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Should Globalization be known instead as Westernization?

The effects of globalization upon minority languages and cultures

Noah Dowe
Tallwood High School

Global Connections 1B

Mr. Falls

14 December 2016
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Abstract

Globalization is an unstoppable force, and one that is quite difficult to regulate, leaving

the world at mercy to the circumstances that arise because of it. The question for this project is

therefore, Has globalization shown an inherent bias towards western nations, therefore

endangering minority languages and cultures? or, more simply, Is globalization just another

word for westernization?. The research focuses upon the effects globalization has upon those

who are unable to spread their own message to the world. An analyzation is provided on the

reasons globalization has had these effects, the incentives globalization has provided for the

adoption of an outside culture, and possible solutions for the preservation of endangered cultures.

Various sources of data are included, and experiences from people of less developed nations are

strongly considered. It is important to note that this paper is not an attack on globalization, but

instead an inquiry and criticism of a certain portion of its effects.

The action for this project will be the invitation of a guest speaker a member of a

culture that speaks an endangered language to Tallwood High School in order to discuss what

effects the modern era has had upon the proliferation of their culture, and what efforts they have

made to ensure the survival of said culture in younger generations. This firsthand experience

provides listeners insight into a group who is watching their lifestyle disappear before their eyes

the survival of customs being something that many in a western nation may take for granted.

This will hopefully persuade the audience to consider how strongly they connect to the culture of

their own ancestors, and may even convince some to contribute to conservation efforts. The

committee includes Mrs. Hartigan, the projects inside advisor. The researcher hopes that this

project will help spread awareness and therefore help facilitate a more form of globalization.
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Limitations of Study

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impacts of westernization upon minority

cultures and languages and determine whether this trend has harmed them. As the resident of a

western nation, it is difficult for the researcher to truly understand the impact that the spread of

western culture can have upon a minority culture and provide an objective analysis of these

impacts. It proves even more difficult to provide personal experiences. It is also mostly out of

question for the researcher to travel to suddenly travel to nations with cultures affected by

globalization to conduct research. This requires a stronger analytical focus on local sentiments

and individual efforts to preserve languages and culture rather than a focus entirely upon

research articles, especially ones done entirely in western nations.

One trend that became evident to the researcher was the inability for a loss culture to be

expressed in any sort of quantifiable manner. Culture is a nebulous topic, with cultural practices

and characteristics differing significantly across different nations; the loss of customs, therefore,

is not easily measured with any sort of statistic, requiring the researcher to attempt to gather

qualitative data rather than quantitative. It is also difficult to track the true amount of speakers

that remain for any given language, especially those spoken only amongst small groups of

individuals. Many cultures and languages simply have little to no documentation or media focus

upon them, and as a result information is limited. This is unfortunate, as they may have proved to

be valuable examples of globalizations impact.

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Globalization itself is a rather nebulous topic, containing a variety of trends both

technological and cultural within its sphere. This requires the author to implement a certain level

of deductive reasoning in determining its true impacts, as there are few areas of life unaffected.

The researcher had to determine certain connections others may not realize and analyze their

connection to culture and language.

Literature Review

The research began with an article called The Relationship between Language and

Culture by David Elmes. This connection is an essential component of my research, as the

information it provided me allowed me to analyze the effect that the transformation of English

into a lingua franca, the international language, has had upon smaller, less influential cultures

thanks to their loss of language. The article analyzes two possible links: the idea that culture is a

reflection of language, and the idea that language is shaped by cultural beliefs. Research seems

to imply that the second viewpoint is correct - that language is a reflection of the peoples

cultural values. Specific examples are used by the author to describe how the loss of language

may affect a culture.

Many of my sources were from groups or people directly connected to an area where

globalization is having an impact. An example of this is an article from the Indian newspaper

The Economic Times, in which the Indian government blames globalization for the death of

minority languages and loss of culture. This brings a valuable perspective to the research: the

viewpoint of those who have their lives directly impacted in a negative manner by globalization.
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Other sources, such as George Yeos speech on channelnewsasia.com, provide insight into how

smaller nations like Singapore are facing negative consequences as a result of the globalization

of powerful nations and cultures like India. Sources such as these are essential, as they prevent

the research from being entirely based in cultures that have not suffered.

