.Saturday, July 17, 2010 ' 12:50 PM Y
The English Language has seemingly gained importance in today's world. Based solely in Singapore, a multi-racial society comprising of 4 different races, communicating verbally using English has enabled the message to get across to the other party easily. To the majority of Singapore's generation, especially the teens and young adults, English can be considered as their First Language. However, Singapore was after all a British colony in the past. Hence, there were forefathers of Singapore who could speak English even before Singapore gained independence in 1965. Such a language has since been passed down to the descendants. External influences from the Western countries in the region aided the English language to be known, spoken and written by many across the world.
The spread of English languge is evident in many countries, including China. Previously, locals living in China spoke mainly the Chinese language. Through the years, there has been an increasing number of locals there who are learning to speak English. Schools in China also educate the students in terms of speaking basic English. Only so, will the future generations be bilingual, fluent in both the English and Chinese language. Besides China, the English language has also caught up with India and various Asian countries.
English is being recognised as a global language, whereby everyone, regardless of their nationalities, should be able to speak English as a form of communication. With everyone being able to speak and write English minimises commucation barriers, especially among countries. Thus, when addressing a group of foreign ambassadors or even simply others who are from different countries, it may be inconvenient to depend fully on translators. This slows down the whole speech which the person may be trying to get across. Plus, with the translator acting as a middleperson, parties at both ends may lose their patience while waiting to hear what the other has to say. Overall, a similar message has to be repeated twice, which may seem pointless and unnecessary.
Having knowledge about the English culture can be beneficial, both socially(people relations) and economically. Zooming deeper within, this starts from citizens themselves which then branches out to the whole country. With a common speaking language, English supports the people in fostering closer relationships with one another. This can be clearly portrayed when a country's citizens socialise with citizens from other countries, though the countries have their own specific language.
When trade discussions are held among ministers from various countries, English will be the best language to be communicated in. Also, the English-educated may tend to be highly regarded and give the others a deeper and positive impression of one's capability.
Nowadays, many world-class events are organised and held in countries. Listing down a few chronologically: 2008 Olympic Games hosted by Beijing, 2009 Formula 1 racing in Singapore, 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and the most recent, 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. People from all around the world would specially fly into the country just to catch the event LIVE. They harbour high expectations of the country's citizens, including service standards and environmental cleanliness. Once a particular country is chosen to host the event, it generates a lot of revenue for the country. In the case of China, she needs to welcome visitors into her country. How would it be possible if China's citizens speak only Chinese? As a result, the residents had to brush up on their English language, which can be seen as an added advantage for the future. Morever, investments in a country regardless of whether it is from an individual or another country also depend on communication between both parties. Essentially, smooth talks rely on both the content and language spoken in. Both parties should feel comfortable while negotiating (terms have to be met), in order to achieve a successful result.
Quoted from an article "Most of world's influential newspapers do have English editions, and more than 90 percent of the major science magazines in the world are published in English." What does this show about the English language? In most countries, the English language has an upperhand compared to other languages. Westerners and Asians are able to work well together if they can speak a common language, English. With reading materials published in English, this caters to and benefits the English-educated. Thus, English has been extended through both verbally and written usage.
The vast English language, with differing synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, how confusing can it get? Of course, learning to master the lauguage can be a feat in the beginning. With determination and patience, one is sure to succeed. As the English language currently dominates over the other languages, it is definitely a winning advantage to learn this language.
-Pearlyn :D-
Labels: The English Language
