Riassunto esame English I, prof. Rossi, libro consigliato The future of English, Greddol

Although there are no clear rivals to English yet, its dominance could in the future be challenged; there are 4 factors

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that might upset the universal trend towards English as the 1 foreign language at school:

1) Competition from other languages outside of Europe (Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian,

Vietnamese)

2) Education systems may include the right to a mother tongue education

3) REGIONALIZATION may encourage the use of a non-English lingua franca for their trading purposes

4) New political spirit of NEIGHBOURLINESS may encourage the study of languages from adjacent countries.

Another educational trend is the teaching of a growing number of courses in universities through the medium of

English (CLIL) -> English-medium higher education is one of the drivers of language shift, from L2 to L1 E-speaking

status. The global media



Today the media is an international industry

BBC world service, CNN international, satellite television: when they first established there was a need to use

 one of the ‘big’ languages (English, Chinese, Spanish)

Then a need for LOCALIZATION emerged and many programs started moving into languages other than

English (Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese – Brazil – based on the locations) to reach the elite social classes of Asia

for example.

Satellite TV leads, though, towards a cultural fragmentation, instead of unifying all those it reaches.

Youth culture



Global teenagers are a new “driving force” -> baby boom caused a major demographic shift in global youth, the

populations of the big 3 (USA, Europe, Japan) have aged, those of the developing countries are becoming younger

(Asia, Latin America..)

Young people are today becoming the target of a globalized industry in media, consumer products and fashion (‘Sony-

Benetton’ culture) so, the future of English as a global language may depend on how the language is taken up and

used by young adults in Asian countries.

The result is that other languages will be increasingly important to the world’s young, who are encouraged to celebrate

diversity

Branding is used to communicate a set of values and attitudes: environmental and social issues, appreciation of

diversity and human rights.

Internet communication



Computer technology changed the way people interact both locally and globally, and it’s regarded as the flagship of

global English (Internet carries English language services, 90% of the world’s computers connected to the internet are

based in E-speaking countries, traffic and websites are rooted in English)

The system is not only encouraging the use of English but also transforming it.

Time and place



The consequence of economic regionalization could mean the end of English as a lingua franca; as countries rise in

economic status, they become the source of skills and technology for neighboring countries: Hong Kong and

Singapore relocating their productions to mainland China.

This analysis suggests that the present phase of globalization has favored the E. language, primarily because flows

and relationships have been between the big 3 countries and developing economies.

The next phase may favor regional languages = the need to teach a regional lingua franca arises.

English could also take advantage of the economic benefits of being located in a time zone between the USA (New

York) and Japan (Tokyo). “English Next”

(2006)

A WORLD IN TRANSITION – Part 1

Stating that the key drivers of change of the English language are demographic, economic, technological, and long-

term trends, now we go to analyze how these have developed during time.

Demography:

It is one of the main drivers of change: the future of languages in the world depends from people.

Demographic trends have an impact on societies, structures, educational systems, economic futures; in many

developing countries the number of children is rising faster than in some others that are “ageing”.

E.g. : countries like Italy are facing a decline in the number of young people, and are likely to have many migrant

workers to support the economy….this will change the ethnic and linguistic profile of the country.

The movement of people is also the main reason for language spread (migrations for seeking a better life,

employment -> freedom of labour movement, international tourism...aso)

• As populations in the less developed countries rise, the demographic balance between languages is changing

• Global migration is higher than ever before

• Larger demand for a common language: English as a lingua franca

Economy:

The more economic powerful a language is the more its attractiveness rises.

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Before the 19 century India and China were the world’s economic superpowers; thanks to their new economic rise

they will soon regain their former status and the relative importance of world language may also change.

Together with China and India as economic rising superpowers we find also Brazil and Russia, which form a group

called BRICs.

Globalization has helped many countries to develop their economic strength, giving them the possibility to allocate

part of the work in various and different countries, where the costs were cheaper (outsourcing -> India).

