different dimensions of the status of English as global lingua franca coupled with the implications

 different dimensions of the status of English as global lingua franca coupled with the implications

Introduction

English has become a universal language, with more than 380 million individuals talking it as their first language and over 200 million individuals accepting it as their subsequent language  (Jeon, 2009). “English has been significantly connected with western countries, for example, the US, Canada, or the UK. Be that as it may, with the world’s globalization significantly in the commercial segment, English has been believed to assume an incredible job in encouraging correspondence between individuals of various etymological foundations. Once more, globalization in the instruction segment where individuals move to different nations to ponder has likewise impacted the advancement of English. English has become the world’s language of correspondence as it is utilized in different parts; for instance, business, innovation, governmental issues, and discretion. English is all over the place; we can see it wherever we move”. This study will look into different dimensions of the status of English as global lingua franca coupled with the implications.

Language, Culture and Lingua Franca

First, through the procedure of colonization and in this manner through globalization, English has become a universal most widely used language. “The insights represent themselves. Words are not just methods for correspondence, which empower us to address one another, yet additionally vaults of culture and character. This exposition will look at a portion of the outcomes of English turning into a common most widely used language on language, culture, and personality, recommending a part of the territories where further research is required. To start, it merits investing some energy, thinking about the idea of English. It is a plural-centric language with many standards, characters, and socio-semantic chronicles relying upon where, how, and who is utilizing the language (Borbely, 2000). This features how both non-local and local speakers are molding English, and how incomprehensibly for most of its clients English is an unknown dialect. Most of the verbal trades in English are between non-local speakers of the language.

The social element of remote and second language use and instructing has ascended in unmistakable quality since the 1980s. All the more as of late, there has been a lot of enthusiasm for and banter concerning the utilization of English as the most widely used language (ELF) (Paulston, 2018). Notwithstanding, there has been minimal exact examination about what correspondence through ELF may mean for a comprehension of the connections among languages and cultures. This article provides details regarding a subjective report researching seven clients of English in an advanced education setting in Thailand occupied with intercultural correspondence (Soylemez, 2004). Examination of these instances of cross-cultural communication, together with the members’ meta- discussions of culture, uncovered social edges of reference apparent of and utilized in a crossbreed, blended, and drawing on and moving between worldwide, national, nearby, and singular directions. In spite of the fact that the set number of occurrences detailed implies that further research is expected to make speculations unhesitatingly, it is recommended that social structures, practices, and edges of reference through ELF might be seen not as from the earlier characterized classifications, however as versatile and new assets which are arranged and setting subordinate. Consequently, ELF needs to move past the generally imagined objective language—target culture relationship to join attention to dynamic half and mixed cultures and the aptitudes to expertly arrange them (McKay, 2002).

English has become a standard method for universal correspondence. Its non-local speakers now far dwarf the traditional local speakers in the UK, the USA, Canada, and so forth. Against this foundation, various creators have, as of late, focused on the capacities for which unknown dialects are found out. They make a qualification between a language of correspondence and a language of recognizable proof. The terms have, as of late, been advanced in the setting of English as the most widely used language. English, it is stated, can be utilized as a language of correspondence without fundamentally being a language of distinguishing proof. As it is being used for viable informative purposes, rightness and specific elaborate highlights related to the discourse network from which it starts are of lesser significance. Later advancements in European language strategy appear to be engaged similarly with the suggestion that the EU should advocate the possibility of an individual asserting language. This language ought to be uninhibitedly picked by each European, and it ought to be not quite the same as his or her language of character, and not quite the same as their language of extensive correspondence (Muller, 2001).

