Some people believe that English as a language faces a bleak future since there are numerous local languages that seem to dominate the cultures of some countries. Also, they contend that some nations are quick to file laws that prevent the use of English in public as a way of conserving their cultures since they fear its erosion.
However, I tend to differ with that school of thought and cite the following reasons as to why the future of English remains assured globally: the large numbers of English speakers and learners, the simplicity and flexibility nature of English, intrusion a in local cultures, and the business necessity (Nancy, 2011).
Over 380 million people currently speak English as a first language, over 550 million use it as their second language, and approximately a billion people are learning it worldwide. From this analysis, the total population that can use English is over 1.5 billion as compared to 1.2 billion in China. Since the majority group uses English, a high number of populace tends to use it as a way of obtaining benefits from 1.5 billion (Nancy, 2011).
In non-English speaking nations, several legislators have made laws that protest against the continuous invasion of English in their countries, but their actions have not resulted to the control in the use of English since the pace at which people speak the language has intensified. The high numbers of learners and speakers prove the continuous dominance of English at present and in the future. Consequently, this continuous action will strengthen the use of English as a key language in the entire globe.
Additionally, English status in the world tends to be brighter, given that it is simple and flexible in its rules. The language has clear grammatical rules and is extremely simple to use. The simplicity is evident in the rules that govern the use of nouns, verbs, pronouns, prepositions, adverbs amongst others.
For example, it has borrowed words from different cultures and languages hence giving it an edge over other languages in adaptability in the global aspect (Zhunio, 2010). As a result, when one learns English, he/she becomes diverse in many cultures, thus keeping himself/herself updated with global events and developments (Oshima & Hogue, 2011).
Moreover, there is a huge immersion of the English culture in the life of many nations. For instance, a country like Poland has even filed a law prohibiting the use of English in some occasions to prevent wiping out of the local culture, but this move has been seen as a waste of time since over 75% of the online materials are written in English.
Attempts by governments to ban the use of English limit access to knowledge, as most people are enthusiastic about acquiring pieces of information that are in English. Some people also prefer speaking English to their native language.
Further, English has remained essential in the business sector, and with the expansion of markets beyond borders of countries, companies have to use English to reach out to many customers and potential employees.
Even though China urges her companies to use Chinese in conducting businesses to secure its language, the truth is that there are high numbers of consumers that speak and learn English in the whole world. Therefore, most of these companies need English to satisfy the needs of the customers and gain a competitive advantage over their competitors (Nancy, 2011).
Conclusively, English proves to be the sole language that the whole world will continue to use in their daily activities. Therefore, there is full assurance on the future status of English in this globe.
References
Nancy, P. (2011). The future status of English as the global language is assured?. hatena.ne.jp. Web.
Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2011). Writing academic English (4. ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman.
Zhunio, N. (2010). The A Team: The future status of English as the global language is assured. The A Team. Web.