Articles such as Globalization is a leading factor in the death of minority languages

from vice.com describe the extent of the issue we are having with the loss of languages. This

source goes into depth regarding how quickly languages are dying and where they are dying. It

comes to the conclusion that the lack of language diversity in more developed regions of the

Earth shows definitive proof that globalization and development have not put the needs of

minority cultures into consideration. It also mentions that the internet has been a source of

divide, as individuals are almost forced to adopt English to communicate.

Two of the sources used in this paper, Digital Language Death by Andrs Kornai and

How the Internet is killing the Worlds Languages by Caitlin Dewey, go more into depth

analyzing the relationship between internet and culture. The internet is one of the most important

aspects of globalization, as the platform upon which communication is facilitated. They come to

the conclusion that the ability of a language to ascend to the digital realm is actually an important

indicator of whether or not the language will be able to survive in the future. This especially

relates to dialects - if one dialect is preferred over another in the realm of advertising and media,

as Norwegian Bokml has been over the smaller dialect, Nynorsk, then it will inevitably lead to

the smaller dialect disappearing.

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Articles such as Globalization: Culture and Education in the New Millennium not only

analyze the effects of globalization but attempt to provide solutions for the problems it may

present. Globalization is determined by the authors to be a danger to complexity, and they

suggest that in future generations a new form of education which emphasizes giving students a

richer global understanding and providing them with the tools necessary to communicate with

and understand other cultures across the globe. They suggest that we should do what we can to

combat cultural ignorance, which, paired with globalization, is a threat to diversity.

While the article "Globalization, Dying Languages and the Futility of Saving Them may

seem grim, it is actually rather valuable to this paper, as it provides a variety of challenges that

any solutions presented may face. The author argues that the expansion of mainstream languages

has endangered smaller languages and cultures. He also goes into depth regarding the connection

between language and culture, and directly analyzes the way in which globalization has caused

the endangerment of minority languages. The article addresses the idea that developing nations

may abandon their unique cultural ideals in order to more effectively transition into the

developed world.

Another important article, Globalization and its effects on nationalism, addresses how

globalization can both harm nationalism or encourage it as a sort of pushback. This may result in

a minority language flourishing or dying further. This perspective is rather important, as

nationalism has flourished recently in Western Europe and even the United States - a strange

trend when non-western nations tend to move away from it (with the exception of China).
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Introduction
Every fourteen days, a language takes its last breath. It is rendered silent; forever lost to

the world. No matter how beautiful the words, how elegant the poetry, how graceful the tongue

of the speaker, the world has no care. Language itself is more than a solitary aspect of culture it

is a vocal reflection of culture. Languages exist to represent the way a culture interprets the

world and interacts with it. When a language dies, a cultures connection to the world is severed,

and the culture is therefore crippled. It is not unusual to see the later generation descendants of

immigrants lose touch with the traditions and customs of their ancestors if an emphasis is not

placed on passing down linguistic traditions as well. Elements of the culture that survive are

often only participated in a ceremonial sense and not adhered to as they once were by ones

ancestors. Instead, younger generations are increasingly placing western culture and English

language at a higher priority.

What has been alarming to many is that this trend is not exclusive to those attempting to

assimilate into the nation they have immigrated into it is beginning to reveal itself in nations

outside of the west. In Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania, younger generations are

placing less emphasis upon becoming fluent in the languages of their parents, instead choosing to

adopt western ideals and languages for the sake of success in the modern world. Globalization is

a process that has made the world more interconnected than ever, enabling us to communicate

and share knowledge with those that we wouldnt have known existed thousands of years ago.
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Technology is more advanced than ever, yet we have failed to use it to preserve many of

humanitys dying cultures, leaving them as little more than footnotes in the annals of history. The

people of nations thousands of miles away are constantly bombarded by western media, movies,

products, literature, and language, yet students in western nations, especially America, place little

to no emphasis on providing reciprocating knowledge. The issue therefore becomes clear.

