By: Barnali Bose, Editor-ICN Group
A word is the smallest free form in a language. It is the briefest solitary expression, spoken or written, yet it holds meaning. Words arranged in logical order, with the intent to express thoughts,ideas or beliefs is what we name language
How English became the language of the immigrants in America
With mass immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, America became a melting pot for inhabitants originating from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
With great enthusiasm, the immigrants and their children learned and insisted on speaking English. This lucidly demonstrated their desire to adorn themselves with the linguistic badge of English.
The ‘Americanisation’ of British English
American English is more synonymous with Early modern Shakespearean English of the Elizabethan Age than modern British English is.
What we now term, “Americanisms” are in real fact, original British expressions. These were preserved in the colonies, though for quite some time remained conspicuous by their absence, in Britain.
Spanish too, influenced American English and subsequently British English. Words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are examples of Spanish words adopted in English through the settlement of the American West.
Today, American English is in great vogue due to the USA’s dominance over cinema, television, popular music, trade and technology.
American English versus British English
Your American friend will be ‘mad at’ you, not ‘angry with’ you unlike your Britisher friend. The former orders ‘fries’ not ‘chips’. Britishers are ‘clever while Americans are ‘smart’.
An American goes on a ‘vacation’, not on a ‘holiday’ as a Britisher does.
In America, you ask for a ‘check’, not a ‘bill’ at a restaurant.You drop waste into a ‘garbage can’, not a ‘dustbin’.You take an ‘elevator’, not a ‘lift’ to go into your ‘apartment’, not your ‘flat’.You are a ‘soccer’,not a ‘football’ fan.You take the day off because you are ‘sick’, not ‘ill’. You seek for a refill of ‘gas’ ( gasoline) not ‘petrol or diesel’.
An American weighs your grocery in ‘pounds’ not ‘kilograms’. You drive ‘miles’,not ‘kilometres’. You walk on the ‘sidewalk’, not the ‘pavement’. Not ‘sweets’ but ‘candies’ make you fat.The list is endless.
Accent and pronunciation of British English and American English also differ from each other. Spelling differences add to the already existing inconsistencies.
Observe the difference in the way Americans and the Britishers respectively spell these commonly used words: realize/realise,center/centre,traveler/traveller,flavor/flavour, endeavor/endeavour,center/centre and color/colour to mention just a few. In India,we follow the British English way of spelling words while using formal language.
There are many other varieties of English around the world, for example Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English, Caribbean English and obviously Indian English.
Is English a global language?
A global language acts as a “lingua franca”, a common medium that enables people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities to communicate with ‘minor hiccups’, if any.
It is indisputable that English has become the lingua franca of the world in the fields of business, science, aviation, computing, education, politics and entertainment.
Over 90% of international airlines use English as their language of choice (known as “Airspeak”). An Italian pilot flying an Italian plane into an Italian airport, for example, contacts ground control in English. The same applies to international maritime communications (“Seaspeak”).
Two-thirds of all scientific papers are published in English, and the Science Citation Index reports that as many as 95% of its articles were written in English.
Up to half of all business deals throughout the world are conducted in English. Popular music worldwide is dominated overwhelmingly by English.
American television is accessible almost everywhere. Half of the world newspapers are in English, and some 75% of mail correspondence is in English, the USA alone accounting for 50%.
At least 35% of Internet users are English speakers, and an estimated 70-80% of the content on the Internet is in English.Wherever one travels in the world, English signs and advertisements meets the eye.
The United Nations, representative of a global community, currently uses five official languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.
An estimated 85% of international organizations have English as at least one of their official languages.
French comes next with less than 50%. Even more starkly, about one third of international organizations including OPEC, EFTA and ASEAN, use English only, and this figure rises to almost 90% among Asian international organizations.
( To be continued…..)
