“Anglification of the modern society – is English language the future of Europe?
How English and (American) globalisation influenced us to speak English more than ever – the killer of linguistics and forgotten languages
Most of you, since you are reading this article, are International students, you know English but also can speak other languages at some level. But English is most likely dominant. You watch movies, read books and use English social media (more of the American social media these days). If you are not an International student, you might use it at work, or for travel…or for trade, or maybe you are a diplomat? You might also be a young person located anywhere in the world, but especially in Europe. Maybe you are a gamer?
Nevertheless, we see the growing presence of English in our daily lives to a greater or lesser extent. Our opportunities are also linked to it.
Globalisation and interconnectedness
“Globalization may be thought of initially as the widening, deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary social life” (Held et al. 1999: 2). This description indicates the extent to which the world is structured at an international level: the contemporary world order is globally constituted as much in the social and cultural realms as it is in politics and economics.” (Dewey, 2007)
This quote from Dewey lays out the way globalisation is set out in the 21st century. It is how we connect and interact with each other in many areas, from social to political and economic sectors. Without it, life and cooperation would be much more difficult; learning and conducting research would also be limited. With globalisation, we can also make progress faster, in tech, in trade and in times of conflict. Specifically European Union defines itself on interconnectedness and collaboration. Everything runs smoother when everyone is on the same communication level.
This globalised world also allows young people to go out and learn about the world as well as get better education or better opportunities.
On a surface level, English might seem like a good and useful tool nowadays, but is that really the case?
Dominance of English in media and research
When it comes to media and research, we can see a huge gap between the amount of research and media we can find online and offline in English vs other languages. Although English research is useful as it has become a universal language for research development and research universities, it still creates a lack of knowledge in other native languages. On top of that, English research isn’t as often translated as, for example, English literature.
Another aspect of English is the status and prestige society grants it due to the globalisation of it and the opportunities that come with it.
“English is an international language of prestige” (Francis & Ryan, 1998)
Part of it can be tied to Imperialism, which made the British look and be powerful, which also created an image of the English language to be seen as better and superior. But also American social media like TikTok or YouTube further pushed the English language to be more desirable, for news, for entertainment or marketing purposes. Especially TikTok, which is popular among youth all over the world made American slang being used by non-native or non-fluent youth. But this also affects the expression of other languages in a fluent way, instead of American words and native speech being intertwined at times.
Another issue with research and media being dominant is the fact that research and opportunities are sought out by youth in English rather than their native language, due to English ones being paid better, but then how can research and education be promoted in native languages? The “easy” solution would be to translate from English to native languages, but that takes time and is costly.
So… What IS the future of Europe and the world in terms of English?
At the end of the day, yes, English is and will most likely remain dominant, but at least in the research and media culture. However, Europe isn’t likely to fully switch to English, at least not on a cultural level, but rather a professional and educational one. Research will further be made in English, and so far it seems to be beneficial. The European Union itself, however, is known for being a multilingual entity (including French and German as official languages in which they work). And Europe as a continent remains a multilingual space with English as a communication tool. But, to what extent should English be the main language of Europe? The answer is: Britain and America + Canada, Australia, and others have such a big influence on the political and research sphere that English will likely remain… not to mention how simple the English grammar is!
By Oliwia Kurpińska