The Idea of the Millenium

            The word globalization has been repeated over and over again since the start of the new millennium.  I have read a lot about globalization’s impact on business, information sharing, and popular culture.  I didn’t realize globalization’s impact on language until reading chapter 1 of International English in Its Sociolinguistic Contexts.  However, even before reading this section, I would have been able to determine globalization’s effect on language knowing that it has dramatically affected the culture of the world.  One of the most important things that I have learned in this class is the intertwinement of language and culture, so if globalization is changing the world’s culture it must have an impact on language.

            There are two various positions on globalization in specific relation to the English language; these two views are described in depth on page 3.  The homogeny position views the spread of English as a way of unifying the world’s culture.  Some people see the dominance of one language as a way of spreading culture while others believe that this leads to the loss of other languages and reflects “imperialism and colonization”.  In contrast, the heterogeny position is where individuals describe the features of World Englishes as a sign of the pluricentricism that has been brought about by globalization.  The spread of English has resulted in the creation of different varieties of English around the world.  Ultimately, the effect of globalization on the use of English appears to be a combination of homogenization and heterogenization.  On page 3 it states that the impact of globalization on English use is “a fluid mixture of cultural heritage and popular culture, of change and tradition, of border crossing and ethnic affiliation, of global appropriation and local contextualization.”       

            I enjoyed reading the part about the incentives for learning English.  There are three major incentives for learning English according to the text: economic, educational, and mass media incentives (10).  My previous thinking and learning in this course have led me to examine the connections between these three incentives.  Learning English for educational purposes often leads to monetary rewards.  These monetary rewards can lead to the enjoyment of the world’s most popular music, movies, television, and entertainment; all of these categories are dominated by English.  From another perspective, learning English for economic motives or in the work place could expand one’s knowledge and desire for further education.  English is often a requirement move up a company’s hierarchy; moving up the hierarchy leads to more educational and enrichment opportunities. 

            In my opinion, the most compelling part of the text was an idea contained in the summary on page 25.  The first point of the summary suggests that some people feel that a shared language among all cultures is necessary.  This is a super interesting idea to me, and I agree that a shared language across all cultures would connect the world more than ever before.  Imagine a world in which the majority of humans spoke the same language.  More information can be shared than ever before and problems and concerns can be addressed without the worry of language barriers.  I am not advocating for a dominant world language because I speak English; I do not care where the dominant world language comes from.  I just like the idea of having one language to connect citizens throughout all cultures.  However, this idea seems relatively impossible.  There are so many citizens of the world that only speak indigenous languages that do not have access to the resources to learn English or another heavily spoken language.  In addition, the use of only one language would lead to the loss of culture.  As discussed in this class many times, so much of culture is conveyed through language.  The cease of a language’s use would inevitably lead to lost knowledge or cultural customs, especially amongst indigenous peoples.  So instead of forcing people to learn one language instead of another, why shouldn’t people learn two?

            In my ideal world, all people in the world would maintain their current language (no matter what it is) and then learn an agreed-upon second language.  I am unsure of a politically correct way to determine which language should be used for global purposes; I will leave that to the politicians.  This plan would prevent people from losing previous cultures but also still push for an even further increase in global communication.  Obviously it would take a plethora of resources to facilitate a world language but ultimately the benefits would outweigh the costs.