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Whether or not English should be made the official language of the world has been under debate for some time. Heck, the issue has even been pushed against in the United States, where most of its occupants speak English. That leads to a bigger question: if not English, should some other language be made the official language of the world?
When the printing press was invented, people had access to works such as the Bible in great quantities for the first time ever. New ideas spread like wildfire and new freedoms were able to stretch their toes. However, the ideas would have oftentimes been limited to those who spoke the language that was printed. Were the world to have had a universal language at that point, unique ideas might have spread more rapidly.
During World War II, at least a dozen different languages were spoken by participants. It is doubtful that poor communication contributed to the War on a larger scale, but perhaps as people fought in smaller battles they could have worked things out a little better. After the war, Winston Churchill, in his speech Sinews of Peace, referred to the audience and others as the “English speaking peoples.” Perhaps people may have felt more united if all people could have been roped under a common language?
When the printing press was invented, people had access to works such as the Bible in great quantities for the first time ever. New ideas spread like wildfire and new freedoms were able to stretch their toes. However, the ideas would have oftentimes been limited to those who spoke the language that was printed. Were the world to have had a universal language at that point, unique ideas might have spread more rapidly.
During World War II, at least a dozen different languages were spoken by participants. It is doubtful that poor communication contributed to the War on a larger scale, but perhaps as people fought in smaller battles they could have worked things out a little better. After the war, Winston Churchill, in his speech Sinews of Peace, referred to the audience and others as the “English speaking peoples.” Perhaps people may have felt more united if all people could have been roped under a common language?
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It is definitely interesting to look at both sides of this debate. I can definitely see the pros like you mentioned, but I personally don't support making any language the universal language. I just think that it would take away from the cultures and uniqueness of each place. It would almost give people an excuse not to dig deeper to understand a culture because they can speak the same language. But so much is lost in translation that I think that people should have to struggle a little bit with a language barrier to start to really understand a different culture.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up an interesting point. While English is obviously a very huge and more known language now than it has ever been before, studies show that Spanish is more widely know than English. Also, I think another reason why English wouldn't be a good "world language" is that it is one of the more difficult languages to learn due to inconsistent grammar rules and because of how it has honestly devolved over time. I think other arguments or points could be made, but those are my main concerns/arguments.
ReplyDeleteI am studying linguistics and TESOL, so my opinions come from what I have learned thus far. English is already a global language, but that doesn't mean it's going to take over the world, ridding countries of their own first language. I think the ideal situation is to use English where countries permit it, but make sure the next generation learns their native tongue.
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