Globalization has the potential to become a driving force of global education and preservation,

but as of now, it has acted as the opposite. The globalization of culture and economy in the

modern era has shown a major bias towards western ideals, resulting in the death of multiple

minority languages and cultures. It is only through a concerted effort that globalization can be

utilized to reverse this trend.

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

In order for one to analyze the effect globalization has had upon culture and language,

one must first understand the connection that the two have. According to Elmes (2013), there is

no actual consensus among experts in the linguistics field; instead, there are three prevailing

schools of thought. Many experts, in fact, hold differing perspectives on how language and

culture can be defined individually. The first of the three proposed relationship hypotheses, the

Whorfian hypothesis, suggests that a languages structure holds a great amount of influence over

how the speaking population views and thinks about the world around them. This would

therefore suggest that elements of a language exist before the world can shape them. This is

supported by research conducted by Lucy (1996), which analyzed linguistic patterns in Hanuno,

an indigenous Filipino language, and discovered that colors were interpreted as more of a feeling

(lightness, darkness, wetness) than as something that is simply viewed (p. 46). A second view of

this relationship is the proposition that the values of a culture are reflected in the language - that

is to say, the language is shaped by the values that the culture held previously. This stands in

contrast to the Whorfian hypothesis, claiming that language does not determine the thoughts of a

culture, but that the cultures thoughts are translated into a form of expression which develops

into their language. This implication made by this hypothesis, therefore, is that dissimilar

cultures should always have dissimilar languages, and similar cultures should have similar

languages, both in structure and content. The third stance is a much newer and more abstract
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concept - a neutral claim. It asserts, in stark contrast to both other hypotheses, that a

relationship does not seem to exist at all between language and culture. This is based mainly in

philosophical debate rather than rational debate. However, it is difficult for one to come to this

conclusion - if two individuals are communicating, they are both fulfilling a certain role in the

cultures unique kind of communication, making the two concepts simply inseparable.

Regardless of which hypothesis one may hold closest to their heart, it is essential to understand

the symbiotic relationship the two hold. The structure of our native language may even

manipulate our thoughts by limiting us to certain phrases and words, a process that was explored

heavily by George Orwell in his novel 1984. The aim of Newspeak is used to limit the range of

expression available to the populace, therefore making it impossible for one to harbor thoughts

that The Party deems negative (Orwell, 1984). The world described in this novel is quite far off

from our own, of course, but the fact remains that the loss of these languages limits our ability to

describe objects and concepts in unique and even beautiful ways. When a language is lost, we are

not just losing a collection of words; we are losing a complex view of the world and the way it

operates ("The Internet Is Killing Most Languages," n.d.).

When entering a familiar situation, we base our actions off of past experiences and

knowledge of what role we should play as a certain individual in that culture. However, upon

entering an unfamiliar situation with little cultural context or understanding, ones linguistic

knowledge and prowess becomes an effective substitute. As stated by Hudson (1996), we classify

new ideas we hear based on who said them and the occasions in which they did so; this therefore

means language is leading to the creation of cultural stereotypes and ideas within the mind of an

individual. Language can therefore be a source of stereotypes, as we tend to classify certain

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phrases and manners of speaking with certain traits and certain groups of people (Elmes, 2013, p.

15).

LANGUAGE DEATH

Current estimates place at least 40% of the worlds 7,097 known languages at severe risk

of disappearing, as Pearson (2016) explains. Over a thousand of these languages have a

population of speakers lower than a thousand. A variety of factors have contributed to this mass

extinction of human expression. One of the greatest sources has actually been economic growth -

GDP per capita was the factor most tightly correlated with at-risk languages (Pearson, 2014).

The prosperity experienced by the economies of western nations has given dominant groups

more opportunities to bend the cultural institutions to their own will. A culture whose dialect is

listed as one of a nations main languages holds an immense amount of power over all others. All

people within the nation are forced to learn the language well if they wish to benefit from any

sort of public services, especially education. This becomes clear when one views the places

where language extinctions have tended to most often occur - the United States and Australia,

nations criticized for centuries over the treatment of their respective native groups, stand far

ahead of other nations. These nations are also quite well developed. It is uncommon to see

developed nations pursue development strategy that is inclusive and thoughtful of future

consequences until the issues are already deeply rooted (SurezOrozco,2004).This is most

commonly seen in developing nations today, where environmental regulations tend to be quite

lax. Cultural considerations are quite often held at a much lower priority than economic

development. In general, languages have been shown to thrive under conditions of isolation, so it
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is only natural that they will stagnate and die when circumstances are reversed (Richmond,2014).