To start with, as an instrument for the financial accomplishment of the maker of the new disparity class, English has been an incredible power behind the advancement of business establishments. Therefore, another type of disparities was made that was significantly founded on language capability. Research demonstrates that the English language has affected the improvement and headway of the financial segment in a peculiar manner (Johnson, 2009). As individuals battle for independence and achieve achievement, English stays a critical factor in understanding these objectives. English is said to advance the monetary division in different manners; for instance, it furnishes individuals with the essential aptitudes that empower them to adapt to the cutting edge time of innovation (Seppala, 2011). With the innovative progression, English remains the dominant language of correspondence for numerous individuals. Once more, as individuals keep on interfacing because of various reasons, English remains the dominant language for communication between them (Poggensee, 2016). English empowers individuals to impart viably over different lingual fringes. Business associations flourish, and they look to grow their tasks globally to various nations over the world. A great many people learn English, not because they need to know it for the purpose yet to empower them to achieve a great job. Individuals in the underdeveloped nations try to learn English. Even though in instruction, the reason for learning a language is to have the option to understand and impart in another language, the entire thought is to become effective monetarily in the general public by obtaining a superior activity. The fundamental reason for a word is to advance correspondence; notwithstanding, the globalization of English has demonstrated this announcement not to be right. Language is no longer for communication for the most part, yet instead, there is a shrouded motivation behind the attempting to learn and achieve another language. Research shows that the globalization of English has prompted the development of another feeling of personality where the individuals capable of English respect themselves to have a place with a specific gathering. The human character is, for the most part, impacted by language (Hatoss, 2003); in this manner, the new class that is framed by the capable second English language speakers in the underdeveloped nations like Africa and Asia is primarily affected by the English language.

Researchers consider English as a unit that signs enrollment in a particular gathering. English has affected many different cultures that have been known to be preservationists like the Chinese. China is one of the nations where religion is still viewed as significant and ensured at any expense. In any case, internationalization has affected their commitment to culture; and over the previous years, we have seen a few changes (Johnson, 2009). From the start, the Chinese government would not acknowledge English to be instructed in the schools (Fishman, 2011). While numerous researchers have grasped the concentric circles model to help see how English turned into this global power, it isn’t blameless. It is felt that the model experiences taking an unnecessarily political and authentic viewpoint on the spread of English, and doesn’t oblige the areas where the language is utilized, yet where English-talking countries never colonized (Serpell, 2013). Another analysis leveled at the model is that by overlooking the way that composed standards vary moderately little contrasted with unwritten rules, the model passes up on the chance to urge specialists to break down the shared traits and distinguishes between various English people.

Moreover, the model doesn’t take into consideration the way that there can be varieties inside a nation. English is likewise by all accounts, not the only language to have plural-centric attributes that help interethnic correspondence happen. More individuals on the planet communicate in Hindi and Spanish than English. A portion of the miseries of English being the most widely used language is the thoughts identified with this trend of other world languages” (Fishman, 2011).

The Spread of English and the Reasons for the Emergence of English as the Global Lingua Franca

A language attains a genuinely global status when it manages to develop a unique role that is recognized in every country (Crystal, 2003). In light of this statement, the spread of English to most parts of the world can be understood comprehensively. The major triggering factor behind the spread of English as a global language is its attribute of having a unique role to play within the countries. Several reasons can be cited for the emergence of English as the common language starting from the nature of the word to the unique roles played by it and the phenomenon of globalization (Clyne & Sharifian, 2008). The triggering factor behind the emergence of it as a global language embedded with the socio-economic power of the word. It has not attained the status of the significant universal language on account of the increased state of it as the mother tongue of most of the countries; instead, it has this status based on higher social status, which appeals to people to get into the language as much as they can. From this, the concept of globalization has added to the emergence of language as the global language. The revolution of “Information Technology” accompanied by an increased level of communication between or among the people residing in different parts of the world, academic and employment trend has paved the way for the rampant emergence of English as the significant global language (Sridhar & Kachru, 2000). The research stressed upon three main parts which contributed to the spread of English language; globalization, academic and employment trend prevalent in the world and new information technology (Warschauer, 2000).

