1. ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL OR
A GLOBAL LANGUAGE
DELIVERED BY NURFAIZAH
2. INTRODUCTION
Language is the primary medium of human social interaction,
and interaction is the means through which social relations are
constructed and maintained. It is a vital commodity in a globalized
world (Block and Cameron, 2002).
It means that every people needs and uses language as a means
to communicate to each other. People need language to express their
needs in many aspects of life. So, as the community of the world,
people need language to be used as a means of global
communication. In this sense, our group will present the topic about
English as an International/ a Global language.
This paper will focuses on discussing the following questions:
What is international or global language? Why do we need
international or global language? Why English becomes an
international or a global language? What are the implications of
English as an International or a Global Language in English
Language Teaching?
3. WHAT IS
INTERNATIONAL OR
GLOBAL
LANGUAGE?
Smith (1976) as cited by Sandra Lee McKay defines an
international language as the language which is used by people of
different nations to communicate with one another.
David Crystal, 2003 in “English as a Global Language”,
gives some ideas on what a global language is. He stated that a
language achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a
special role that is recognized in every country. Such a role will be
most evident in countries where large numbers of the people speak
the language as a mother tongue. He also stated that to achieve a
global status, a language has to be taken up by other countries
around the world. They must decide to give it a special place within
their communities, even though they may have few (or no) mother-
tongue speakers.
4. There are two main ways in which a language can
be made the official language of a country
• Firstly, it is used as a medium
of communication in such
domains as government, the
law courts, the media, and the
educational system. To get on
in these societies, it is essential
to master the official language
as early in life as possible.
Such a language is often
described as a “second
language”, because it is seen
as a complement to a person’s
mother tongue or first
language.
• Secondly, a language can
be made a priority in a
country’s foreign-language
teaching, even though this
language has no official
status. It becomes the
language which children
are most likely to be
taught when they arrive in
school. (Crystal, 2003)
5. WHY DO WE NEED AN
INTERNATIONAL OR A
GLOBAL LANGUAGE?
There are some reasons such as:
• According to Crystal (2003), thousands of years ago, translation
played a central role in human interaction. For example, when
ambassadors met on the International stage there would be
interpreters present. In this way, misunderstanding will appear
because of so many languages used in the community.
• As global community, people around the world will always keep in
contact in international forums for political, economical,
educational, and many other international affairs, and even in
private businesses.
• Another example is that when communities begin to trade with each
other, they communicate by adopting a simplified language, known
as pidgin, which combines elements of their different languages.
6. WHY DO WE NEED AN
INTERNATIONAL OR A GLOBAL
LANGUAGE? (CONTINUED)
• United Nation (UN in 1945) and many International bodies such as
World bank (1945), UNESCO and UNICEF (1946), WHO (1948),
etc. were established. Around 190 countries take part in UN bodies
and will be represented in single meeting places.
These reasons determine that every people in this world need a
language which can be used globally or internationally as medium
of communication to enable them to communicate and understand
each other easily. The need for a global language is particularly
appreciated by the international academic and business
communities, and it is here that the adoption of a single lingua
franca or common language is most in evidence, both in lecture-
rooms and board rooms, as well as in thousands of individual
contacts being made daily all over the globe.
7. MAP OF ENGLISH SPREAD
TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL/ A
GLOBAL LANGUAGE
9. 1. Old English (450-1100 AD)
The invading Germanic tribes spoke similar
languages, which in Britain developed into what we
now call Old English. Old English did not sound or
look like English today. Native English speakers now
would have great difficulty understanding Old
English. Nevertheless, about half of the most
commonly used words in Modern English have Old
English roots. The words be, strong and water, for
example, derive from Old English. Old English was
spoken until around 1100.
