This article fits in nicely with our conversation the other day about language and the hegemony of English. In this article, several different experts on language weigh in on their thoughts about globalization and how it is affecting languages. I find this to be an interesting topic because it seems like there are pros and cons to the domination of the English language. I know that for native English speakers, it makes things a lot easier for us when traveling or conducting business with people from different countries, but it is also interesting to consider how non-natives feel about having to learn English. I taught English in South Korea for a year to kindergarten and elementary school students and I witnessed first hand the emphasis that their parents put on learning English. I was treated with a great deal of respect because I was a native English speaker, and thus, viewed as more powerful. For a small country like Korea, English is an essential component to the education system because it is necessary for conducting business abroad. I have to admit that after living there for a year, I only learned a few words and phrases in Korean but whenever I spoke these, people were so impressed with an American trying to learn Korean. This experience really made me realize the dominance of the English language and I was amazed at the respect I was given just for simply speaking my native tongue.
The experts in this article make some interesting points as well. One comment that was made was that the internet is actually preventing the domination of the English language, which I thought was interesting because we read an article that discussed how the largest percentage of internet users are English speakers and that the U.S. was described as "the nucleus of Internet traffic" (Barnett &Rosen). I'd be interested in seeing some of the research that backs up the idea that the internet is preventing the hegemony of English because that does not necessarily seem to be the case.
Another interesting point made in this article was that it has been estimated that a language becomes extinct every two weeks. This statistic makes me think that the world is heading toward a globalization of languages, which does not necessarily mean that English will be the hegemonic language, but that at least there will only be a few dominant languages left in the world. I also think that culture has so much to do with language and so I see the loss of languages leading to more and more loss of cultures. It's such an interesting topic and there are so many factors to consider... check out the article for some interesting opinions.
I really like this article because it gives another perspective on the language issue. I think the point about the Internet preventing the hegemony of English was interesting because I have found that many websites can be translated into several different languages especially in other countries. Speakers of other languages can also use the Internet as a tool to communicate with others within their culture.
ReplyDeleteAlso I wanted to respond to the idea that globalization means homogenization. I think that the argument for is very obvious but a strong argument can also be made against. In the past people had little reason to learn a foreign language. Today, however with increased travel and technology learning other languages is much more practical. I am a perfect example because I have always studied Spanish and never had much interest in other languages. German especially was a language I never really liked, that was until I went to Austria for the first time and fell in love with the country and the people. Now, I really want to learn German! I think this is the same for a lot of people so in a way globalization is expanding language knowledge.
I also wanted to comment on the notion that our nation doesn't value language because I think, and this article did a good job of mentioning, that its not entirely true. I think its more the idea that society and government don't value widespread knowledge of language. I am going to DC over break with Korbel and will be visiting a lot of government offices. Korbel staff as already warned us that officials will look at our resumes prior to our tours and if someone lists speaking an uncommon language they may be asked to sit down for an immediate interview. While language id obviously highly valued they really only need a few individuals to speak a language to get by and as a result they don't see the need for everyone to learn other languages.
Another really great article here about language and whether are mother tongue restricts us from understanding certain concepts. Does Your Language Shape How You Think? Languages like Spanish, French, German and Russian oblige you to think about the male or female gender while talking about people and objects. English on the other hand allows sex to be unknown. Gender isn't the only difference in language, space and time are also communicated differently through other languages. The article is a little long but REALLY interesting I encourage everyone to read it. whim.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html
ReplyDeleteFrom the Freakonomics article, I agree with Rolling when he had concerns about grammar with all the new forms of technology. I often notice many misspellings on Facebook, text messages, and on some websites too, which makes me apprehensive because I was extremely disappointed with how my high school taught us English. There were so many things that they failed to tell us and technology makes me concerned that those in elementary school and high school might perhaps learn less. However, some might say that the context is different when one is on the internet and texts, which it is, but the loss of grammar with technology seems to be a legitimate concern (though it is minimal compared to the dominance of English).
ReplyDeleteI am curious what the relationship between American and foreign businesses is in the dominance of English conversation. We know that a lot of American businesses are also in other countries, but we also need to address their elites and why they have chosen to adopt English. What are they gaining from learning English and do their citizens agree with the adoption of English?
I agree with Brittany that sometimes globalization has helped others become interested in learning another language. For instance, if there was not many Japanese people at my college and if I did not take the time to get to know them which eventually led me to Japan, I highly doubt that I would have wanted to learn Japanese. Thus, just like Brittany and learning German, my desire to learn Japanese was very much related to the ability to travel (which I am sure this is true for a lot of people too).
As far as the mother tongue shaping some things we think, it might be true in a lot of ways. It does not seem like a coincidence that verbs are placed at the end of sentences in Japanese because there is a tendency (this is a generalization) for a lot of people to speak implicitly. Several of my friends told me that it is common for Japanese people to decline requests (such as, they cannot go to dinner with them) in a way that avoids explicitly saying “no.” I have also been told that if someone is upset with them, they often have to guess what that person is mad about without verbally discussing it. Since I have not lived in Japan to see how or if this is the case, I know that it would be difficult for me to behave in such implicit ways because in a lot of ways, English has conditioned us to be as specific as possible and to verbally express ourselves. Of course, I am not making a judgment about which method is better because it depends on the situation how one should express themselves, but I have noticed that my tendencies have been influenced by the way English is structured.