«Английский язык как глобальный в современном мире» «English is like a global in modern world»

МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОЕ ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ –

СРЕДНЯЯ ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ШКОЛА №13

Проектно-исследовательская работа по теме:

«Английский язык как глобальный в современном мире»

«English is like a global in modern world»

Выполнил: ученик 7А класса Гудков Андрей

                            Руководитель: учитель английского языка

                                                   Башмакова Юлия Валерьевна

Клин - 2014

Content

1. Introduction……………………………………………………………….                                                                                        

2. The basis………………………………………………………………….                                                                                        

    2.1.     Geographical background…………………………………..

      2.2.     Historical background………………………………………

3. Conclusion………………………………………………………………..                                        

4. Bibliography………………………………………………………………                                                                                

5. Annex………………………………………………………………………                                                                                        

1. Introduction

 The actuality of the problem. Language is the means of communication. The most common way of expressing an idea for people is to say it out loud. Language enables people to understand each other. At the same moment language can be a major barrier to understanding because there are thousands of different languages on our planet. From the earliest time, with the development of trade and exchange of ideas and techniques people saw the necessity of learning foreign languages.

The world wide process of globalisation influences the process of changing the languages. The English language is considered to be an international language, it is the standard for diplomacy. Its popularity is not argued. Nowadays the English language is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is learned as a second language all around the world and used as an official language of the European Union and many Commonwealth countries, as well as in many world organisations.

The aim of my investigation is to study the English language as a subject which uniting countries, organisations, societies all over the world and its role in the process of globalisation and interaction. I can see, that it is too important - to know something about so popular language.

The tasks of our work are the following:

• to analyse the geographical spread of the English language
• to define formal and legitimacy sides of the spread of the English language within the certain state
• to find out the historical background of the spread of the English language throughout the world
• to show up the definition of the globality of the language
• to forecast the future of the English language in the brinks of the investigation.

The subject of my investigation is the English language as one of the methods of the impact of the globalisation on the people.

The originality of the investigation is defined by the particular features of the approach to the investigation and its methods.

The methods of investigation are analyse and conclusion.

The structure of the work:

• introduction
• 3 chapters
• conclusion
• bibliography
• annex

Importance of the modern English.

Modern English is the dominant language.

English is called the language of the sky and the sea. Every pilot and ship’s captain must speak English to communicate with each other.

Most vocabulary in the modern computer science is in English. 80% of all information in the world’s computers is in English.

English is the language of politicians. English along with French and German is spoken at their summit meetings. Most international journalists have to know English, too.

75% of all international business letters are written in English. Nearly 50% of the companies communicate with each other in English.

English is the language of rock and pop music. Most of world known singers sing their songs in English.

The  spread of English beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the British Empire, and by the late 19th century its reach was truly global.

Influence of English continues to play an important role in language attrition. On the other hand, the natural internal variety of English has the potential to produce new distinct languages from English over time.

The English language became global in all sense of this word. We may say that we can see its influence nearly in all even specific spheres of our life.

            Nowadays English is the most fashionable language in the world. Millions of people study and use English as a foreign language. English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist.

Still we know that it has not happened at once. It has been a very long process. To prove the aim of my investigation and to fulfill the tasks announced I decided to investigate the reasons why the English language became global. And I study the geographical, historical and socio-cultural backgrounds of this process in the following three chapters.

2. The basis

2.1. Geographical background

About 20% of the world’s population speak English. Geographically, it is the most widespread language on earth. It is nowadays second only the Chinese in the number of people who speak it.

The second rating is language speakers depends on how literacy or mastery is defined and measured. It may vary from 470 million to over a billion people.

      At the moment English is internationally recognized by the world community as one of the languages more often spoken by people in various parts of the world. It is known that English is spoken (as a first language) in Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, The Republic of Ireland, Guyana, the Caribbean Islands (Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, etc.), New Zealand, the united Kingdom, the United States.

Countries where English is a major language:

• Anguilla;

• Antigua and Barbuda;
• Australia;
• the Bahamas;
• Barbados;
• Belize;
• Bermuda;
• the British Indian Ocean Territory;
• the British Virgin Islands;
• Canada;
• the Cayman Islands;
• Dominica;
• the Falkland Islands;
• Gibraltar;
• Grenada;
• Guam;
• Guernsey;
• Guyana;
• Ireland;
• the Isle of Man;
• Jamaica;
• Jersey;
• Montserrat;
• Nauru;
• New Zealand;
• Pitcairn Islands;
• Saint Helena;
• Ascension and Tristan da Cunha;
• Saint Kitts and Nevis;
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
• Singapore;
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
• Trinidad and Tobago;
• the Turks and Caicos Islands;
• the United Kingdom;
• United States.

