World's Favorite Language

        The use of languages is one of the key methods of communication. Different countries and regions use different languages so they can share information. As a matter of fact, English is one of the most widely spoken languages across the globe, even with over seven thousand languages being spoken around the world. Both the World Economic Forum and David Crystal gauges that around “1.5 billion people” speak the English language. 

As this being the case, English has been considered both the world’s global language and the lingua franca. This means that the English language is used worldwide in order to clearly convey information through methods of digital, verbal, and written communication. Also, if people who use different languages need a common way to communicate, they will typically resort to using English. For example, if two people are trying to talk but one solely speaks Japanese, the other only speaks Italian, and they do not use a common or middle language, it will be much more difficult to get them to communicate and understand each other. Although tough and near impossible to get everybody to use the lingua franca of English, it is essential for maintaining consistency throughout the world. 

Furthermore, Kachru’s concentric circles demonstrate how English is used in different countries and which countries are more likely to use it than others. The model is broken down into three circles. The United States and Britain are included in the Inner Circle as it is the native language and it is used for most societal and governmental functions. The next circle is the Outer Circle, which refers to countries that commonly use English despite it not being the native language such as Pakistan and Singapore. The third circle is the Expanding Circle which includes countries that barely use any English except for Internet or business purposes. Examples include Russian and China. As translators are growing, there is a reduced need to learn English, and countries from the Outer Circle may move to the Expanding Circle.

In continuation, as technology advances, the need to learn other languages shrinks. The British Broadcasting Corporation World Service mentions how “computer translation and voice-recognition technology” allow people to “speak their own language” and communicate easily. This means more people will rely on these translators and less people will turn to multilingualism. As approximately twenty percent of Americans speak a different language than English at home, the US’s melting pot concept is affected. Many people in the US must learn English in order to work or attend school. If there is a way for them to use their mother tongue, surely many will follow that route. International business and forms of entertainment, like television, video games, or social media, may currently require people to know English in order to comprehend or participate. However, futuristic technological changes may make situations involving multiple languages less reliant on having to know them.

When the British Empire was expanding, not only were customs and lifestyles spreading, but so were the languages of the newly obtained regions. Linguistic imperialism or dominance deals with controlling social, economic, and governmental functions of another country. For instance, when Britain was present in India, India tended to follow the behavior of the British. Ever since the British Empire has diminished, Britain’s global influence has also decreased. This is resulting in the reduction of English spread. Although English is currently a predominant language in everyday life and is not going extinct anytime in the near future, there is a possibility that it may enter endangered zones within the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization five levels of language endangerment.