In today’s global environment, English has become the foremost language of the business world, creating a new and unprecedented demand among non-native speakers to learn a language that, once achieved, leads to clear social and economic advantage. In writing this paper, I found that fluency in the English language has a dramatic impact on the success and employment status of an individual. Throughout its history, a number of factors have played a part in the rise of English as a globally dominant language. Trade, exploration, centuries of conquests, religion, and literature have all contributed in their own ways to the remarkable expansion of English in the world (Sue-Lo Twu). The modern age has transformed these categories and as a result, English has gained importance through necessity rather than by brute force. The lasting and dominant power of English continues to be influenced by political factors, technological advances, and the globalization of the economy and business, as well as the geographical placement of major English speaking countries (Sasaki, Suzuki, and Yoneda 382-383). “After Babel: A New Common Tongue” reports that “most international European companies…tend to use English as their…working language regardless of their base”. These competitive and modern factors have given English the upper hand against other common international languages, such as French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. According to Ethnologue, there are 180 million native speakers of English and an impressive 360 million non-native speakers as of 2006, a 1:3 ratio (Sasaki et al. 382). In addition, it has been predicted that by 2050 half of the world’s population will be proficient in English (“A World Empire By Other Means”). This dram... ... middle of paper ... ...ins in grade school. In the U.S. there are 3.4 million ESL students in grade schools (“Preparing English language learners for academic success”). These students perform at a substantially lower level than their native-speaking counterparts. We are witnessing English becoming an essential language among a variety of countries. The needs may be different, but the effects of change almost always begin with businesses and the Internet, trickling down to affect the service industries and low wage earners. In many job settings, English can be a precursor to the skill itself. Without English as a skill, many immigrants can find it difficult or even impossible to find work in the U.S. Though the order of world politics may change and shift, the world is gravitating toward a common language to communicate as we grow more closer and more connected as a global community.
Every year, the number of immigrants in the U.S. has grown “significantly.” Chen predicts that by the year of 2020, public schools will have at least 50 percent of students that are non-English speakers (¶5). This shows that it is important that public schools have a successful ESL program. The purpose of ESL programs is “to enhance” ESL students learning, to help students’ “emotional well-being”, and to accelerate students’ ability to learn the new language. According to Chen, some district schools have failed to support ESL students’ learning. For example, Chen stated that “...[some] school districts [have been] accused of not meeting t...
The statistics of those not speaking English could lead to the idea that English is diminishing in certain sections of the United States. An example of this is shown in the article “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Languag...
“More and more multinational companies are mandating English as the common corporate language—Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailing, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP, Technicolor, and Microsoft in Beijing, to name a few—in an attempt to facilitate communication and performance across geographically diverse functions and business endeavors” (Neeley). There’s only a matter of time English becomes both the government and business language because it’s growing at an extraordinary
As a direct result of the Internet being everywhere you look, the world we live in is more connected than ever. From the countless individuals looking at their smartphones during the day to the many other methods of communication, it is pivotal that we are able to talk to one another. While people have their differences in terms of taste, clothes, culture, and lifestyles, the international community has adopted English as the primary way of transmitting information; With a solid foundation of it, one can speak with countless individuals all around the world, and gain many new opportunities as a result; from personal reasons such as traveling and hobbies to professional growth, there are countless reasons to fine-tune one’s understanding of
Plus, English is accepted worldwide as a tool for communication, for example, according to Charles Alderson, “the language of international aviation communication is English” (Alderson, Abstract). While it may tread on non-English speakers’ feelings, there are multiple reasons for enforcing the use of English when on the clock at work. Implementing English in the workplace is not discriminatory because it is used as a tool for communication to ensure the quality of work and to protect the workers and the management. To start, a fast food position is a common beginning job.
The Concentric Circles Model proposed by Kachru is a method encapsulating the “types of spread, the patterns of acquisition and the functional domains in which English is used across cultures” (Kachru, 1992: 356). On the basis of these three characteristics, the scholar divided countries into three groups: The Inner, The Outer and The Expanding Circles. The Inner Circle refers to countries traditionally regarded as the bases of English, that is, nations where English is the mother tongue of a substantial part of the popula...
To combat this problem, there are a number of things that a company can do so that the use of English is encouraged. This paper shall illustrate some of the techniques/tactics an employer can utilize to urge employees to converse in English. However, before these can be identified, certain current issues need to be addressed. A problem that arises is that the United States does not have a national language; therefore there are no laws that can constitutionally enforce its use. On top of this, according to Equal Opportunity employment regulations, individuals cannot be discriminated based on their national origin. People argue that this offers support to their right to speak non-English languages within a business. On the flip side, it can be argued that, in this post-911 world, people are put off when they’re aroun...
