Imagine living in a country, and only feeling comfortable to converse in a language that 10  percent of the country speaks fluently. Now imagine this language being a foreign language. Imagine oppressing the remaining 80 percent that do not speak the language and making them believe that they are somehow inferior. This is the reality in our country.

With phenomena such as globalisation, English has become a universal language and is deemed necessary for children to learn. English in most countries is correlated to progress to a point where the first speech given by the first Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, was delivered in the English language. With just 20 percent of the Earth’s population being able to speak the language, it is interesting to understand why it is considered a global language and why it is given the power to kill off other languages.

English is considered the language of the elite and has been considered so since British colonisation. With the British conquering almost the entire globe, English was used as a powerful tool for colonisation and imperialism. It was successful in white washing native cultures and strengthening British rule. English is often used as a colonial tool even in society today. It continues a social hierarchy with English speakers being more successful and on top of the social and economic ladder. Hence, it encourages the non white population to be as white as possible with their accents and their industries, creating security and respect for English speakers and disdain for people who are fluent in languages other than English and therefore ‘inferior.’ India is culturally dense and has over 122 major languages and 1599 other languages many of which will be lost forever if no one speaks them. Parents who can afford it want to send their children to English medium schools, and those who can’t still aspire to do so. This results in fewer people being comfortable to speak in their mother tongues. The United Nations lists over 577 languages as ‘critically endangered’ with only a few people of the older generation (who are semi-speakers) speaking the language. 527 languages are ‘severely endangered’ and 646 are ‘definitely endangered.’ As many as half of the world’s languages are expected to be extinct by the end of this century and it’s estimated that one language dies out every 14 days. All these languages are from Asia, Africa, North America, Australia and South America-all states that were colonized. Although the goal of English today is not to white wash cultures, it achieves its colonial goal; establishing the supremacy of white culture. 

If one takes a closer look at the origins of the language it is interesting to find that along with its French and Latin roots, it also stems from Middle Eastern, Asian, and other European languages. The English language dates back to the 5th century, when Germanic tribes invaded Britain and their languages merged to form Old English. Various Latin words, along with some French, were mixed in with Old English, hence creating Middle English. British colonization led to the adoption of many foreign words, creating Modern English as we know it today. Words like anonymous, guru, loot, safari and cigar, have Greek, Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic and Spanish origins. The beautiful thing about any language is its ability to adapt and merge with modern culture. For example, the youth is leaving behind traditional English in favor of a faster, more time efficient form used on social media today, consisting of various short forms. This new English and is far more nuanced and this fact is often overlooked. For example, ‘okay’ is different from ‘ok’ which is different from ‘k.’ Linguistic evolution is completely natural, but sadly it is still insisted upon that we learn English the same way it was taught in the 15th century. I believe that it is the natural course of a language to evolve and grow as situations, attitudes, and understandings change, and this is what the system lacks; the ability to adapt.

For whatever reason, English is the one language that the globe speaks, even if it is not fluently spoken everywhere. The amount of people that speak English is also on the rise. The reason it is a ‘global language’ is because it is used for global marketing, communication and business, all of which are fields dominated by the elite. And to be the elite in their respective societies they must learn English. It is a vicious cycle that erases other languages as a side effect but it also allows us to have a universal language for all of mankind. Communication is key and being able to communicate without translation accelerates our growth and potential. As long as the flexibility of language is maintained, and it is taught for learning purposes it can do no harm. But it is often used to uphold an unfair hierarchy which defeats the whole point of a global language that stands for common culture.