Week 7: Language, Power, and Colonialism
Today, I watched interesting short films about English and its use in China, called The expansion of English in China and Global English use in European Union. The movies both depicted the use of the English language in two different scenarios in today's world.
The key takeaways I got from the two videos:
The expansion of English in China
- English is considered to be the language of opportunity (to get rich you have to speak English attitude by parents). In order to dominate and not miss any opportunities, knowing English is considered to be an essential element.
- Massive expansion of English in China has been happening in recent years.
- English learning may come at an expense of knowing Chinese, as words are often substituted, such as the word "DVD" and other simplified terms.
Global English use in European Union
- English is becoming more used and valued, but not officially. Many people have a problem of English being the dominant language in the EU, as it gives dominance to native English speakers.
- In using translations, some may feel threatened, by the use of an intermediary that translates discussions and statements. Some feel that the ideas may be lost, and not even listen to the translated audio, which is human nature, as people feel that they might not be in complete control.
- There are many arguments for and against using English, however some terms are considered to be forming an EU-English version, which derives jargon that is common in the European Parliament workplace.
Issues that I find problematic and why:
The Expansion of English in China
- I think that the consideration that some may have, English makes you rich may be incorrect, as it is indeed a tool that is valuable and may help with certain opportunities (such as studying abroad), it is not the instant solution and people cannot simply just trust that by knowing English they are going to be successful.
- English private schools are available, however, as with all private schools, this comes for people who can afford to pay for it. this may cause disproportionate issues that come with only the middle and upper-middle class going to these schools and knowing English. However, this is the same in Slovakia, where I am from. In public schools, English is thought as a second language, but it is usually not at a level where a student can fluently speak and thus apply for jobs/school abroad.
- There may be a loss of the value seen in the Chinese language, as English replaces it in some cases, as Chinese is described to be a sophisticated language, and English simplifies the terms quite well. Thus the importance and value of the Chinese language may be threatened.
- Threatening of knowing the Chinese identity may be a problem as English and its consequent use/environment is taught and valued.
- Identity crisis of citizens can come, in the video a person being interviewed said - “is my heart Chinese” which is an important concept to think about.
Source: Choo Yut Shing
Global English use in European Union
- The preference of the English language in neutral territory, which respects each language with the same respect and dignity by providing translators may be a threatening force, as the principle of the European Union is equality.
- Naturally, some issues may come with speakers whose mother tongue is English may have an advantage over those who are not able to articulate what they mean in a way a native speaker would. This may cause problems with expressing ideas at such an important stage as is the European Union.
- “People are lazy” and not listen to the translators, which causes people speaking to speak English, which may then in turn cause translators to make mistakes, as it adds an "extra step" for them due to the need of working out what the speaker said and means.
Implications
- Native-English speaking cultures may be put at an advantage, as they will expect everyone to speak "their" language.
- Non-native-English speaking cultures may feel the pressure to learn English. People from these cultures that do not speak the language will be put at a disadvantage. Consequently, if everyone speaks English, the mother tongue of the culture may diminish.
Interesting articles on the topic:
Despite Brexit, English Remains The EU’s Most Spoken Language By Far: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davekeating/2020/02/06/despite-brexit-english-remains-the-eus-most-spoken-language-by-far/
Language, the Essence of Culture
https://greenheart.org/blog/greenheart-international/language-the-essence-of-culture/
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