English as an international language

Microacquisition and its implications

• First, it means that the study of E as an international language must involve an investigation of bilingualism in both Outer and Expanding Circle countires, rather than on
• LANGUAGE SHIFT (moving to the Inner Circle countries);
• Second, because the current spread of E entails macroacquisition, the focus of investigation must be on bilingual E speech communities rather than on individual language learners.

2. URBAN MIGRATION

• There is one type of migratin today that may be a significant factor in the continued growth of E today – urban migration.
• The most rapid urbanization today is taking place in the developing world where in Asia alone bw 1994 and 2025 there is likely to be an increase of more tha 20% in the urban population.
• Urban areas are typically the focus for linguistic change.
• They are also important points for language contact and diversity, and they encourage the growth of a middle class who become consumers of the global material culture.
• URBANISATION has importan effects on language demography. New languages emerge, others change, some are lost; new patterns of English uses will arise among second-language speakers.

3 MORE REASONS FOR THE SPREAD OF ENGLISH – past and present

• a) IN THE PAST
• Colonialism, speaker migration, and new technology
• 19th and 20th century British and American coloialism and the migration of English-speaking individuals to other areas
• Briatin becoming the world’s leading industrial and trading nation (beginning of the 19th century)

b) CURRENT SPREAD AND THE MICROACQUISITION OF THE LANGUAGE WITHIN EXISTING SPEECH COMMUNITIES

• The current uses of Englsih in various intellectual, economic, and cultural arenas:
• International organizations: of 12 500 international organizations listed in the Union of International Associations’ Yearbook, 85% make official use of E.
• Motion pictures: in the mid 1990s, the US controlled about 85% of the world film market.
• Popular music: of the pop groups listed in The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 99% of the gropus work entirely or predominantly in E.
• Publications: more books are published in E than in any other language.
• Communications: about 80% of the world’s electronically stored information is in E.
• Education: in many countries E plays a significant role in higher education.