The Desirability of English as a Growing Global Language

English has gradually achieved the position of a lingua franca and this phenomenon continues to spread every day. I will discuss why this development contributes to global communication. The use of an international language is of great importance nowadays because of all the interactions between the different nations in this world and therefore, a common language is necessary in various fields of communication, for instance in business, science and politics. But the use of a global language might ultimately become a problem for literature. So after taking all these factors in consideration, the question might rise: Is English as a lingua franca something to embrace or something we should turn our backs to?

A common language is needed for communication in many different areas, but one might wonder if English is right for the job. I believe it is, because it is rather easy to master and consequently interesting as an international language. Grammatically, English is not very hard to understand and for that reason it can easily be taught to students in secondary school. Although it may not be the native tongue for that many people, it is an official second language in a lot of countries.

First of all, its significance is clearly seen in the business world. Numerous companies have multiple departments all over the world and in order for them to be successful, the divisions have to be able to correspond with each other. This cannot be done if they do not have a common language. Furthermore, when global conferences are held that are of a certain importance for a wide range of corporations, one cannot possibly attend these worldwide seminars if he or she does not speak the language it is in.

Secondly, a global language is definitely useful to science. Scientific knowledge is something that is to be shared with the entire world so that this comprehension can result in new breakthroughs and inventions. If scientists had not been able to share their ideas and discoveries, a lot of the objects we use every day might not have been invented yet.

Lastly, the use of an international tongue is important to politics as well. The United States of America, for example, is a country that is greatly involved in politics and the native tongue of most inhabitants is English. Therefore it is essential that the rest of the world is able to communicate with this dominant nation.

However, English as a global language does not always have a positive effect. In his paper English as the Global Language: Good for Business, Bad for Literature, J. Mélitz states that “the global dominance of the English language is bad news for world literature”, because when an author writes in English, there is a higher chance that he or she will reach a bigger audience. Publishing in a major language is the key to international success.

An international language is important in this world, even though it has its downsides. English as a lingua franca is beneficial in areas such as business, politics and science, but can have a negative result when it comes to literature. In this age of communication a multilingual world is necessary.

Sources:
MELIZT, J., ‘English as the Global Language: Good for Business, Bad for Literature’ (http://www.cepr.org/press/DP2055PR.htm)