10. 2. Middle English (1100-1500)
In 1066, William the Conqueror the Duke of
Normandy (part of modern France), invaded and
conquered England. The new conquerors (called the
Normans) brought with them a kind of French, which
became the language of the Royal Court, and the ruling
and business classes. For a period there was a kind of
linguistic class division, where the lower classes spoke
English and the upper classes spoke French. In the 14th
century English became dominant in Britain again, but
with many French words added. This language is called
Middle English. It was the language of the great poet
Chaucer (c1340-1400), but it would still be difficult for
native English speakers to understand today.
11. 3. Modern English
Early Modern English (1500-1800)
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden and
distinct change in pronunciation (the Great Vowel Shift)
started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter.
From the 16th century the British had contact with many
peoples from around the world.
This, and the Renaissance of Classical learning, meant that
many new words and phrases entered the language. The
invention of printing also meant that there was now a
common language in print. Books became cheaper and
more people learned to read. Printing also brought
standardization to English. Spelling and grammar became
fixed, and the dialect of London, where most publishing
houses were, became the standard. In 1604 the first English
dictionary was published.
12. 3. Modern English
Late Modern English (1800-Present)
The main difference between Early Modern
English and Late Modern English is vocabulary. Late
Modern English has many more words, arising from
two principal factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution
and technology created a need for new words;
secondly, the British Empire at its height covered one
quarter of the earth's surface, and the English
language adopted foreign words from many countries.
13.
14. The reason why a language becomes a Global or an International
Language is not only deals with how many people speak it, but more deals
with who those speakers are. A language has traditionally become an
International language for one chief reason: “the power of its people” in
many aspects (especially economical, technological, political, and military
power).
From the time the US entered the First World War in 1917 right
through to the present, the US has been one of the major military powers in
the world. The economic and military has forced the traders and soldiers
had to learn English to do their job properly. Because industry, exploration
and military demands needed and contributed to learning, so, a lot of
scientific discourse carried out primarily in English. The combination of
industry, trade, war, and learning all of which use English has put English
in its position as the world’s pre-eminent language (Bauer, 2002).
15. Similarly, Crystal as cited by McKay also concluded the
primary reason for the spread of English becoming an international
language that:
“in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries English was the language
of the leading colonial nation – (Britain). In the eighteenth and the
nineteenth centuries it was the language of the leader of the industrial
revolution – also in Britain. In the late-nineteenth century and the
early twentieth century it was the language of the leading economic
power – the (USA). As a result, when new technologies brought new
linguistic opportunities, English emerged as a first-rank language in
industries which affected all aspects of society – the press, advertising,
broadcasting, motion pictures, sound recording, transport and
communication (Crystal 1997:110-11 in McKay, 2002:16).
16. VARIETIES OF ENGLISH AND STANDARD ENGLISH
Kachru’s concentric circles of English
Expanding
Outer
Inner
17. Used for wider communication
and official purposes
Used for primary education and
local news
Used with family and friends
Example of English Varieties in Singapore
E.g. “She kena sabo by them.” “She was sabotaged by them.”
Standard
English
Standard
Singapore
English
Singlish
18. STANDARD ENGLISH
Longman Dictionary of Applied Linguistics defines Standard English as: The
variety of a language which has the highest status in a community or
nation and which is usually based on the speech and writing of educated
speakers of the language.
Standar
d English
the news media
and in literature
described in
dictionaries and
grammars
taught in schools
and taught to
non-native
speakers
19. IMPLICATIONS OF ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE TO THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN INDONESIA
INTERNATIONAL
LANGUAGE
TEFL
TESL
22. Language is very important in our life as means of
communication. As a global community, we really need a
language which can be used as a means of global
communication. In this case, English has become an
international or a global language. So, every people in
this world should be able to communicate in English in
order to participate in global affairs.
In teaching English as an international language,
there are many theories, methodologies, and techniques
that can be applied. However, as teachers, we should
realize that there is no one best method for all contexts.
So, it needs teacher’s sense of plausibility to select the
appropriate methods, techniques, and materials that
reflect local culture and meet student’s needs to develop
language proficiency.
CONCLUSION
