English as a Killer Language, Essay Example

Introduction

This research is about How English language kill other languages globally. According to Nordquist  (n.d) define language death as “A linguistic term for the end or extinction of a language”.  The research topic is interesting because English is a global language and it is used by everyone globally, it is nice to see if English language can kill other languages by just practicing it, and how it kills the other languages. Some Researchers say that English has a big affect on other languages to be endangered. There are 473 languages are in the endangered languages status because of the spread of English (Ethnologue, n.d; cited from Colls, 2009). In the 8000 BC there were 20,000 languages but now it is 6,909 and in the future the number will decrease (Hieber, 2012). The practice of a some unpopular languages now days may lead it to be threatens to extinction. Killing a language now a day is just by practicing the global language but people would abuse it by taking the culture of the global language (Hieber,2012). There are some researchers who say that English does not kill any languages. The English language could not or can’t kill a religion language and most countries pay a lot of money for the spread of their language (Fishman, n.d). English can’t do a thing to those languages because the owners are using them in their society and religion. Mostly those languages would not need English to earn their living because they practice their language in their society. The research argue that English is a killer language and it has it own ways to kill the culture and endanger many languages. Some believe that English is not a killer language. In my opinion English language kills other languages by replacing it with English culture. The reasons are English is a global language have an affect on identity, Education have an affect on language and access to information online must be by the English language. In order to argue this topic the research will be divided to three parts. The next part will include the argument of the research to provide evidence that English is a killer language. While doing this the research will focus on the both sides of the argument. The conclusion will sum up the whole important parts of the argument.

Argument with

Supporting idea 1

Some people believe that English can kill other languages and lead to it death. First, the spread of English have has a big effect on identity. People in parts of Europe speak English as the main language and they forgot their mother language (Cenoz & Jessner,  2000). Some parts of Europe have been affected by the spread of English and changed it mother language to English, because of the trade market. Malta and the Republic of Ireland use English as a co-official language but the Irish republic use English as the main language but a small group of the population use Irish (Cenoz & Jessner, 2000).  English have overtaken the mother language of Irish people and replaced it with English.

Supporting idea 2

Secondly, education can kill a language in time. People now a days learn English to get their income to live. For example, some people try to master the English language and it is not their mother language to get a job in education in the USA or an English country. People who studied some majors by their mother language without learning English realized, that if they learned the English language in a young age they would improve their income if they lived in the U.S (Lilly, 1991). The impact of learning English at an early age from the age of 3 to 5 had a big effect to the new generations. Parents started to teach their kids how to speak English and the use of English daily led to the death of the mother language to their kids (Lilly, 1991). The education system of all of the non native speaker countries focus more on students to be perfect in English language.  A studied showed that there is a 50.6% student who learns English as a second language uses English as the main at home (Lilly, 1991). This study show how English can kill other languages just by using education in a country which parents know how to speak the English language.

Supporting idea 3

Finally, English is used in everything now days and at the end everyone has to learn English to get access to information (Lane, 1995). For example, if I have to do a research now a day I have to search for English terms in Google. The progress of technology and knowledge used by the English speakers to share their information is written down by English writing; to learn this information we must learn the English language it force people to speak and read the English writing to know how to develop them selves. Information technology is considered as a revolution in a positive way to the English language (Li & Ben-Canaan, 2006). To learn the English language the student of the English language can just find what the professor explained in class just by writing few words through the internet (Li & Ben-Canaan, 2006). Writing in the English language have been easy through technology some students might do some essay just using the technology to fix grammar, sentence structure and how to write a organized essay (Li & Ben-Canaan, 2006). By accessing this information through technology people would abandon their language just to learn English because it is easy to learn it by the use of technology. Those three points can show how English can kill another language.

Argument against

Supporting idea 1

Some people say that English language can’t kill any language or replace it by English.  First, English, as a second language cannot kill other languages. Learning English as a second language can help people to communicate with other people (Matur, n.d). When people learn English as a second language they can communicate through events such as football matches or any global activity. Learning English and using it to benefit the learner with out replacing it may lead to a better life (Matur, n.d). However, English doesn’t replace the mother language of any user because they can communicate in home using their own language. A study have been done by an expert which he tested that students who, are experts in two languages English and another language had no change in their mother language and they stayed using their own instead of English and the percentage was 18.6% (Lilly, 1991).

Supporting idea 2

Secondly, English cannot kill a Preserving Languages. Languages such as China have tried to protect their mother language even with the spread of English. Chines government has started to force their people to speak Mandarin in homes and even the media channels were in Mandarin (Schiavenza, 2013). China has many number of languages spoken and dialects (Schiavenza, 2013).  The chines government is placing many media, which speak the mother language of china, which is the Mandarin language (Schiavenza, 2013).  The chines government has focused more on the media to use the Mandarin language so no other language can replace there. People in china learn the Mandarin language to get a better job and can live in the chines society (Schiavenza, 2013). For instance, Chines parents would let their children be fluent Mandarin speaking can get the best job in the society and it is their family language they have to speak it well (Parker, 2013). Those Point show that English language cant replace or kill another language.

