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English Patience
Training (June 1998)
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Even if you are a German business executive, the answer may be “not necessarily”. Apparently
several leading German firms have decided to adopt English as their internal language of business even when the
only people present are German.
Meanwhile France has lodged an official complaint with the European Commission because French has been usurped by
English as the prime working language of the European Community.
These are just two examples which illustrate the growing dominance of English for international communication. It
is now widely accepted as the lingua franca of science, technology, diplomacy and business, while its impact in
the realms of sport, pop culture and worldwide media has been equally dramatic.
This sounds like good news for the Brits, who are not noted for outstanding linguistic versatility. But is it?
While the role of English as a global language is in no immediate danger, its future may be more complex and
less certain than supposed, according to a recent publication commissioned by the British Council.
Written by David Graddol, a director of the English Company (UK) Ltd and author of several books on applied
linguistics and the English language, ‘The Future of English?’ analyses current trends in language use and
raises some interesting questions about how things might evolve over the next 50 years.
Amongst the issues Graddol examines are the contradictory influences which the popularity of English exerts
on the very nature of the language itself.
“On the one hand centripetal forces are trying to push it towards some kind of new global standard to be used
for transnational communication,” he explains. “On the other hand it is being almost pulled apart by the fact
that in each place where it is becoming used as a second language, new varieties are emerging – Singapore
English, for example is very different from Indian English.”
Given that the number of second-language users is expected to exceed that of native speakers within a decade
or so, this has significant implications for the UK.
“The world is beginning to realise that the English they want to learn may not be what British and American
teachers are giving them,” he says, citing as an example a Chinese factory which turned to a Belgian university
for instruction in English, the language it uses in its dealings with Italians and Germans. “They wanted to be
taught by people who understand what it means to use English as a second language within a repertoire of
languages,” he says. “It seems to me that this communicative English speaking is spreading so rapidly, that
we are in danger of being left behind. Britain desperately needs to understand what English means to the rest
of the world, how it is used, and needs to rethink itself as a multilingual country.”
Although the book was originally written for the ELT sector, his remarks are equally relevant to business people
working in foreign markets or transnational teams.
“People who come to us for foreign language training find it has a positive spin-off when they’re using English,”
says Doug Embleton, Managing Director of The Language Service Ltd in Cleveland, DTI language consultant and
co-author of “Languages in International Business”...
© Alison Thomas
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