Since there have been books to study, we have learned of masses of people migrating from one place to another and with them they have brought their, language, values and way of life. It can then be said that people have been spreading their culture around the world for tens of thousands of years. The nineteenth century introduced a wave of immigration, brought on by innovative discoveries in transportation, natural disasters, and economic hardship. The displacement of peoples across the globe in the late 1800s was considered to be the first mass exodus of people leaving their homes in search of something better. During the 1800s, the United States was their destination. This in turn represented the first real instance of globalization. People left everything to come to a new world, yet with them, they were able to bring their language, which is the root of a culture. It is a critical element of who a people are. It defines them.

As technology and economic power has changed in the last hundred years so has our definition of globalization. The demand for the English language as well as the education of it has increased dramatically with the rapid development of economic globalization. It is the language of business, technology, science, popular entertainment, and sports. The response to this demand is for governments to introduce English at a younger and younger age.

For some this homogenization of language is a necessary development. It will render communication faster, cheaper, and easier. For some, the spread of English is a nightmare. It will erase whole cultures and replace diversity with sameness.

Both these ways of thinking have a strong following. One is purely beaurocratic and the other is perfectly idealistic. Whatever way one thinks the end result is still the same. As people once brought their culture into America,

now America is exporting it to every crevice of the world and with it the English language.

Still the majority of the world’s population does not speak English as their first or even second language, yet in a short time everyone will be affected in some way. The fact stands that English is the language of economics. The comprehension of English will bring financial benefits with it all over the globe. Even in places where English is the first language there are people who do not know it and do not speak it properly. Even these native speakers will not be offered the same opportunities as someone who speaks the language well. It comes down to the fact that the language of the country with the most economic influence will control the rest of the world. Hundreds of years ago, French was the language of scholars. We speak of English being the universal language now and in one hundred years, the Chinese language could be making its way across the globe.

Buttigieg, A. Joseph. “Teaching English and Developing a Critical Knowledge of the Global” boundry 2 Vol. 2 No. 26 Duke University press

Nunan, David. “English as a Global Language” Tesol Quarterly, Vol 35, No. 4 Hong Kong University

• English as a Global Language, David Nunan
• Teaching English, Joseph Buttigieg

Meganne Shickles