Will English Continue to be Dominant Globally by 2050

Will English Continue to be Dominant Globally by 2050?
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
Introduction
English. Those who speak it as their first language all over the world are about 380 million. About two thirds as many people in the world speak it as their second language. While about a billion people are learning it and a third of the global population are currently exposed to it, it is predicted that by 2050, about half of the world population will be proficient in it. Critics argue that is is a language of globalization because it propagates international politics, business and diplomacy (Johnson, 2009, p. 1). English is the language of the internet and computers. In Cote D’Ivoire, you will see posters written in English while in Tokyo, you will be hearing it in pop songs. In Iceland, you will hear English songs. In Bolivia, it is the language of expression in cabinet meetings. Interestingly, it was regarded as the language of the ‘low people’ in England during the 12th century AD (Johnson, 2009, p. 1). This paper looks into the possibilities of English being a dominant global language by the year 2050.
The Historical Context of the English Language
The origin of the English language dates as far back as the 5th century AD. In those days, the English arrived in England from northern Europe and with them brought the English language. Ever since, the language has moved widely. Immediately it arrived in the 5th century, it soon spread in all the British Isles (Crystal, 2003, p. 29). It penetrated the traditional home of the Celtic languages and entered Wales, Cumbria, Cornwall and Southern Scotland 1066, the Norman invasion took place and many nobles who were residing in England left for Scotland. Since the nobles were welcomed in Scotland, English was able to spread spread in Scottish lowlands.
English initially spread through conquest and later through being in the right place at the right time. It is used in the worldwide media, international relations, education, international travel and in communications. A 2004 report by the British Council estimated that about 2 billion worldwide would start learning English in the next decade and that by 2050, over 3 billion individuals would be speaking English all over the world. The main force behind this prediction would be economic interests. There would be an increase in bilingualism and multilingualism and according to the report, Chinese, Arabic and Spanishwould also become increasingly spoken (Wardhaugh, 2006). But critics have argued that English is set to lose its lackluster and be overtaken by Chinese language by the year 2050. According to Fair Languages (2015, p. 1), English will be overtaken by the Chinese as the world dominant language. Many linguistics have argued that English will take the third position after Chinese and Spanish in that order. The fourth and fifth position will be taken by Hindi-Urdu and Arabic respectively.
In 1607, the first English settlement in America took place at Jamestown in Virginia, North Carolina, which was so named after King James and ‘Virgin’ Queen Elizabeth I (Crystal, 2003, p. 31). In Canada, the first English language contact was in 1497 when John Cabot reached Newfoundland. However, English migration had to wait till a century later when fishing, farming and fur-trading industries attracted English settlers. Later more English immigrants from Ireland, England and Scotland moved to Canada. By 2001, it was claimed that over two-thirds of Canadians were English speakers. However, most immigrants in Canada had come from America after its declaration of indepence in 1776. Today, many British inhabitants identify a Canadian accent as American while Americans identify it as British. In the Carribean, the English language spread as a consequence of the importation of the African slaves who worked on sugar plantations, a practice that had been started by the Spanish as early as 1517 (Crystal, 2003, p. 36).
Why English is Currently the Dominant Global Language
There are a number of reasons s to why English is currently dominating throughout the world. First, scientific work has been dominated by English language all over the world. Scientific scholarship is currently an English-only domain in global communication. Reference works, journals, conferences, textbooks and networking has had a knock-on effect worldwide. Towards the end of the twentieth century, over 90% of all scientific findings were published in English. Indeed, over 80% of humanities too were published in English. Second, in prestigious domains like trade, business and technology, English has become indispensable (Crystal, 2003, p. 38. It has gained strong prominence in sectors like entertainment industries and has been closely associated with lifestyle issues, including sexual revolution, gender mainstreaming, gay rights, politics, tours and travel industry as well as in the movies.
As the world becomes more interconnected, the importance and spread of English have become increasingly more common. The link between English and globalization has become tangible. The spread and use of English started with the dominance of the British Empire. By 2050, it is expected that half the population of the world will be proficient in English (Plonski, 2013, p. 3). The power of the English language is evident in the global economic, political and educational sectors. English is a working or official language in many political gatherings all over the world. Indeed, over 85% of organizations internationally use English for official communication. The Havard Business Review referred to English as a global business language.
A common working language for most corporations is a requirement. English is used in most of these corporations. Further, as developing countries compete in global marketplaces, English is used as the language for communication and marketing. In the academic world, it is the primary language used for many academic publications. In recent years, many nations have made English as their official language and made it a requirement for their schools. Emphasized and spread via internet, colonial traditions and political systems, English has now become the language of globalization. About 26 countries in Africa use English as their official language ( Plonski, 2013, p. 3).
What Makes a Global Language?
Crystal (2003, p. 7) argues that what makes a language a which spoken throughout the world has to do with economy and military prowess. For instance, Latin was once a language spoken internationally including the Roman Empire. This was not because the Romans were greater in population. Its because th...