Teach English in Yinxing Jiedao - Shanghai Shi

english as a global languageEnglish has reached an unprecedented level of global permeation. Although various languages throughout history have been recognized as having significant cross cultural usage, many scholars agree that english might be the first one to claim and maintain a position as a universal standard. In the 2007 New York Times Article ?Across cultures, english is the word? David Crystal is quoted saying, ?We may well be approaching a critical moment in human linguistic history. It is possible that a global language will emerge only once.? As we continue to transform into a more global society, a common language would be a practical development to facilitate the sharing of information, ideas and culture. Of these, the sharing of information and ideas is the most frequently referenced impetus for the development of a universal language and understandably so. One of the most common examples of this is air traffic control. With international travel becoming more convenient and practical, the adoption of a standard language was necessary to ensure flight safety when traveling between countries that speak different languages. In this case, air traffic control serves as a microcosm to illustrate the practical necessity to develop a standard language. However, while adopting english as a global language might seem like a convenient and wholly positive trend for someone who is already fluent in it, it is important to note the socio-political complexities that are involved. The movement towards adopting english as a standard language can be a point of contention for those that do not speak it, and everyone would be better off acknowledging the potential hazards associated with it. It has been the case within the publishing industry, because of the relative global familiarity with the english language, that writing in english more often leads to wide distribution and translation. As we continue to standardize english, authors writing in minor languages will face more difficult hurtles when it comes to widely circulating their work. Considering the overwhelmingly small number of authors who have contributed lasting works of literature in a multiple languages, the risk of missing out on literary contributions from authors who do not write in english becomes clear. While this particular trend is especially discouraging to bibliophiles, it can be observed on a larger scale in the form of more popular mediums of communication. Because they lack the capital to create content of the same quality, many developing countries import entertainment in the form of songs, television programming and movies from english speaking countries. Some argue that this erodes these countries cultural heritage by imbuing it with Western perspectives. In turn, this cultural influence has the residual effect of impacting the politics of these countries. Some people go as far as to suggest that the teaching of english, regardless of purported ideological motivation, is an act of colonialism on the part of the instructor (Pennycook). The extent to which these assertions are true is debatable, but it is indisputable that there is a significant number of people who feel that the influx of english is threatening to their cultures current way of life. In the interest of cultural sensitivity it is very important to be consciously aware of these perspectives, as teaching english could be a point of contention to some individuals if linguistic trends continue the way they have been. Online Resources Used: http://www.cepr.org/press/DP2055PR.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/world/asia/09iht-englede.1.5198685.html?pagewanted=all http://german-way.com/blog/2009/03/03/downside-of-english-as-universal-language/ http://books.google.com/books?id=6H34PJJFUIoC&pg=PA133&lpg=PA133&dq=pennycook+english+universal+language&source=bl&ots=-0wxgNJG8U&sig=tVGvSN_RsYczcaRo17k6RawsNbE&hl=en&ei=AkSCTp-dBujm0QHO24muAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false