Globalization has also led to unavoidable comparisons between certain policies enacted

differently in certain nations, leading to a world in which governments have less room for

divergence less they be criticized both on the domestic and global stage (SurezOrozco,2004).

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

One of the greatest challenges faced by minority languages is their inability to ascend to

the digital realm - the internet being globalizations strongest medium by which knowledge is

transferred. Languages used by large populations online are unlikely to lose footing in the near

future. Chinese, English, Russian, and Spanish serve as examples of dialects that have asserted

their dominance through technology, especially social media. It is likely that only 5% of the

worlds languages will be able to ascend to the digital realm (Kornai, 2013). The dividing line

between this minority and the remaining 95% of the world is named the Digital Divide. The

Digital Divide presents an almost insurmountable issue that is quite simple in concept -

thousands of languages simply have no ability to establish any sort of foothold online. Websites

for major businesses, corporations, and even government agencies generally only have English

and Spanish versions of their webpages available - at best, they may provide other major

languages such as French and Russian with a translation as well. But what is there for the 7,093

others? Hundreds of languages belong to cultures residing in nations with low levels of

development, limiting their access to the digital realm or even taking it completely out of the

picture. Thousands more are simply deemed too unimportant to warrant being given

accommodation on an international scale. According to UNESCO, a language disappears when

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its speakers disappear or when they shift to speaking another languagemost often, a larger

language used by a more powerful group. Languages are threatened by external forces such as

military, economic, religious, cultural or educational subjugation, or by internal forces such as a

communitys negative attitude towards its own language. ("FAQ on Endangered Languages,"

n.d.). The internet has acted as a catalyst for threats to language and culture by limiting the

choices one has for a mother tongue in the online realm (as a result of its design, not by

principal) ("The Internet Is Killing Most Languages," n.d.). Businesses have no incentive to

provide resources for them and translation resources are often ineffective if not comically

incorrect. Many are therefore nearly coerced into the use of English. It is unlikely that any nation

will simply give up upon their native language in favor of English, but as the digital realm grows

larger and more and more nations make learning English mandatory in school, the grasp that

nations possess over their own method of communication is sure to weaken.

Globalization has therefore established a question: What point is there in having more

than one language? It has not only posed this query to the people of the world, but provided

incentive to fall prey to it, no matter how sinister it may sound. English is the language of

business. English is the language of diplomacy. English is the language of the internet. English is

the language of opportunity. The modern era has made the inability to understand English almost

sinful. The worrying trend is that English has only affected certain kinds of languages - German,

for example, is not threatened by English, as it is well established in structure, and the system of

education which maintains and spreads the language is supported by strong public funding and

infrastructure. The only influence that English has had upon German is the spread of Anglicisms
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and English root words, such as der Computer (Eckert et. al., 2004). In contrast, languages in

less developed nations have no such amenities. Groups like the Council for German

Orthography, which protects the German language, do not exist for them. Poor educational

standards may fail to emphasize fluency in native languages, which sometimes may not even

have a written form. Speakers of these languages are often ostracized, as speaking English will

bring much greater benefit to them in the future. Multilingualism has also been considered an

obstacle to development, as it can possibly harm national unity. English was established as an

educational medium so that Europeans could more easily spread their own ideology (Romaine,

1992). What is important to note is that globalization has become a process which has only

harmed languages that are not particularly well established - this means than globalization could

very well facilitate the creation of a world in which only a few select languages and cultures

dominate. The concern, therefore, does not lie in the potential creation of a unitary world culture,

but in the reduction of the worlds vast array of distinct cultures to a few select ones. Under the

influence of mass media, these cultures would continue to become less distinct, separated

perhaps only by language.

