UECE 2019/2

T E X T

English in the World Today

    The English language has changed
considerably over the last thousand or so
years. It has changed in terms of its lexis
(vocabulary), its orthography (spelling)
[5] and its semantics (meaning). And it has
also changed in terms of its syntax (word
order).
    One of the reasons for the change
that has happened to English over the
[10] centuries is that, since its very
beginnings, English has always been in
contact with other languages. The
influence from this contact can be seen
most clearly in the way that English is full
[15] of what are known as loanwords. The
term loanword, or borrowing, is used to
refer to an item of vocabulary from one
language which has been adopted into
the vocabulary of another. The process is
[20] often the result of language contact,
where two or more languages exist in
close geographical or social proximity.
The dominant language often absorbs
new items of vocabulary, either to cover
[25] concepts for which it has no specific word
of its own, or to generate a slightly
different function or nuance for concepts
for which it does have existing words.
    Some loanwords retain their
[30] 'foreign’ appearance when they are
adopted, and people will often then use
them specifically for the sense of
exoticism that they impart. One can talk
of a certain je ne sais quoi, for example,
[35] or of a joie de vivre when speaking
English – in both cases invoking images
of French culture to enhance the meaning
of what is being communicated. Other
loanwords, however, have become
[40] completely naturalized, until speakers of
the language no longer notice their
‘foreignness’ at all.
    English has, over its lifetime,
absorbed influences from countless
[45] sources – and so just as English is now a
presence in diverse contexts all across
the globe, so diverse contexts from
across the globe also have a presence in
the language itself.
[50]     The history of English can
therefore be seen as a record of the
changes that have occurred in the
populations of those who speak the
language. When two languages come into
[55] contact, what actually happens is that
two communities who speak different
languages engage with each other, and 

the nature of that engagement will
determine how the languages influence
[60] one another. In other words, it is
important when we study English not to
forget that what we are actually studying
is the language as it is and was used by
real people.
[65]     There is a problem in talking about
statistics such as those which say that
English is spoken by almost two billion
people the world over because they make
large generalizations about the nature of
[70] the English involved, and the relationship
that people have to the language. Such
statistics can never fully represent the
diversity of experiences that speakers of
the language have, either about whether
[75] they feel they are ‘authentic’ English
speakers or about what they themselves
understand English to be.
    The attitudes people have towards
the language are a part of their own
[80] personal history. But this personal history
is always a part of the wider history of
the community in which they live. It is
often the case that not only is the
language of importance to the individual’s
[85] sense of identity, but that it also plays a
part in the cultural identity of a group or
nation. It is within this context that the
history of English – and especially the
reasons behind its global spread – can be
[90] of great significance for the attitudes
people have towards the language.
    Decisions about the language
made by institutions such as national
governments and education systems
[95] have an impact on the form of the
language and on the way it is perceived
and used. In contexts such as these,
English cannot simply be considered a
neutral medium of communication;
[100] instead it is a politically charged social
practice embedded in the histories of the
people who use it.
    The English language is and
always has been a diverse entity. It has
[105] changed dramatically over the centuries
since it first arrived on the shores of
Britain from the north of Europe, and
these changes mean that the language
that was spoken at that time is almost
[110] incomprehensible to us now. As the
language has spread beyond Britain it
has continued to change, and to change
in different ways in different contexts. It
has diversified to such an extent that
[115] some scholars suggest that it is no longer
accurate to talk of a single ‘English’; that
instead there are many different English
languages around the world today.
    At the same time, however,
[120] English exists in the world today as a
means of international communication –

as a way for people from different social
groups to communicate with each other –
and to fulfil this function it would seem
[125] that variation in the language needs to
be curtailed to a certain extent. That is to
say, if the language becomes too diverse
it will not remain mutually
comprehensible across different social
[130] groups. So we have two impulses at work
that are seemingly incompatible, or
perhaps even in conflict, and the question
we are faced with is how to render them
as consistent, as both being part of the
[135] existence of a single entity we call
‘English’. This is one of the central issues
in English language studies today – and it
is a very modern issue because it has
come about as a direct result of the
[140] unprecedented position that English now
occupies in the world: as a language with
global scope which is implicated in the
history and present-day existence of
societies all around the world.

Adapted from: https://www.open.edu/