Hor and English lingua franca (Paper 4, Question 1)

The English language dates back as early as colonial times, where nations around the world began using the language to communicate with each other for reasons such as trade and other international affairs. Today, the English language has expanded to a larger stage, where it has grown to take on several different forms and meanings. Since colonial times, the English language has further developed and this is due mostly to the technological advancements of the modern day. With devices such as smartphones, laptops, and even gaming consoles, the English language has received new slang and even words to describe different things. However, these new technologies could be threatening the “world’s favorite language” with its constant and rapid advancements.

As years go on, new technologies are developed and threaten the very nature of the world’s favorite lingua franca. A common thought is that the English language is more commonly spoken in North America and the United Kingdom, however this appears to be false. According to an article published on the BBC World Service website, China is the country that has “the most” English speakers. A study referenced in the article shows that “up to 350 million people” speak the language, know of the language, or are learning the language in China. Moreover, “at least another 100 million” speak, know of, or are learning the language in India. In these two countries, many goods are produced and exported, and trade centers are set up between those countries and others. Because of this, most of their citizens speak English as a way to easily communicate with other countries. This can be considered an example of one of Kachru’s circles models, the expanding circle. Once, the English language was not nearly as expansive as it is now. However, with developments made during war-time eras such as the Cold War, the need for international communication was desperately needed. This caused new technologies to be developed, and once that method of international communication was set, English began to expand past its boundaries.

However, the new technologies that are stamped as being ‘helpful tools’ to guide users in the right path, may actually be taking away from the value of the English language. In that same BBC article, it is mentioned that due in part to “advances in computer translation and voice-recognition technology,” the need for learning English is essentially lost. What once began as a method of teaching people to learn the language, quickly turned to a cheat code for getting it done quicker. By inputting the word or phrase that was to be translated into a software such as Google Translate, the user would be able to learn what the translation is and learn it. However, since the technologies are so advanced now, there is no need for that as the verbiage can be “machine-translated in real time.” The article asks the rhetorical question; “why bother to learn English if computers can now do all the hard work for you?” This question shows just how much the language has expanded since its colonial era, as technology now has the ability to speak it, write it, and translate it.

As theorist and British linguist David Crystal puts it, the English language is heavily influenced by the development of new technologies and their advancements. This helps to explain why the need for learning the language is not nearly as needed as it once was. As mentioned before, the fact that computers can “now do all the hard work,” is a direct replacement for those who needed to learn the language. Comparatively speaking, about “1.5 billion people” across the world speak English, while “fewer than 400 million” have it as their primary language. The author of the BBC article ventures out to say that there are “probably more people in China” who speak English as their second language “than there are Americans who speak it as their first.” This shows that through rapid improvements and developments of technology, the English language has expanded its outreach.

These new advancements have led to improved communications on the local and international level. Though they may replace the need for English to be learned, it is important to note that the English language will continue to expand even further. With this expansion, new words and phrases will arise and widen the already large-scale language. English will likely remain the ‘world’s favorite lingua franca’ for generations to come, as it is the easiest language to use in international communications, business, and even more.