Sofija Mirkovi , EJ2/08, dmsara@gromnet.

net

English as an International Language Review

Nowadays, English is considered to be an international language. In the first place it is important to analyze its characteristics and the path of its spread. The number of speakers is an important factor for a language to be considered international, but it is especially important that it is spoken by large number of native speakers of other languages, because without that it cannot be used as a mean of wider communication. As a language of wider communication English is the unsurpassed international language. And it is international in both local and global sense. According to Crystal language acquires global status when it establishes a special role that is familiar in every country. The language can obtain that special role if it is made an official language of a country or a primary foreign language whose study is essential. Kachru believes that the different roles of English can be presented with three concentric circle: the Inner Circle, where English is the primary language, the spread in this circle is mainly the result of migrations of English speakers; the Outer Circle, where it is the second language in the multilingual country, the spread in this circle is the result of colonization by English speakers and the Expanding Circle, where it is studied as a foreign language. Detecting the exact number of current users of English is quite problematic. According to Crystal there is no one source of statistical data of the total number of English language users, but various. What level of fluency should a person posses in order to be considered a user of English is another issue. Thirdly, there are many varieties of language and there is the question whether to include pidgin and creoles. Crystal maintains that if the criterion of native-like fluency is used then the number of English speakers is 670 million. On the other hand if the criterion is reasonable competence than the number is 1, 800 million. The in between number of 1, 200 to 1, 500 million can be come across commonly. The number of people, who are to some extent familiar with English is constantly growing, especially in the Expanding Circle. Knowing the features of an international language is important. Smith defined the term international language. According to his definition it is a language used by people of different nations to communicate with one another. He also states that it is not necessary for 1

the learners of international language to incorporate cultural norms of the native speakers. He believes that the ownership of international language is not on national basis and that the goal of learning is to make possible for learners to express their ideas to others. Bearing in mind the distinction between global and local, Smiths notions about relationship between an international language and culture have to be modified: As an international language: in a global sense it is used for communication between countries and in local sense as a language of wider communication within multilingual societies; its use is no longer connected to the culture of Inner Circle countries; in a local sense English becomes a part of a culture of a country where it is used whereas in global sense its main function is to give speakers the opportunity to share their ideas with others. Brutt-Grifller believes that the following four characteristics are central to the growth of an international language: In the first place it is a product of a world econocultural system. Secondly it has a tendency to find its place next to local languages in multilingual communities which consist of bilingual speakers. Contrary to the lingua franca it is not limited to the socioeconomic elite. It is used by various levels of society. Lastly, its spread is not only the result of migrations but also of the acquisition on the part of many individuals (macroacquisition). Nowadays English possess most of these features of an international language. Undoubtedly English possess the second feature. By using demographic projections, Graddol came to the conclusion that the number of people speaking English as their second language will grow from 235 million to 462 million during the next 50 years. This indicates that balance between L1 and L2 speakers will drastically change. The third feature can be a little difficult to exemplify. It is true that if English is a required subject in schools and that school children have certain amount of exposure to it. But this often doesnt provide the desired level of proficiency. Hence children often attend private lessons in order to gain more knowledge and achieve higher level of proficiency (especially in Expanding Circle, also in Outer Circle). Therefore, the idea that English is not to a certain amount an elite lingua franca cannot be supported, since those who have more economic resources have more opportunity to gain higher level of proficiency. When it comes to the forth feature, the language spread by migration results in the development of monolingual English countries, whereas macroaquisition happened in Outer Circle countries and in some Expanding Circle. Brutt-Griffler points out that the fact that the spread of English is due to macroacquisition has two implications: first the study of English implies investigation of 2

bilingualism in Outer Circle and Expanding Circle countries. Also, since the spread of English includes macroacquisition, the focus of the investigation will rather be on bilingual English speech communities than on individual learners. Urban migration is an important factor for the spread of English. Graddol points out the importance of urbanization. He believes that it affects language demography. Languages are inclined to changes, they emerge and they die out. New models of English uses will develop among second language speakers. It could lead to the appearance of the other lingua francas. Urban migration may encourage the acquisition of English, also urban centers may encourage language change and accept that variations as official varieties of English. There is a variety of reasons for the spread of English and according to Crystal several geographical, historical and sociocultural factors triggered the spread of English. British and American colonisam and English migrations of English-speaking individuals to other areas were of great significance. By the beginning of 19 century Britain had became the leader when it came to industry and trade. The Industrial Revolution resulted in many innovations. Most of them were of British origin, hence new technical terms were coined and people who wanted to know about innovations needed English. Crystal described the role of English in the 19th and early 20th century with the words developments, innovations, everything and expansion. One simple explanation would be that English was in the right place at the right time. The fact that colonialism, speaker migration and new technology developed in English speaking countries was very important. It is not unnecessary to be aware of the current use of English in various spheres: international organizations, motion picture, international travel, publications,

communications and education. English performs its function of an international language in a global sense, since it makes it possible for countries to discuss political, economic and other matters. Also English is dominant in motion pictures and popular music industry. The fact that so many films and so much music are in English can be a motivation for learning, especially when it comes to young people. Graddol points out that international travel promotes the need for common language and that language is currently English. Also, when it comes to scientific and book publishing English is ultimate. Eventually, access to higher education depends on knowledge of English. English has a variety of specific purposes and that is one of the main reasons for its spread. 3

But there are certain factors that may impede the spread of English. One of them is little motivation for acquiring more knowledge of English, especially in Expanding Circle Countries. For example there appears to be a little need to learn English among Japanese people. Another factor is that it may lose its status of a required foreign language. Thirdly, it is possible that some technological factors will lead to a decline in the use of English because creations of some new technologies will make translation more efficient and language compatibility on the Internet possible. Furthermore, national resources can impede the spread of English. Finally, negative societal attitudes toward English and English - speaking nations can result in resistance to the spread of English. When it comes to the negative effects of the spread of English, the main include the threat to existing languages, the influence on cultural identity and the association of the language with an economic elite. Language shift to English is occurring in many countries. Phillipson believes that the spread of English is one of the means by which English-speaking countries can more easily dominate over the less developed once. He coined the term linguistic imperialism. Many individuals learn English because of their wish to access to technological and scientific information, higher education, and global economic trade. It has been argued that the spread of English had led to replacement of local traditions by a largely western-influenced global culture. However, this cannot be blamed on language; it is mainly the result of global communication, western-dominated mass media, economic benefits and the desire of young people to be the part of the global culture. Colonialism is understood in terms of promoting the spread of English and the diminishing of non-western cultures. An important issue is also the negative economic reverberations that the spread of English could cause. What worries the most when it comes to this issue is the fact that economic wealth and proficiency in a language are tightly connected. This situation can lead to social inequalities. The spread of English should be perceived as a complex process brought about by those who promote the language as well as those who choose to learn it consciously. Of course, the bigger the resources, the bigger is the possibility to acquire higher level of knowledge To conclude, this chapter dealt with the development of English as an international language. International language is the one that serves global and local needs as a language of wider communication. Also, it develops alongside other languages. In second language acquisition it is important to consider how is English used within specific bilingual communities. This chapter also examined the factors that led to 4

its spread and those that may impede its growth. It is also stated that the spread has both positive and negative implications. Undoubtedly the spread can lead to much efficient communication, sharing of information and economic development, but it can also lead to social inequalities, based on insufficient access to instruction in the language.