Nowadays, English language is an important language of knowledge for anyone and also as an international language in the global community. Whether in primary school, secondary school or college, Malaysians are almost always in English to learn. Now the children of the first exposed with the language in addition to their mother tongue, other than that is English. Furthermore, English language is also used by employees and employers to communicate or in business. Now in the 21st century, most people are used to communicating in English.
People live in the world of communication. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English (Moore, 1997), communication is defined as, “The activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information”. The significance of communication can be found within the context of a human existing as a social being. As a human being manages his or her life in the course of the interaction between other members of the entire society, communication is inevitable. Communication occurs through the medium of a language and it is presented in two different forms which are written and spoken (Brown & Yule, 1983: 1-10). The importance of spoken performance of a language is becoming more prominent over the written performance capability. It is because the ability to speak a language reflects a person’s personality, self image, knowledge of the world, ability to reason, skill to express thoughts in real-time (Luoma, 2004: ix). These days, due to the global trend of internationalisation, the ability to communicate in English is needed as an essential skill. Whenever the international exchange happens, the use of spoken English entails. However, it is not always an easy task for people who use English as a second language to be able to speak to the level of a native speaker. They have to perfectly understand the sound system of English, have almost instant access to proper vocabulary and be able to place words together intelligibly without hesitation. Moreover, they also have to perceive what is being said to them and need to be able to respond appropriately to acquire amiable relations or to accomplish their communicative goals (Luoma, 2004: ix). Therefore, non-native English speakers encounter these barriers and they are subject to make mistakes often. In relation to this matter, this essay argues that there are socio-cultural factors as well as linguistic factors that affect non-native speakers’ communication in English. It provides analysis of several different situations when the use of spoken English has generated miscommunication problems in regards to author’s personal experience.
Over the last few decades the functional range of English has spread tremendously, affecting various domains in a worldwide context. It enables interaction for many sectors including technology, science, business, media, politics, and international organisations. English teaching in the classroom is becoming more widespread because English in the workplace is becoming more widespread. Management, IT, industry and tourism are all examples of professional fields in which communication in English is to be expected (Berns et al. 2007: 19). In addition to professional purposes, English is also used for activities such as holidays, family outings or sporting events, outside of school and work (Berns 2007: 2). Another significant role for ELF is the growing social use of English. This is connected to the online phenomenon of social media and the rapid proliferation of social networking platforms such as Facebook. I will devote a separate section in the next chapter to the interactivity of Internet platforms, as this topic merits extended discussion.
The concern about the English proficiency at workplace is left unchecked and this leads the lack of competitiveness in all aspects of our economic environment like administration, education, finance or trade. In this Modern world there are much advancement in the technology and acc...
It has been adopted by different sectors making it one of the most used languages in the globe. This has been attributed to its effective nature, easy learning and rich history. However, conservative groups exist who argues that there should be global language since it may cause the emergence of superior cultures. Nevertheless, it is evident that different cultures ranging from the early polish immigrants, the African American community, the advertising and media will greatly benefit from the globalization of the English language. This will prove in the end that English is indeed a global
In the year 2014, the language that is most spoken around the world is English. There are currently 1.5 billion people that speak English as their first language, second language or as a foreign language. The English language has had a great impact on the world as a whole. English is still the dominant language that is spoken throughout the world. Although the language has evolved over time and changed in many ways it has still stuck around and became a language that was spread throughout the world. This paper will go into detail how English was established as a dominant language and the history of the language spreading. I will also explain why the increase of the language is a positive and negative development.
The development of the English language was a combination of cultural, political, social and religious events that each playing their own part shaping the modern English language spoken today as a first language by 400 million people . As Baugh and Cable convey to us in A History of the English Language; ‘It understates matters to say that political, economic, and social forces influence a language’. Although it cannot be identified exactly when the inhabitants of Britain began to speak English, there are some sources that give an insight into the nature of the forces that played a role in its foundation such as: the four medieval manuscripts;
In order to visualize the “global” as an adjective in the collocation “global language”, a study has shown the numbers of people speaking the language. According to them, there are about 6000 languages in the world and not surprisingly English is at the top of the list of most dominant. In the world there are 375 million first-language speakers, approximately the same number of second-language speakers and about 750 million foreign-language speakers (David Graddol, The Future of English? A Guide to Forecasting the Popularity of the English Language in the 21st Century. British Council, 1997). According to magazine Economist, more than one billion people speak some form of English. These numbers could make people think that English is really conquering the world which can be both positive and negative.