Responding to the counter-argument

Supporting idea 1

As they stated English cannot kill other language and it benefits through communication and it cant kill preserving languages. The first point which is English can help people to communicate with out replacing their mother language is a useful thing. However, to refute this point they didn’t state how the English language can affect the user by just using English in the failed of work and being low speaker in their mother language. By saying that you can tell how it have an affect on other languages to lead to it is death. For example the death of the native speaker of Cromarty fisherfolk who isBobby Hog which was the last speaker of that dialect in Scotland (Hamilton, 2012).  This example can tell you how English language can kill other languages.

Supporting idea 2

As people say English language have no affect on preserving languages like china but he gave information how the chines people live and work in their homeland. However, to refute this point if that chines person goes to the USA or an English country he will be forced to speak English to get a better job or start even living at that country. English language is the global business language; China is growing big economically but it has no affect on their learner (Clark, 2012). A study have been done by the British council and the report say that by 2020 two billion people will be learning the English language and there are going to be one and a half million online tests done by Education First which is a company that train people to speak English in more than 50 countries (Clark, 2012). By giving those information you can tell that English language have an effect on preserving languages such as china and it will force chines people to speak English of they traveled to live in the USA and making them live their will make the parents speak English at home so their children be in a good slandered as a English speaker.

Conclusion

To sum up, English language has grown globally and it kills other languages. The English language is the business language globally and all the businessmen use it.  This essay has argued that English language have a big affect on people. The argument had three points which are the spread of the English language has resulted in the lost of identity, schools have killed mother languages by teaching the English language and the access of information must be in English language. The counter argument had three points which are language cannot kill other languages as a secondary language and preserving languages. The refutation have two points which are English help in communication and has no affect on preserving languages. By stating those points you can tell how English can kill other languages in hard way or a way in time. By refuting those points you can see that the counter argument points are weak and have no prove how English language cannot kill another language.  Raising the awarnace how English can kill other languages might have a big affect on the English learners.  As a result, people might start to practice the mother language than using English language as a daily bases and it might keep their mother language a live without letting the English language killing it. Those who are in private schools in non-native English speakers by learning the English language and using it at home it may lead to the death of his mother language.

References

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Clark, D. (2012, October 26). English – The Language of Global Business? Forbes.

Colls, T. (2009). BBC – Today – The death of language?. News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8311000/8311069.stm

Fishman & Joshua. (2000). English: The killer language? Or a passing phase?. Retrieved fromhttps://myzu.zu.ac.ae/docview/236857503/fulltextPDF/7734F9A855DE42D8PQ/,DanaInfo=.asfcugmFwzx05q57Os54+1?accountid=15192

Hamilton, J. (2012, October 6). Last native speaker of Scots dialect dies. Retrieved From http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/05/world/europe/scotland-dead-dialect/

Hieber, D. (2012). Why Do Languages Die?. Mises Institute. Retrieved 16 April 2015, from http://mises.org/library/why-do-languages-die

House, J. (2003). English as a lingua franca: A threat to multilingualism?. Retrieved from https://myzu.zu.ac.ae/ehost/pdfviewer/,DanaInfo=.awfdCfEki0lys057Os54+pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=299c1ef9-5f2d-4eb1-a949-e26fc3df1209%40sessionmgr198&hid=106

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Lane, R. (1995). Lane’s English as a second language. Stanford, Ca.: Lane Press.

Li, W & Dan, B. (2006). The Impact of Globalization and the Internet on English Language Teaching and Learning. Academia.edu. Retrieved  from http://www.academia.edu/188911/The_Impact_of_Globalization_and_the_Internet_on_English_Language_Teaching_and_Learning

Lilly, F. (1991). When Learning a Second Language Means Losing the First (1st ed.). Berkeley: University of California. Retrieved from http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~babylab/pdfs/sdarticle.pdf

Lydersen, K. (2015). Preserving Languages Is About More Than Words. Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/15/AR2009031501857.html

Matur, B. (n.d). The English Effect. Retrieved from http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/english-effect-report.pdf

Mufwene, S. (2006). How Languages Die. Retrieved from http://mufwene.uchicago.edu/publications/HOW_LANGUAGES_DIE.pdf

Nordquist, R. (2015). language death. About.com Education. Retrieved from http://grammar.about.com/od/il/g/languagedeathterm.htm

PRIDE, J., & RU-SHAN, L. (1988). Some aspects of the spread of English in China since 1949. International Journal Of The Sociology Of Language, 1988(74). doi:10.1515/ijsl.1988.74.41

Rojo, T. (n.d). The English Effect. Retrieved from http://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/english-effect-report.pdf

Schiavenza, M. (2013). On Saving China’s Dying Languages. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/06/on-saving-chinas-dying-languages/276971/

Schiavenza, M. (2013). On Saving China’s Dying Languages. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/06/on-saving-chinas-dying-languages/276971/

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