Is English a Threat to Multilingualism? LET101: Introduction to World Languages & Multilingualism Is English a Threat to Multilingualism? A Presentation by Ernest Mah Herh Sun (135146)

7105 living languages: 1481 in trouble, 906 dying (Ethnologue, 2013) If nothing is done, half of these languages will be gone by the end of this century (UNESCO, 2013) English  the most significant language in the world (L2:L1=3:1)

3 Factors Contributing to the Spread of English Globalization Academic & Employment Trend Information Technology (Warschauer, 2000)

Dominance of “English”  “Global Village” “…has not yet been accepted among critical sociolinguists and they believe in composition of the world as a complex web of villages.” (Blommaert, 2010; Jacobson, 2003) So, is English a threat to multilingualism?

FUNCTIONS OF A LANGUAGE Language for Communication Language for Identification Eg. English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) Eg. Minority Languages (J. House, 2003)

Minority Languages as Identification “…not only creates identity for its speakers but also identifies their social group membership.” (Gumperz, 1982:239) One of the influential ways to keep a nation or a community in touch with its heritage. Linguistic, social & cultural values are embedded in languages, hence preservation is necessary to avoid identity loss.

ENGLISH ? MINORITY LANGUAGES

Language Death A language is considered dead when there is no one to speak it to. (Crystal, 2002) “…many of Australian indigenous languages disappeared as a direct massacre of the aboriginal people or their death from diseases introduced by Europeans…” (Holmes, 2008) [Eg. Tasmanian Aboriginal language in 1905] English is not the dominant language in Latin America. If languages are dying there, English is not to be blamed. (Crystal, 2002)

Language Shift Gradual displacement of one language by another. “…loss in number of speakers, level of proficiency, or functional use of the language…” (Hornberger, 2010) Factors: Socioeconomic factors Urbanization Attitude and Values

1. Socioeconomic Factors ‘…takes place if the language being shifted to has “social prestige & economic advantage, primarily in the form of source of income”’ (Paulston, 1988) Eg. ‘immigrants’ Very little chance to practice their local languages Consciously chose to shift to the dominant language to survive, prosper & avoid isolation Eg. Romanian minority (0.3%) in Hungary (Borbely, 2000)

2. Urbanization Geographic mobility within the territory allows cultures and languages to come into contact with one another. Change in accent  Assimilation of culture  Change in language (Solymez, 2004) Marginalization & Reduction in the number of languages in the world due to ‘prestige’ & ‘usefulness’ of others (Tandefelt, 1994) Eg. Brazil (Muller, 2001) & India (Ishtiaq, 1999)

3. Attitudes & Values Speakers’ outlook & values determine their language choices, i.e. which language to speak & which to abandon “Language suicide” (Crystal, 2002:86) “…attitudes to the host society as well as the home culture play a significant role in language maintenance or shift…” Eg. Hungarian communities in Australia (Hatoss, 2003)

How is English NOT a threat to multilingualism?

Important New Roles of English English  Global language, international language (EIL), global lingua franca (ELF) a means of international communication which enhances cultural dynamics among speakers of different languages without threatening minority languages NOT a killer language

“…[enables] countries to discuss and negotiate political, social, educational, and economic concerns…” (access for global discourse) (McKay, 2002) “…enables people from different language background to converse in international scale …minimizes threat to other languages…” (House, 2003)

This adds to linguistic diversty. “…empowers all rather than just a particular group of speakers…” (Clyne and Sharifian, 2008) Emphasis on different varieties of English rather than a certain type, eg. American English & Malaysian English This adds to linguistic diversty.

Conclusion Factors affecting multilingualism: Historical Factors Socioeconomic Factors Urbanization Attitudes & Values of speakers English is not and should not be seen as a threat to multilingualism. It functions as a global medium for speakers of different languages to communicate effectively and bridge cultural gaps, as well as ensure different languages can exist concurrently.

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References Clyne, M., & Sharifian, F. (2008). English as an international language. ARAL Challenges and Possibilities Australian Review of Applied Linguistics English as an International Language, 31(3). doi:10.1075/aral.31.3.01cly Crystal, D. (2002). Language Death. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139871549 Hornberger, N. H. (2010). Language Shift and Language Revitalization. Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195384253.013.0028 House, J. (2003). English as a lingua franca: A threat to multilingualism? Journal of Sociolinguistics, 7(4), 556-578. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9841.2003.00242.x Majidi, A. (2013). English as a Global Language; Threat or Opportunity for Minority Languages? MJSS Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences. doi:10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p33