Global EnglishEnglish as an International Language

Official languages in Sweden :

1999:• Finnish• Sami language • Romani chib• Yiddish• Meänkieli (Tornedal Finnish)2009:• Swedish!

English as an international language

•English is heard on TV, spoken by politicians from all over the world

•The speaker doesn’t need to have a perfect command of the culture English expresses (English, American)

•It is used by businessmen and tourists

•It is used in the communication of ideas and culture

• It functions as a bridge between speakers with different linguistic backgrounds

•English plays the role of lingua franca

Competing global languages

•Mandarin 845 /1025

•Spanish 329 /390

•Hindi/Urdu 240 /405

•Arabic 232 /452

•Portugese 178 /193

•Russian 144 /250

•French 68 /120

The five official languages of the UN areEnglish, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese

English 328 / 1500

Why only English?

•Half of the world’s scientific journals is written in English

•Three quarters of the world’s mail are written in English

•Three fifths of the radio stations of the world broadcast in English

•English is spoken as a first language by 300 million people

•One in five people speak English competently

Why only English?

•All international pilots

•All international sea captains

•7 largest TV broadcasters – CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, CBC, CNN, C-Span

•Half of all newspapers

Why only English?

•The flexibility of the English language

•Migration to the USA has created a segment of the world population whose aim is to learn English for survival purposes

•Some countries use English to avoid having to choose between conflicting local languages

First, second or foreign?

• First language – used as a mother tongue • Second language – used for administration,

broadcasting, education (India, Nigeria, Singapore)

• Foreign language - used to promote trade, scientific progress, international communication, learnt in school (Sweden…)

Countries with English as an official language

The spread of English as a language

•The industrial revolution, the British economic predominance in the 19th century, the colonization of large geographical areas

•The displacement of French as a language of diplomacy

•After World War II, there was a rise in economic influence from the United States

The Future of Global English

What kinds of development could impede, slow down or stop the future growth of English?

A significant change in the balance of power•politically•economically•culturally•tecnologically

2 questions:

What’s interesting to know about another English speaking country?• Each of you makes a list!

Look at your list – pick 3 countries (from slide 11) that you would like to learn more about!