As English is widely regarded as a gateway to wealth for national economies, the distribution of poverty in the future

will be closely linked to the distribution of English (social inequalities).

• The economic dominance of western economies (since the industrial revolution) is coming to an end

• The competitive advantage is beginning to move in countries like India and China (developing economies)

• The access to the lingua franca could create inequalities between different social classes and could determine

a gap between wealthy and poor countries.

Technology:

Technological development is transforming the economy and is changing societies -> communication revolution!

Innovations: VOIP(voice internet over protocol), Skype, are replacing landline technology.

Technology is undermining the traditional distribution of power by redistributing knowledge.

English is also the language of Internet, but as many software become available in other languages its use is starting

to decline always more -> internet is starting to serve more local interests, the communication is becoming more

multilingual; however English remains the preferred language for global reach.

• Technology is enabling new patterns of communication

• Anglo-centric technological limitations are overcome, allowing any language or scrip being used on the

internet (= lesser used languages are flourishing on the internet)

• Other languages adopted by the new media: Spanish, French, Arabic….

Society:

The use of a language is inextricable from the social relationships and identities of its users.

English is an increasingly urban language, associated with growing middle classes =/ cities (inequalities between

countryside and city).

Mixtures of nationalities and cultures derived from migration to the developing countries such as India are creating

different value patterns and lifestyles, which in many cases can threaten the maintenance of a harmonious society.

Age is also becoming an important factor to mark the difference between social and ethnic groups.

• Urbanization is one of the major contributors to linguistic change

• Multilingualism is the new tendency

• Social change brings with it language change

Languages:

The position of global language owned by English is now in the care of multilingual speakers.

The view of global English is very ethnocentric and complex.

The spread of global English is not the direct cause of language endangerment/extinction; the declining proportion of

the population plays an important role.

English in the future is likely to be challenged by Mandarin and Spanish, which are becoming so important to influence

national policy priorities in some countries.

• The world language system is being transformed: many smaller languages are disappearing

• English is not the main reason for global language loss

• The attractiveness to Mandarin could be a long-term trend

• The L2 circle is now becoming an important and significant factor for the global use of the language

EDUCATION – Part 2

In many countries curriculum reforms are taking place; improving national proficiency in English has become part of

the educational strategy in most countries (foreign language skills = marker of social class).

Higher education:

Higher education is nowadays becoming globalized: English is used increasingly as the medium for education in

universities across the world.

The “Bologna process” was an agreement which aimed to harmonize university education within Europe =

standardization of higher education.

English itself is seen as a key educational investment (international student mobility, teaching..); the major English

speaking destination countries face three new kinds of competition:

1) rapid expansion of universities & educational reform (the number of students willing to study abroad is decreasing)

2) The improved education system and economy gives certain countries the advantage to position themselves as net

exporters of higher education (students don’t need to go abroad)

3) More countries (in Europe and Asia) are attracting students by offering them courses taught through the medium of

English.

Major tool of diffusion of education: internet (virtual universities…which collapsed with time –too expensive-)

• The fastest growth for UK universities appears to be in transnational students studying for a UK degree in

branch campuses or joint ventures established in Asian countries.

• Countries that have, in the past, sent great amounts of students, are now positioning themselves as exporters

of higher education.

• Students and people don’t go to Britain to anymore to learn English, because they’re not interested to speak

the language like a native speaker; they want to be able to communicate: global English is diverging from

received standard English

• It has become a basic skill, not a resource for competitive advantage anymore!

Learning English:

There are many different ways in which English is taught and learned in the world; EFL is the dominant model together

with the L2.

EFL tends to highlight the importance of learning about the culture and society of native speakers, emulating native

speakers language behavior.

L2: in contrast with the EFL model, this one tends to recognize the role of English in the society in which is taught.

Content and Language Integrated Learning CLIL is an approach to bilingual education in which various subjects are

taught through the medium of English.

Teaching and learning English as a lingua franca ELF is reflecting the needs and aspirations of the ever-growing

number of native speakers who use English to communicate with other non natives.

The age at which children start learning Eng