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english as a Global LanguageEnglish is the native language for only a handful of countries, including but not limited to the united states, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite the relatively low numbers, the use of english has spread beyond the borders of the aforementioned countries, and has permeated almost every aspect of life across the globe, from classroom study to its use as a common language for international communications and operations. With the demand of english speaking ability comes the demand of english education, and numerous countries seek native english speakers to teach and hone their language skills, creating a large market for teachers in the process. english truly has blossomed into a language of global trade, commerce, education, and communication. Linguistics professor David Crystal says that a ?language achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a special role that is recognized in every country? (Crystal). He continues to say that this recognition can be made chiefly through two avenues. The most obvious way a language becomes important is when it is the official language of a country. As mentioned before, the number of countries that list english as an official language is low in comparison to the number of countries in existence. Crystal also suggests that a language attains special recognition when it is the primary source of foreign language education. Statistically, english is one of the most widely taught foreign languages in the world. In the European Union, the language is studied by 89% of children in school, and large numbers of non-english speaking European countries have adult speakers that number as high as 85% of the population (Eurobarometer). In addition, scores of Asian countries including China, japan, and South Korea, invest heavily in recruiting native english speakers to teach the language, demonstrating a keen recognition of the importance of the language on a global scale. english also has an increased presence in worldwide media, including newspapers, magazines, and television, sciences, and political affairs. Not only is english the most commonly used language in the sciences, with up to 95% of published material in english (David Graddol), but it is also the official language of the International Olympic Committee and multi-national bodies such as the United Nations. In addition, english is used for international travel by land and sea (International Maritime Organization). The rise of english in education, media, and government has natural led to an explosion of speakers globally, so much so that linguists estimate that the number of speakers of english outnumber the number of native speakers. While evidence shows that EFL speakers are surpassing native speakers, some experts believe that these aforementioned EFL speakers will be better equipped than native speakers with english as a sole language (Graddol). However, one consequence of the spread of english as a global language has been the death of other languages. As the rate of english acquisition increases and even replaces certain forms of communication, so does the loss of other tongues increase as well. As can easily be seen, english has exploded onto the stage and does not show signs of slowing, let alone ceasing its role as the modern lingua franca. With incentives ranging from entertainment to political to economic, english continues to demand a global presence. Predictions for the future indicate that english, while still a global language, will be shaped and its role determined not by its native speaking population, but by its non-native speakers, who will soon outnumber the former. Works Cited Crystal, David. ?english as a second language.? Cambridge? Cambridge University Press. 2003. Eurobarometer. ?Europeans and their Languages.? 2006. European Commission. 06/04/2011. http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/pdf/doc631_en.pdf Graddol, David. ?The Future of english?: A guide to forecasting the popularity of english language in the 21st century.? The British Council. 1997, 2000. International Maritime Organization. 2011. IMO. 06/04/2011. http://www.imo.org/Pages/home.aspx