Countries where English is not the most spoken language, but an official language. These countries include:

• Botswana
• Cameroon;
• the Federated States of Micronesia;
• Fiji;
• Gambia;
• Ghana;
• India;
• Kenya;
• Kiribati;
• Lesotho;
• Liberia;
• Madagascar;
• Malta;
• the Marshall Islands;
• Mauritius;
• Namibia;
• Nigeria;
• Pakistan;
• Palau;
• Papua New Guinea;
• the Philippines (Philippine English);
• Rwanda;
• Saint Lucia;
• Samoa;
• Seychelles;
• Sierra Leone;
• Sri Lanka;
• Sudan;
• South Sudan;
• Swaziland;
• Tanzania;
• Uganda;
• Zambia;
• Zimbabwe.

Also there are countries where in a part of the territory English became a co-official language. This was a result of the influence of British colonisation in the area. English has become a means of communication within some countries where different groups of people speak different languages. For example, in India there are 15 official languages  and thousands of dialects. People from different parts of the country often do not speak each other’s language. English is the only solution to their communication problems.

It is also one of the 11 official languages that are given status in South Africa. English is also the official language in territories of Australia and of the United States, and the former British colony of Hong Kong.

English is not an official language in the United States. Although the United States federal government  has no official languages, English had got official status by 30 of the 50 state governments. Although falling short of official status, English is also an important language in several former colonies of the United Kingdom, such as Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cyprus, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

2.2. Historical background

The history of Great Britain helps to understand the present condition of English. English is a language of the Germanic group. Many English words were borrowed from the language of Angles and Saxons. Hundreds of French words came into English. The French language was the official language of the ruling class in Britain for three centuries. This explains the great number of French words in English. Many new words were brought by traders and travelers.  These words came from all parts of the world: «umbrella» - from Italian, «skates» - from Dutch, «tea» - from Chinese, «cigar» - from Spanish. Some words came into English directly from Latin. Latin was the language of the church and the universities in the Middle Ages.

Some of the English words  of today are derivatives. One way of creating new words is to put together two or more English words. For example, the words «railway», «football», «newspaper» were made in this way. Many new scientific English words have been made from Latin and Greek words instead of English ones. For example, «telephone» was made from Greek words «far» and «talk».

By the end of the 19th century, Britain had created the preconditions for English as a global language. Communities of English speakers were settled around the world and, along with them, patterns of trade and communication. But the world position of English might have declined with the empire, like the languages of other European colonial powers, such as Portugal and the Netherlands. But the dramatic rise of the US in the 20th century as a world superpower changed the situation. There were, indeed, two other European linguistic contenders – French and German.

The USA was destined to be powerful industrialised country because of its own natural and human resources. The US is today the world’s third most populous country with around 260 million inhabitants. Not surprising therefore that it now accounts for the greater proportion of the total number of native English speakers.

After the war, several international agencies were established to help manage global reconstruction and future governance. The key one has proved to be the United Nations. Crystal says that 85% of international organisations now use English as one of their working languages, 49% use French and fewer than 10% use Arabic, Spanish or German. Crystal says 99% of European organisations use English as a working language, as opposed to 63% French and 40% German. French is still the only real rival to English as a working language of world institutions, although the world position of French has reeled since World War II. Nowadays it is the only alternative which can be used in many international forums as a political gesture of resistance to the hegemony of English. As a delegate from Ireland once addressed the League of Nations many years ago, explaining his use of French, ‘I can’t speak my own language, and I’ll be damned if I’ll speak English’

Any shift in the role of the USA in the world can influence the use and attractiveness of the English language amongst those who are not native speakers.  

.  

3. Conclusion

Nowadays English is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language of diplomacy.

Millions of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. 75% of the world’s mail and 605 of the world’s radio broadcasts are in English. Half of the world scientific literature is printed in English.

Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "world language", the lingua franca of the modern era, and while it is not an official language in most countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a foreign language. Some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural property of "native English speakers", but is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communications. English is an official language of the United Nations and many other international organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.

4. Bibliography

1. Ayto, John. Twentieth-Century Words. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
2. Burchfield, R. W., ed. The New Fowler's Modern English Usage. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Widely respected guide to "correct" usage.
3. Crystal, D. (1995) Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4. Crystal, D. (1997) English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Hayakawa, S. I. Language in Thought and Action. 4thed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978. Classic work on semantics.
6. Hale, Constance, and Jessie Scanlon. Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age. New York: Broadway Books, 1999. Wired magazine is an influential publication about computer technology.
7. Mencken, H. L. The American Language; an Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States. Raven I. McDavid, Jr., ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963. Classic readable and influential examination of the new stream.
8. McCrum, Robert, William Cran, and Robert MacNeil. The Story of English. New York: Viking, 1986.
9. Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
10. Pyles, Thomas, and John Algeo. The Origins and Development of the English Language. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.
11. Strunk, William Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 3d ed. New York: Macmillan, 1979.

5. Annex

The major English speaking countries