in one of the most important German universities?

Why do you usually hear almost the same amount of people in the corridors of the TUM speaking in English as people speaking in German?

1. Introduction

WHY ENGLISH???

2. Reasons that made English a Dominant Language

1. English Dominance in the 19th Century

2. The Rise of America as a Global Power

3. English Is the Language of Technology and Science

4. English is the Language of International Organizations

5. Other Uses of English Cause It to Have Global Impact

3.1 Threats
1. Good for Business, bad for Literature

- Language does matter

- Great authors write only in 1 language - English is more likely to be translated 2. English is dominant in a way that no language has ever been before. John McWhorter, Manhattan Institute, linguist
English seems to be too widespread and too deeply entrenched to die out. Instead, it will probably survive in some simplified international form, relegating American and British English to mere local dialects.

BUT the need for a common language is going to be technically replaced Automatic Translation and Interpreting

3.2 Consequences
1. Europe is not resisting to English language dominance anymore
Newspapers are increasingly willing to have an English version

2. According to a Eurobarometer survey, 15-to-24-year-olds are five times more likely to speak English as a foreign language than either German or French.
Adding native speakers to those who have learnt it 60% of young Europeans speak English well or very well.

3. Thanks to English (and the internet), a genuinely pan-European space for political debate is being created 4. Europeans will become bilingual, except for Anglophones, who are becoming monolingual.

4. Linguistic imperialism
Linguistics concept that "involves the transfer of a dominant language to other people. The transfer is essentially a demonstration of powertraditionally, military power but also, in the modern world, economic powerand aspects of the dominant culture are usually transferred along with the language.

Since the early 1990s, the theory of linguistic imperialism has attracted attention among scholars of applied linguistics. Particularly, Robert Phillipson's influential 1992 book, Linguistic Imperialism, has led to considerable debate about the merits and shortcomings of the theory.

4. Linguistic imperialism
Phillipson's theory critiques the historic spread of English as an international language and that language's continued dominance, particularly in postcolonial settings such as India, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, etc., but also increasingly in "neo-colonial" settings such as continental Europe. His book analyzes the British Council's use of rhetoric to promote English, and discusses key tenets of English applied linguistics and Englishlanguage-teaching methodology.
- English is best taught monolingually
- the ideal teacher is a native speaker - the earlier English is taught, the better the results - the more English is taught, the better the results - if other languages are used much, standards of English will drop

4. Linguistic imperialism
According to Phillipson, those who promote English use these arguments:
- economic utility: it enables people to operate technology - ideological function: it stands for modernity - status as symbol for material advance and efficiency

Critique: while those who follow Phillipson see choices about language as externally
imposed, the other camp sees them as decisions made by individuals.

Response to critique: Those who support the arguments favoring the reality of linguistic
imperialism claim that arguments against it are often advanced by monolingual nativespeakers of English who may see the current status of English as a fact worthy of celebration.

5. Conclusions
1. English language dominance has the advantage of allowing people to communicate globally 2. Science and technology can develop faster thanks to English language. Do business is easier thanks to one common language 3. Use of English hasn't been an individual choice but a need 4. Convergence to English can cause a loss of cultural identity 5. English language dominance doesn't mean English dominance (English language as a mere mean of communication)

6. Bibliography
Phillipson, Robert (1992), Linguistic Imperialism, Oxford University Press

Crystal, David (2003), English as a Global Language, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press

Charlemagne. English is coming. The Economist. February 2009

Seth Mydans. As English's dominance continues, linguists see few threats to its rule. The Boston Globe. April 2009

English as the Global Language: Good for Business, Bad for Literature. Centre for Economic Policy Research

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