LANGUAGE There are over 850 languages spoken in

LANGUAGE

There are over 850 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea

There are 780 languages spoken in India today

Where is English Distributed? � Look at English as a case study of how language is diffused �(2) English is spoken by ½ billion people (2 nd behind Mandarin Chinese). Nearly all Chinese speakers in China but English speakers distributed across the globe �English = official language of 42 countries, more than any other language

English Diffusion � Diffusion of English is a result of migration/colonization/imperialism. Every time the English colonized a place, they made English the official language. Modern day English speaking countries is a map of colonialism: �To N. America – 17 th C �Ireland 17 th C �S. Asia mid 18 th C �S Pacific late 18 th C �S. Africa late 19 th C

Global Dominance of English � Globalization produces a need for a common language of communication. Today that language is English. � Lingua Franca: when people of different languages need to communicate quickly and efficiently they use a lingua franca…a language of international communication. (ex: Russian was the lingua franca of USSR)

English = Global Lingua Franca � Polish airline pilot flying over France speaks English to air traffic control � English = official language in many factories and businesses around the globe � Most info on WWW = in English � Language of pop culture = English � Among EU countries, 83% of high scholars speak English

English = Lingua Franca � Japanese schools require 6 yrs of English and Japanese government has considered making Eng an official 2 nd language � Universities around the globe that teach in English are often most competitive because students feel it’s necessary to enter global economy

� Modern English is very difficult to learn for non-native speakers because of odd spellings, unusual grammar rules, lots of exceptions to the rule (Eng is hodge podge of Celts, Welsh, Normans, Vikings, mixed with Romance languages, etc. )