ENGLIS

H – A

GLOBAL

LANGUAGE

LOOK AT THIS PICTURE…WHAT IS IT?

Nowadays we are certainly familiar with the concept of GLOBALIZATIONIf we have a look at a dictionary, the word GLOBAL means “pertaining to the entire globe rather than a specific country or region” - Communication

- Transport- Advertising- Social media

In a world in which globalization prevails and gains more and more importance, the ENGLISH LANGUAGE plays a decisive role and gives its contribution

Why do we say that English is a GLOBAL LANGUAGE?

- It is studied as a foreign language at school- It is learnt by many people for work- It is useful for communication with other people from other

countries- It attracts people for a variety of reasons…

Moreover………

- It is the language of music- It is the language of science

- -It is the language of advertising

- It is the language of the media

Our life revolves around English and we’re strongly influenced by it, even though we don’t realize

If we don’t know, if we don’t study, if we don’t understand English, we should consider ourselves like ILLITERATE !

Another important reason for the expansion of English all over the world is THE ROLE OF BRITAIN in the pastIn the 18th- 19th centuries Britain was a world power, an empire, with lots of colonies:- American colonies obtained independence after the

Revolution- Australia and New Zealand- Asian colonies (India in particular)- African colonies (South Africa and Kenya in particular)

In these colonies English was introduced as an official language, with importance in education, government and law.

More than a quarter of the entire world was under the control of the British Empire!!

As a result of all these events and factors, nowadays English is the most widespread lanfuage in the world:

ENGLISH AS A NATIVE LANGUAGE (ENL): English is the mother tongue in the UK, in the USA, in Canada, in Australia and New Zealand Inner Circle

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL): English is the second language in the ex colonies in Asia and Africa, it’s used in education, government and law Outer Circle

ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL): English is studied at school, for work or for other reasons in European countries, south America, China and Japan Expanding Circle

Besides the notion of “Global Language”, English has been analysed even in terms of:

INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE: - a language used all over the world by people of

different countries and cultures- the product of a wide cultural system - it does not follow the same rules as the

language of the English native people- It’s not the language of an elite of people, but

“international”- Its role is increasing and increasing because

more and more people study it, and because migrants move from one country to another

LINGUA FRANCA:

- It’s a language which allows communication

- It must be a second language for the speakers

Now English is considered a Lingua Franca, but it could be also Spanish, Germany…. in the Middle Ages Latin and French were two cases of Lingua Franca for culture

NEW ENGLISHESThey are varieties of English which are spoken mainly in ex British colonies.We can distinguish:- SouthAfrican English- Indian English- Singapore English ….

In these countries English has been fused with local languages.What is the reaction about these varieties?

British English vs New EnglishesGenerally, British English is considered standard and superior, whereas New Englishes are considered inferior and non-standard. However, all languages should be considered equal, on the same level because they are reflection of one’s identity

IN CONCLUSION, REMEMBER THE VARIOUS NOTIONS OF ENGLISH AND THE CONTEXTS OF THEIR USE !!

ENGLISH AS NATIVE LANGUAGEENGLISH AS SECOND LANGUAGEENGLISH AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE

ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGEENGLISH AS LINGUA FRANCA