English as a dominant language Essay

Introduction

It has been argued on more than one occasion that the dominant position taken by the English language is more than just a matter of language. Some people feel that it also has a lot to do with political and economic domination, a claim that has been refuted by yet another cross-section of people (Barber 2000). This discussion seeks to establish which of the two arguments is correct and why it is so.

Background Information

Since the establishment of America as a state, there was one unique aspect that this nation has always had which is allowing people from diverse cultures to come into their land and become part of the nation.

America did not only welcome people from other cultures with open arms but they also allowed them to continue practicing their different cultures without forcing them to adopt their own culture. Some people seem to forget that at one point all the citizens of America were all immigrants whose cultures and languages differed (Ronowicz & Yallop 2006).

It however emerged that as much as it was reasonable to be liberal and allow people from different cultures speak different languages, it was important to come up with a single language that would be declared the official language which every person would speak regardless of their origin. This was meant to bring harmony in a country that was highly diverse.

Declaration of English as official language

After serious considerations were made, it was agreed although not unanimously that English should be declared the official language. This did not settle well with some of the people who felt that the domination of this particular language carried with a connotation of political and economic superiority of America over other countries.

It is a debate that has been ongoing but common ground does not seem to be reached especially because those who are in opposition of the English language do not have sufficient backing of their claim (Mair 2003). Mitrevsk (1999) states that “it may be impossible to find one world language that every country would accept, given that each nation believes its own language to be the most suitable for that purpose”.

Invented Language

Those who feel that adopting English as the official language would make it a dominant language provide an alternative. They argue that instead, an invented language should be adopted and declared as the official language.

They argue that adopting the English language brings an element of political and economic domineering. This is not exactly the case because America as a county has been successful in terms of the economy and politics (Sasaki 2002).

The argument is that adopting a certain language as universal since every country views its language as the most suitable; therefore, it is best to invent a language and adopt it as a universal language. As matter of fact, America is classified among the economic superpowers in the world together with China and Europe.

However, this is not to say that America has remained successful just because of the English language. It is also important to recognize the close connection that exists between language and culture and recognize that for that reason choosing one language to be the language of the world might difficult.

Unity

Those proposing to have English as an official language have given their reasons for the proposition arguing that America has accommodate hundreds if not thousands of cultures and languages all of which vary (Ammon & Hellinger 2002).

The need of having English as a common language is to facilitate communication America and harness unity which is very important for the development of a country. It has further been argued that English has remained powerful in many countries and thus would be the most appropriate world language.

Other arguments in favour of Esperanto as the world language arguing that it is neutral for all have been advanced. Nesbit (1986) promotes the use of Esperanto as a world language on the basis of its neutrality where all second language speakers would be equal.

Those supporting this position argue that no expenses will be incurred in translation. In the view of Hill (2001), “the very close connection of language and culture makes it unlikely that any one language would be chosen by all countries for international communication”.

Conclusion

According to De Klerk, (1999), “few can deny the power of English worldwide. English is unique in the sense that it has more second language speakers than native speakers”. In light of the above, I am of the opinion that English should indeed be declared an official language.

This will not in any way mean that America will dominate over other countries in terms of politics and economy and if it does, it will not be because of the English language. The problem of an invented language is that it might be fully representative of all the cultures contained in America.

References

Ammon, U. & Hellinger, L. (1992) Status change of languages. New York: Walter de Gruyter.

Barber, C. (2000) The English language: a historical introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Mair, C. (2003) The politics of English as a world language: new horizons of post colonial cultural studies. London: Rodopi.

Ronowicz, E. & Yallop, C. (2006) English: one language, different cultures. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Sasaki, M. (2002) New Frontiers in comparative sociology. London: Brill.