Similarly, the launch of the World Wide Web has led to a new dimension of the spread of the English language, which endorsed the prevalence of it throughout the world as the dominant language for communication between or among the people. This aspect has fixed the dominant position of English over all other words of the world (Blommaert, 2010). These notions explain the contemporary reasons for the spread of the English language as the most significant global language; however, the ideas for the range of English language date back to the era of colonialism and imperialism. The spread of Britains and Americans to invade the less developed areas of the world was an important part. During the process of colonization, the transfer of language and socio-cultural norms is an inevitable factor that accounts for the spread of language (Keebe, 2013). Even today, the grammar of the colonized areas is deeply impacted by the norms of the colonists. This factor also added to the spread of the English language as the most significant global language.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Spread of English as Global Lingua Franca

The spread of English as a global lingua franca is a double-edged sword, which has certain advantages and disadvantages. Language shift is one of such significant concepts under the umbrella of problems of the spread of English. Language shift refers to the process of gradual replacement of one language by another one. It is portrayed through a gradual decrease in the number of speakers, level of proficiency, and practical use of the word (Hornberger, 2010). With an increased spread of the English language in almost all parts of the world, this factor has become significantly illustrative. Most of the styles are near to death, and some of them are in great trouble with sustainability. In this scenario, many words become vulnerable to the issues of extinction. In any society, communication is linked with the cultural practices, social norms, and traditional values of the people. The death of a word is associated with the most considerable destruction to the cultural wealth of a nation (Makoni & Trudell, 2016).

On the other hand, the advantages are of considerable importance as well. The fusion of native languages with English has resulted in better prospects of success and betterment for the people of the underdeveloped world. The amalgamation of the words has embellished the people to work on their loopholes in a better way (Gumperz, 2012). Owing to globalization, people have come closer, and the use of a single language for communication can render excellent services to the people of the under-developing or least developed countries of the world. Due to this factor, the facilities of education and employment can be readily available to the people of the under-developed or marginalized world. The transfer of knowledge and information from the developed countries to less developed countries has become equally crucial out of this factor (Hornberger, 2010). Since English is the mother tongue of most of the countries of the developed world, so this has been a matter of immense importance for the less developed or developing the world. Most of the information available in print forms and hard copies are present in the English language, so the spread of English as the most significant language has opened the new avenues of betterment and prosperity for the under-developed world.

Implications for Non-native and Native Speakers of English

For the non-native speakers of English, the status of English as a lingua franca holds a prominent position. The increased technology and the competitive environment out of globalization have paved the way for an omnipresent state to the language. For the non-native speakers, this is of crucial importance as most of the aspects of life are being executed in the mode of English. To strive well in the globalized world dominated by the English language, the non-native speakers are supposed to adhere to the style. Minority languages of the non-native speakers are fully embellished with the rich reflection of multiethnic cultures and societies, which hold vast reservoirs of social, cultural, linguistics, historical, and anthropological information. Under the dominant position of English as global lingua franca, these languages of non-native speakers suffer constant threats of marginalization and extinction. Out of 7105 living languages of the world, 1481 are in great trouble of destruction, and 906 are dying (Makoni & Trudell, 2016). Among all these languages, English is the only language that is spoken by more individuals as a second language as compared to the people speaking English as a first language. The implications of English as global lingua franca on the non-native speakers can be illustrated through the fact that non-native speakers outnumber the speakers by a margin of 3 to 1 (Crystal, 2003). For native speakers, the status of English as a global language has led to cultural integration and amalgamation of the cultures.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, it can be said that the status of English as the global language is inextricably linked with the socio-political dimensions of the word itself, and the process is meant to proceed with the tide of globalization and information technology (Batibo, 2012). English has influenced vastly different cultures that have been known to be preservationists like the Chinese. China is one of the countries where religion is still seen as vast and guaranteed at any cost. Regardless, internationalization has influenced their promise to culture; and over the earlier years, we have seen a couple of changes, and it will keep on moving like this.

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