Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "global language", the lingua franca of the modern era. While English is not an official language in many countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world. Some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural sign of "native English speakers", but is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communications, as well as one of the official languages of the European Union, the United Nations, and most international athletic organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.

English is the language most often studied as a foreign language in the European Union (by 89% of schoolchildren), followed by French (32%), German (18%), and Spanish (8%). It is also the most studied in the People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world. English is also the most commonly used language in the sciences. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries. (Link)

The English language itself was a product of globalisation, it was originally a sort Germanic Dialect that spread to England in the fifth century. However, academics disagree as to whether the language was adopted by the Native inhabitants, the Celts, or whether the Celts were displaced which would have coincided with the immigration of Anglo-Saxons. Either way, both of these processes are processes of globalization, at least of the known world. Later on in history, the Normans (from what today is known as France) invaded England. This is how many Norman, or Old French, words came to be part of the English language. As a result, the English language as we know it is an amalgamation of various languages and dialects and it has changed through the ages as various events take place.

The Great Vowel Shift is on such example. The Great Vowel Shift took place between the 14th and 16th centuries, though it reached its peak in the 15th century, largely due to the effects of the Black Plague. The Black Plague that was experienced in London caused a mass migration to South-East London this coupled with the rise of a standardized middle class led to the shift in pronunciation. This also coincided with standardization of spelling, hence the Great Vowel Shift is responsible for many of the spelling peculiarities present in the English language today.

Because of the Origins of the English language, it closely resembles numerous other languages such as Frisian (spoken in the Netherlands and some parts of Germany), German, Dutch and Afrikaans. It bears much similarity with French and Italian as well. Hence it was natural that it be adopted as the working language between countries. This was especially so since Britain was the paramount power.

The establishment of the British Empire followed by the rise of the United States as a superpower meant that from the twentieth century, English was informally adopted as the lingua franca of international business and eventually of politics and the like. Today English is the “global language” of our world. It is the most learned second language in the European Union and on a global scale; it is the first or second most commonly spoken language, rivaling all the Chinese dialects put together.

All this is a result of globalization, furthermore, as the English language becomes more popular, it has continued to pick up words and phrases from other languages, making it a truly global language.

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Labels: cultural globalization