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汪　洋

It seems obvious that we are living in an increasingly global world. In the process of globalization, English has been used as the global language. Undoubtedly, the rapid spread of English all over the world has brought about great changes to the English language teachers, learners and other parts in the education domain in numerous periphery-English countries. China is no exception.

I would like to have a discussion four major aspects in my essay. Firstly, there is a definition of globalization. Secondly, a discussion about what a global language is and why English can become the global language. Then, I will explore some advantages of English to us The final part is about some major negative influence of English, for instance, its supreme linguistic power in China and its threats to tradition culture.

Definition of globalization and its impact

According to the article written by the staff from IMF (International Monetary Fund), globalization is a real process which many countries are involved in. It refers not only the integration of economies all over the world but also the communication and cooperation in cultural, political, environmental aspects between the various countries (IMF, 2000).The process of globalization is continuous and has deep influence.

What is a global language and why do we need a global language?

The emergence of a global language is one of the consequences of globalization. A global language indicates a language which has achieved global status and plays a special role in the world (Crystal, 1997). It is being used widely in other countries besides these ones where it is mother tongue. It can be used as the official language or it has gained the most important status in the foreign language teaching and learning in those periphery countries. It will finally have more speaker than any other language.

Why can English become the global language?

There are many reasons for English achieving the global status:

One of the most important causes is that the economic power of people in English mother-tongue countries. According to Crystal (1997), the economical power is a critical contributor for a global language to reach and maintain its status. It is admitted English becoming the global language greatly depend on the supremacy on international economic fields of English speaking countries, especially, America.

Another major reason for the spread of English is the impact of globalization (Fishman, 1998). As we know globalization causes the growth of international trade and collaboration between different counties. English speaking countries are the most important participants. It definitely promotes the usage of English. Besides, globalization also provides more opportunities for more people in non-English speaking countries to study in English mother-tongue countries. It results in a much bigger number of English speakers.

What the positive impact of English as the global language in our country? How does it relate to our profession?

We can easily find English brings about many advantages to our country. English has been playing a significant role in helping China keep closer relationship with the other parts of the countries. One of the most obvious one is that English is acting as the necessary media which is greatly helpful for China to obtain more chances to have the international collaboration. Another one is that English helps people in China open horizons and know more about the world. There is a great deal of information being transmitted in English both on academic and recreational level in the medium especially on the internet.

What is the negative influence of English as the global language and how does it affect us on our profession negatively?

At the same time, we should not ignore that it also brings about some undeniable disadvantages including its supreme linguistic power and the lost of cultural identity in our country. These two demerits both produce severe negative influence in the educational domain in China.

Firstly, English as the global language empowers its native speakers to have special linguistic power. Crystal argues that native English speakers naturally have advantages compared with the non-native speakers due to their English competence (Crystal, 1997).

Meanwhile, the linguistic power of English also has some negative sides on foreign language teaching in our country: For instance, the foreign language teaching in varying educational institutions is focusing on English and pays much less attention to the other foreign language. It can be said without exaggeration that English learning is vital for each student in China. In this situation, many universities students in China pay much attention to English learning. At the same time, they possibly ignore their major.

In terms of the lost of cultural identity, English as the global language is a major contributor. The definition of cultural identity is always related to some cultural context, such as, history, geography, traditions, languages values and so on (Russell, 2000). Cultural identity refers to some distinct characters of a country from the other nations in the aspect of culture. It reflects the traditional symbols which should be kept by the young generation. However, English as the global language helps with the extension of the western culture make our traditional culture face the threats.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the spread of English as the global language is one of the most important result of globalization. It is being used, taught and learned all over the world. Consequently, the English language teaching has achieved the unexampled status in numerous non-English speaking countries including China. The excessive power of English language and the lost of our traditional culture in our country are problems partly caused by the popularization of English teaching.

Reference ：

[1]Crystal, D. (1997). English as a global language Cambridge University Press: Chapter 1.

[2]Fisherman, J. A.(1998).The new linguistic order Foreign Policy, winter, i113.

[3]IMF. (2000). Globalization: Threat or Opportunity? Issues briefs for 2000.

[4]Pennycook, A. (1997). English and Capital: Some Thoughts. Language Teachers Online 27 (10).

[5]Russell, B. (2000) English as a global language: the impact on cultural identity Unpublished Manuscript.

[6]Roundtable, B. (2001) Education in China: Lessons for U.S. Educators.

[7]Tusuda, Y. (1997) The Hegemony of English and Strategies for Linguistic pluralism: Proposing the Ecology of Language Paradigm Toda Institute: HUGG Conference, Hawaii.

(作者單位：浙江金華職業技術學院）