Реферат на тему World English in the 21th century

Содержание:

Introduction 3
1. Reasons why English is a world language 4
2. Variations in English 7
3. Main types of English language in the 21th century 9
Conclusion 12
List of literature 13

Введение:

The relevance of the study is that English, as a world language, has a greater impact on other languages. It affects other languages including Russian. Words from English have long been used in our country. But English language has many variations.
The whole set of options and dialects of the English language can be divided into those that tend to the norm and those that tend to differ from it. The reasons underlying this differentiation are of different nature. In the first case, it is necessary for the speakers of these variants and dialects to integrate into the community of English speakers, in the second — the need to differ from this community (for example, in Ireland).
World English, including the British and American versions, aggregates the innovations that bring him in contact with other languages. These processes of mixing codes contribute to the development of world English.
World English, distributed primarily within the individual English language options that exist in different territories. This leads to the conclusion that the development of the English language is also due to its variants and dialects that exist in regions that are outside the UK itself.
The aim of this work is to analyze whether English in the XXI century is the same everywhere.

Заключение:

English is becoming the world’s first universal language. At least several hundred million people have some knowledge of English, which has official or semi-official status in about 62 countries. There are about 1.5 billion English-speaking people in the world today.
English has become an international language not as fast as it seems. It all started back in the XVII century, when England became a conquering country, very successful in this business. The English fleet was one of the strongest in the world. All sea routes were subject to the British. Most of the land-half of North America, many countries in Africa and Asia, Australia, India was under the rule of the British crown.
In the second half of the XX century, England faded into the background, the time of America began. The United States are developed in all directions: economic, diplomatic, political and military. Particularly active in the country has developed economic relations. That’s why a lot of people around the world speak English.
There are changes in the structure of global English compared to standard English. Being spread in various fields of communication and used by speakers of different cultures, English is subject to changes in the direction of simplification. Unlike many of its variants, global English will strive for standardization and simplification.

Фрагмент текста работы:

1. Reasons why English is a world language
For many centuries, mankind was dreaming about a world language. In the past, there were already common languages: ancient Greek, Latin, classical Arabic and others.
English is becoming the world’s first universal language. It is the tongue of 500 million people in 12 countries. It’s a lot less than somewhere around 900 million speakers of Chinese. But another 600 million speak English as a second language. And several hundred million people have some knowledge of English, which has official or semi-official status in about 62 countries.
The spread of English began with the capture of the entire North America. And now the English language is a universal second language. The scientists all around the world agreed that English is a world language now.
D. Crystal’s notes that the spread of English geographically unprecedented and the number of speakers in English has no analogues in the world: «It is difficult to know what to expect, when a language develops a worldwide presence to the extent that English has. There are no precedents for such a geographical spread or so many speakers. Moreover, the speed at which it has all happened is unprecedented: although the history of world English can be traced back 400 years, the current growth spurt in the language has a history of less than 40 years» [3, p. 110].
The scientist notes that the trend of internationality of the English language is so strong that it is impossible to stop it. Factors such as the ability to travel around the world, satellite television, the transnational corporations and other international institutions require the creation of an international standard of English.
English status is played by a social factor, that is the military, economic and political force of the state of its spreading, and to the greatest extent these characteristics at the present stage are expressed in the development of the USA, it is possible to speak with good reason about the influence of this country on the processes of cultural globalization.
Most researchers, without denying the advantages of the United States, consider the impact of this state to be more negative than positive.
English is the language of diplomacy and international communications, business, tourism, education, science, computer technology, media and Internet. Because English was used to develop communication, technology, programming, software, etc, it dominates the web. 70% of all information stored electronically is in English.
Another reason for the popularity of the English language is the American education. American education today is the most prestigious in the world. Every year, children, students, graduate students go to the United States to get an education or improve existing knowledge, improve their academic level, as well as the level of knowledge of the English language.
Today, at international scientific conferences, all reports are read and published in English, and international negotiations are conducted not through an interpreter, but in English on both sides. Today, there are more people who speak English and for whom it is not a native language, those for whom English is a native. This ratio is 3: 1 [1].
The English language came to British Isles from northern Europe in the fifth century. From the fifteenth century, the British began to sail all over the world and became explorers, colonists and imperialists. They took the English language to North America, Canada and the Caribbean, to South Africa, to Australia and New Zealand, to South Asia (especially India), to the British colonies in Africa, to South East Asia and the South Pacific.
On the other hand, the use of English as a global language requires intelligibility and the setting and maintenance of standards. On the other hand, the increasing adoption of English as a second language is leading to fragmentation and diversity. “No longer is it the case, if it ever was that English unifies all who speak it” [4, p. 3].
English is a hybrid and flexible language. It has always been an evolving language and language contact has always been an important driver of change. First from Celtic and Latin, later from Scandinavian and Norman French, more recently from the many other languages spoken in the British colonies, the English language has borrowed freely.
Britain’s colonial expansion established such pre-conditions for the global use of English, taking the language from its island birthplace to settlements around the world that it has grown up in contact with many others, making it a hybrid language which can rapidly evolve to meet new cultural and communicative needs. Some analysts consider this permeability of English as defining features allowing it to expand quickly into new domains and explaining in part its success as a world language. One of the few certainties associated with the future of English is that it will continue to evolve, reflecting and constructing the changing roles and identities of its speakers.
The second consequence of the globalization of the English language is considered to have an impact on the development of world culture. Culture in this case means the originality of various forms of human activity at this stage of social development.
Today, the spread of some languages is a part of the globalization.
But the globalization is based on the American model of society, its economy, politics and culture. This model of society and culture is associated with the English language.
Currently, in linguistics, the problem of «language and culture» acquires a new interpretation. Globalization of the English language promotes the moral values of those countries in which it is official.
In the light of the problem of language and culture, it is necessary to note the processes accompanying linguistic and cultural globalization. S. Huntington, in particular, identifies four such areas.
1. First, in the process of globalization of the economy, the global culture and the global language and their values accompany the internationalization of the business sphere of society.