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english as a Global LanguageCharacterized by the number of native and second language speakers and its geographical distribution, a global language is a language that is spoken and learned internationally. Although there is no exact definition, a global language is one that many people from many backgrounds and ethnicities use to communicate on an equitable basis. It is also often used in international organizations and diplomatic relations. As an unwritten rule a language can only dominate if its speakers dominate, meaning that one of the essential factors of having a global language is that it is the language spoken by those who wield power. There are three main factors that give to a global language: the number of countries who use it as their first language, the number of countries in which it is their official language, and the number of countries who teach it as the second language of choice in their school system. Of course the qualities of a language are also important to its status at a global language but generally a language?s global status depends largely on the political power of its native speakers as well as the economic power behind it. With the world becoming ever small so to speak and the rise of the global market, it is argued that now more than ever there is a need for a global language. With modern communication, international travel and global trade all on the rise, the demand for a single language has never been so strong. But is a global language a good thing? It is clear that there are many advantages to having a global however there are some disadvantages as well, for example there is a risk that with the adaptation of english as a global language, certain minority languages may go extinct. Also the move to a global language brings threats of disadvantage for those who are speaking it as thier second or even third language versus someone who speaks the language natively. And lastly there is a threat that having this ?global language? may be a threat to freedom of speech and multiculturalism. Now that we know all about what a global language is and why it might be a good or bad thing we can discus which language happens to be on the foreground of being the global language, namely english. english?s world wide use is much greater then any other language in history and there has never been a language as widely spoken as english. Most international organizations use english as their language of choice to communicate, organizations such as UN, World Bank organization, WHO, UNICEF. Even many international organizations including EFTA and ASEAN use english only as a means of communication. Due to British imperialism english has now been established in the courts, parliament, civil service and schools in many countries. That being said the main reason for english?s dominance in the world is largely American economic and cultural supremacy. America dominates film, music, television, computing, business and finance and as such the english language has been consolidated as the global language. American control and influence on worldwide markets makes english critically important in establishing international markets, especially in tourism and advertising. Students from many countries study english in their public as well as private schools in order to gain access to schools and colleges in America, Canada and England. Also people from non english speaking countries learn english so that they have a better chance at surviving in the business world. Companies want their employees to speak english and parents want their children to be able to speak it so they have more opportunities open to them. Spoken more widely than any other language in history, used by more counties as their native language and taught in almost every country in the world in some capacity, english is unofficially our Global Language. The power behind its use dates back centuries and continues to this day in power countries like America, Canada, Australia and Britain. Although it seems like english is untouchable as the global language, it may not be true. The world a always changing and like stated before if the power shifts to a non english speaking nation then there is a good chance that that language will take its turn in global fame. Maybe one day we will be learning chinese or japanese in our schools.
