Hello strangers and friends alike,
Last week, I had the opportunity to sit in a joint lecture with all of my CAP(Coordinated Arts Program) professors to discuss what it meant to be a ‘Global Citizen’. Incorporating studies of Sociology, Political Science, Geography, and Arts Studies, Global Citizens is a stream that highly encourages open-minded and globalized thinking, which many students were able to participate in first-hand towards the end of our lecture. An activity was held which placed six or seven classmates together; each group was assigned a discipline from the Global Citizens first term course-load and was asked to brainstorm and collaborate upon how said discipline related not only the CAP stream but the world as well. The group I was in was assigned English, and we talked about some interesting concepts and ideas focused around literature. However, what really quipped my interest was the idea that English had become a ‘universal language’. Was English really that widespread and known? How did it get to become a global language? Could it ever be replaced? I decided to find out.
As a child growing up with a Quebecois mother and an Ontario-born Father, I was raised from the start bilingually, learning French and English from each respective parent. Whilst I was fluent in both, and was living in the city of Montreal where both languages were very prevalent, I slowly found myself beginning to hear and use English more. Even conversations in French began to sprinkle in English phrases here and there, as if it was spreading into the language like a creeping infection. Soon, I was using English more than French, much to the dismay of my mother, who still refuses to speak to me in anything but Français. As my life progressed my family had the chance to live abroad in Singapore, a small but bustling island which centred its economy around trade and business. At first, I expected everyone to speaking Mandarin or some sort of Asian dialect that I would be completely lost in and have to learn. I was very wrong. Even in the farthest reaches of South-East Asia, English was everywhere. In fact, English is one of the two official(that’s right) languages of Singapore, and had been around for so long that the locals had created their own version of the language, which they called ‘Singlish’. Being in a position where I can reflect now, I can see that Singapore is an incredibly globalized city. As a British colony it was known as the ‘Gateway to the East’, one of the largest harbours in Asia that linked western trade to the eastern world. Trader’s and investors from all over the world gathered to broker deals, but with this came an issue; How were they to communicate with each other? A middle ground was needed to allow for people of different languages to speak and negotiate on a common platform, and that platform very quickly became the language of English. English had not only become a fundamental part of Singapore’s trade system, it had become a necessity for its survival as an economy.
In fact, this use of English as a ‘middle ground’ is not uncommon to see. The UN, although stating to have six ‘official languages’, has been criticized for its heavy use of English during debates. In casual discussion between two people of foreign origin where nether know each other’s language, English will almost always be the substitute to allow for communication. Interestingly enough, about 1,500 million people speak english, and only 375 million of those people are native English speakers. Roughly translating, English is everywhere; The alluring and enticing movies that come out of Hollywood, the idea of the ‘American Dream’. It is inescapable and has spread its fingers across the world in an attempt to reach even the most remote colonies. It has become engrained in our global society; to be a global citizen it is important to first know English.
But why? English is known to be one of the more difficult languages to learn, with words such as ‘Hamburger’ which tend to mislead many new speakers. It is backwards, full of puns and idioms and phrases which, when thought of literally, make absolutely no sense. Yet, it still dominates as the predominant ‘universal language’. Much of this can be attributed to England and its time of Imperial rule and colonization. Able to conquer most of the world and Colonize both Canada and the United States, England was an extremely influential factor in the spread of the language. Now , the western world is regarded as one of the biggest if not the biggest player in global politics and economy, and as of such has influenced the use of English as a global language heavily. However, what interests me the most is the notion that English was more or less forcibly brought on to many places in the world. Think back to Residential Schools in Canada during the mid-1900’s, and the attempted assimilation into English society conducted upon the First Nations children attending. Are we only speaking English because of the harsh and unjust actions of our ancestors? I believe it is very possible that if the world were to have developed in a different scenario, English may not necessarily have come out on top and dominate as it does today, instead lending to a more simplistic and inclusive tongue. As of right now, English is seemingly cemented in our society, with no indications of ever losing its place. But with the rise of other powers, most notably China, who knows what may happen in the future. That is exactly what I intend to come closer to finding out as I continue on through the Global Citizens stream.
I hope you enjoyed your Tip from Nick.