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1 The Current Status of English

English has achieved global status and is used widely in international settings. It serves as an official language for bodies like the UN and organizations in various fields including politics, science, sports, movies, press, music, and education. English is used for proceedings, publications, travel, safety instructions and more. Surveys show high percentages of scientific papers, movies, music groups, and university courses using English. Its widespread use around the world in diverse domains contributes to English having attained status as the global language.

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Hamond Oliver
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137 views

1 The Current Status of English

English has achieved global status and is used widely in international settings. It serves as an official language for bodies like the UN and organizations in various fields including politics, science, sports, movies, press, music, and education. English is used for proceedings, publications, travel, safety instructions and more. Surveys show high percentages of scientific papers, movies, music groups, and university courses using English. Its widespread use around the world in diverse domains contributes to English having attained status as the global language.

Uploaded by

Hamond Oliver
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LNGS 102: 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The Current Status of the English Language


Introduction
English is the current global language. According to Crystal (1997), a language attains a
global status when it develops a special role that is recognised in every country. He explains
that for a language to achieve a global status, it has to be taken up by other countries around
the world. These countries must decide to give the language a special place within their
communities, even though these communities may have few or no mother-tongue speakers of
that language.

Indeed, English is used as the sole or the principal, official language in relation to a wide
range of topics. Crystal (1997) gives a detailed account of the role English plays and why
English is said to be the current global language. Some of the reasons he gives have been
discussed below.

1. English as the language for proceedings of the United Nations


The United Nations consists of 193 member nations and over fifty distinct organs,
programmes, and specialised agencies. It also has many regional and functional commissions,
standing committees, expert bodies, and other organisations. English is an important official
language within all of these structures of the United Nations.

2. English as the language of major international gatherings


English plays an official role in the proceedings of most other major political international
gatherings in all parts of the world. Examples include the
i. Economic Community of West African States
ii. Association of South-East Asian Nations
iii. Commonwealth
iv. Council of Europe
v. European Union
vi. African Union
vii. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
viii. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
ix. European Free Trade Association

So, English is the only official language, the only working language of the political
international gatherings listed above.

3. English as the language of science

In Europe, organisations which work only in English are surprisingly common, especially in
science. For example, the following organisations use only English in their proceedings.

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LNGS 102: 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
i. The European Academy of Anaesthesiology
ii. The European Academy of Facial Surgery
iii. The European Association of Cancer Research
iv. The European Association of Fish Pathology
European associations from other domains that use English only for their proceedings include
the:
v. Air Law Association
vi. European Bridge League
vii. European Aluminium Association

4. English as the language of sports


Several international sporting organizations use only English. These include the:
i. The Union of European Football Association
ii. The Africa Cup of Nations
iii. The African Hockey Federation
iv. The Asian Amateur Athletic Association
v. The Association of Oceania National Olympic Committees

When these organizations hold international competitions, the English language


automatically becomes the lingua franca of the gathering.

5. English as the language of the movie industry

The cinema was one of two new entertainment technologies which emerged at the end of the
nineteenth century. When sound was added to motion pictures in the late 1920’s, it was the
English language which suddenly came to dominate the movie world.
For example, in 1933 the first edition of The Picturegoer’s Who’s Who and Encyclopaedia of
the Screen Today came out. Out of the 44 studios listed, 32 were American or British,
implying the use of English. Out of the 2466 artist listed, only 85 (3 per cent) were making
movies in languages other than English. Of 340 directors, 318 (94 per cent) were involved
only in English-language works.
Despite the growth of the film industry in other countries in later decades, English language
movies still dominate the medium. In 1994, according to the listings in BFI Film and
Television Handbook for 1996, 80 per cent of all feature films given a Despite the growth of
the film industry in other countries in later decades, English language movies still dominate
the medium. In 1994, according to the listings in BFI Film and Television Handbook for
1996, 80 per cent of all feature films given a theatrical release were in English. By the mid-
1990’s, according to film critic David Robinson in an Encyclopaedia Britannica (1995)
review, the USA controlled about 85 per cent of the world film market, with Hollywood films
dominating the box offices in most countries.

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LNGS 102: 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
6. English as the Language of the Press
The English language has been an important medium of the press for several hundred years.
For example, a visit to any university library in any country shows that most academic
journals with an international readership are published in English. For example, the journal
Linguistics Abstract reviews the content of some 160 linguistics journals worldwide, and
about 70 per cent of this number are published entirely in English. In the physical sciences,
the figure may reach 80 per cent or more. By contrast, material aimed at younger people,
such as comics, is often in a local language.

7. English as the Language of Popular Music


In the 1990’s the English-language character of the international pop music was
extraordinary. According to the 1990 edition of The Penguin Encyclopaedia of Popular
Music, of the 557 pop groups it includes, 549 (99 per cent) work entirely or predominantly in
English. Out of the 1219 solo vocalists, 1156 (95 per cent) sing in English. Several analysts
have remarked on the way in which western popular music has threatened the life of ethnic
musical traditions everywhere. At the same time, other analysts have drawn attention to the
way popular music in the English language has had a profound and positive impact on the
nature of modern popular culture in general.

8. English as the Language for International Travel


People travel abroad for many and various reasons. Some travel abroad for holidays, business
meetings, academic conferences, international conventions, community rallies, sporting
occasions, military occupations and other official gatherings. For all these, transportation and
accommodation are arranged through the use of English as an auxiliary language. For
example, safety instructions on international flights and sailings, information about
emergency procedures in hotels, and directions to major locations are now increasingly in
English alongside local languages.

Besides, most notices which tell us to fasten our seatbelts, find the lifeboat stations, or check
the location of the emergency stairs give us an option in English. In some cities, the trend
towards English has been especially noticeable. An English-speaking visitor to Tokyo in
1985 would have found city travel a largely difficult experience without an English-language
map; but by 1995, English road signs had become commonplace.

9. English as the Language of Education


One dominant view is that a person is more likely to be in touch with the latest thinking and
research in a subject by learning English than by learning any other language. For example, a
1981 study of the use of English in scientific periodicals showed that 85 per cent of papers in
biology and physics were being written in English at that time, medical papers were 73 per
cent and papers in Mathematics and Chemistry, 69 per cent and 67 per cent respectively.
Since the 1960’s, English has become the normal medium of instruction in higher education
for many countries, even including several countries where the language has no official
status. Advanced courses in the Netherlands and Germany, for example, are widely taught in
English.

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LNGS 102: 2019/2020 ACADEMIC YEAR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
References
Crystal D. (1997). English as a Global Language. London: Routledge and Kegani Ltd.
Dyji, Eddie (ed). (1996). BFI Film and Television Handbook for 1996. London: British Film
Institute.
No Author. (1933). The Picturegoer’s Who’s Who and Encyclopaedia of the Screen Today.
London: Odhams Press
Tobler, John. (1989). The Penguin Encyclopaedia of Popular Music. London: Puffin.

Quiz
Do you agree that English has attained a global status? Give adequate reasons and evidence
for your opinion.

Supplied by Dr J. T. Agor on [email protected] Page 4 of 4

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