PRESERVING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Globalization is not some sort of sinister force aimed at eradicating the worlds unique

cultures; even if it was, it would have to be known as its own worst enemy. The solution actually

lies within globalization itself. It is impossible for us to isolate ourselves from the world in order

to preserve our cultures - we therefore must find a solution which incorporates modern

technology. The internet has allowed us to forever preserve dying languages. Any language could

prosper with the correct about of attention. Languages can be extensively documented online,
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with dozens of different pieces of vocabulary and phrases preserved. Websites such as the

Endangered Languages Project allow people across the world to submit pieces of their languages

online for the world to view and appreciate, preserving each letter and syllable for generations to

come ("TheEndangeredLanguagesProject,"n.d.).Speakers are given the chance online to explain

why their culture is important to them and the world, and why it deserves to be conserved. Some

present the argument that there is no point in preserving these languages, as they begin to

approach their death as soon as speakers realize their lack of function on a global scale; this,

however, is faulty, rooted in the ideal that business is the only purpose language serves to us

(Agwuele, n.d.). Many governments, especially those with large amounts of ethnical differences,

have begun to implement programs to preserve dying languages. These include Indias

Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India scheme, which was formed

based on the idea that smaller languages would die as they competed for more attention on the

national scale ("Many Indian Languages Threatened under Globalization Pressure: Government,"

2014). Some prospects are looking rather good, in fact in the United States, once called a

graveyard of native languages, interest by second and third generation citizens in their own

heritage is surging, as people hold on to what makes them unique (SurezOrozco,2004).Thismay,

perhaps,evenbepartofabacklashagainstglobalization.Weknowthatitisnotimpossibleforlanguages

toexistinharmony.AlexandertheGreatfamouslyputtheGreeklanguage,which,atthetime,wasasort

oflinguafranca,togooduse,establishingGreekschoolsthroughouthisterritoriesandensuringtheywere

taughtitinthesamewayascholarwouldteachastudent("ThereIsNoAncientMacedonianLanguage

butaGreekDialect,"n.d.).Histerritoriesfellsoonafterhisdeath,buttheidearemained.Alanguage

couldbeintroducedtoanewgroupofpeoplewithoutcausingthecollapseoftheirowndialects.
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Conclusion
Globalization is a remarkable force one that it is not at all lacking its own devils. It has

become a truly unstoppable force, one that extends beyond our comprehension in quite a few

ways. The way in which it has spread western culture and emphasized the use of the English

language has been an unfortunate result of the technological advantage western nations hold.

Their ability to spread opinions and ideas from their perspective has certainly caused harm to

smaller cultures across the world. The digital divide, in particular, has assured that only a certain,

small amount of languages will be able to see prevalent usage upon the internet. Other languages

will sputter out, their speakers adopting new ones that will surely grant them better opportunities

on a global scale. But it is not a hopeless situation; globalization is its own solution, the internet

in particular being a resource we can use to preserve customs and dialects for the rest of eternity.

The influence that language has upon culture and ones connection to it is not something to be

taken lightly.

Culture is something we should strive to preserve. Culture, and subsequently the

language contained within it, are the very things that define us as individuals. They are the ties

we have to our families and to our ancestors. They are the ways in which we interpret and shape

the world, the ways in which life is lived. Globalization, as an indirect result of its rapid spread,

has acted as an enemy to cultural diversity.

Globalization has shown an obvious bias towards the culture of western nations, and if

one wishes, one would be not far from the boundaries of truth to simply label it as

westernization. But it is the responsibility of all those concerned to facilitate a world where
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cultures are more readily accepted and preserved rather than forgotten and lost. Globalization has

given us the tools to prevent the spoiled fruits of its own labor it is simply up to us whether we

wish to continue biting deeper.

References

Agwuele, A. O. (n.d.). Globalization, dying languages and the futility of saving them. Retrieved from

http://www.inst.at/trans/17Nr/1-3/1-3_agwuele17.htm

Eckert, T., Johann, A., Knzig, A., Kng, M., Mller, B., Schwald, C., & Walder, L. (2004). Is English

a 'killer language'? EHistLing, 1, 106-118.

Elmes, D. (2013). Representation: Relationship between Language and Image. doi:10.1142/2289

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http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/about/

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