Teach English in Northport - TEFL Courses

english as a global language (18) The British linguist, David Crystal states that a language becomes a global language as a result of the power of the people that speak it (5). english has dominated the world stage for hundreds of years. This dominance has been credited to different forms of power throughout history, including the power of science and technology in the 16th and 17th century that was presented by two-thirds of the inventors in english, and the economic power of America and Britain in the 19th century (5). However, does this still ring true in the 21st century? We now live in a global community in which countries are vastly connected. Is english fluency really that important to countries around the globe? In indonesia, this may not be the case. By the end of next year, the english curriculum will have been pulled out of all indonesian primary schools due to low pass rates on the Bahasa language high school exams (3). Furthermore, the economic power of china has been recognized by businesses across the globe. chinese classes have been added to the curriculum at the Singaporean chinese Chamber Institute of business in response to the growing demand for chinese speakers in the Singaporean business world (7). Taking this into consideration, one might think that the strength of the english language on the global scale is faltering. However, a recent study by EF Education First has revealed that english continues to thrive today and that it is becoming a basic skill that is required by all workers and not just an elite group (2). The British Council has predicted that two billion people will be studying english by 2020 (2). So what power does english possess in the 21st century that is validating its presence as a global language? english remains the global language of the 21st century, because of its dominance in science, business, and culture. Firstly, english gains immense power from the science world that drives innovation and change. I come from a science background and have experience working in a research laboratory. I learned which journals were reputable and which were not. All the reputable journals are written in english. This clearly indicates that for your research to be recognized on the world stage, it has to be published in english. Today, english is almost considered to be the universal language of science (4). This has done great things for the scientific community because it allows scientists to have access to a diverse and extensive repertoire of scientific literature and to communicate with scientists all over the world (4). The most compelling breakthroughs often involve collaborating ideas and research, and english is the common language that brings the global scientific community together. Secondly, english has become essential for a company to succeed in global business. This is clearly revealed in the presence of 100,000 english teachers in china (2). More people are studying english in china than in any other country in the world (2). china has recognized the importance of english for lucrative international business. Furthermore, a growing number of multinational companies, including Daimler-Chrysler, Nokia, and Samsung, are naming english as their corporate international language (6). These companies are realizing the importance of having a common language to facilitate business all over the world. In summary, the ability of a business to communicate in english defines their ability to compete on the world stage. Finally, the cultural triumph of english-speaking countries on the world stage gives power to the english language. The global world is connected by the Internet, cell phones, TV, and other technologies. With one click of the mouse, a person can gain access to limitless amounts of information in any language they choose (1). Because of these technological outlets, millions of young people all over the world are falling in love with english-speaking bands and movies (1). In Taiwan, Justin Bieber was a huge pop sensation. All of my students knew he was and might have even worn a T-shirt with his name and face on it. The success of movies based around chinese characters, like Kung Fu Panda also continue to fuel an interest in the english language in the Asian world (7). The Asian audiences watched the movie, loved it, bought the merchandise and were exposed to english (7). The allure of english-speaking cultures is high and it continues to empower english on the world stage. english acts as global language of the 21st century because of the power it holds in science, business and culture. These three facets of society produce a lot of revenue, so when it really comes down to it, english is the global language because of the money it generates. Will this continue into the future? As long as the world continues to obsess about American music and films, english will hold immense cultural power. If international science and business continue to thrive in english, there aren't any reasons to make any language changes. What will be more of interest in the future will likely be how many more people in the world speak english than they do now and how the so-called “english world” will be affected by these non-native english-speaking countries.