Coman 1 Nora Diana Coman Professor Anca L.

Iancu Introduction to Research 18 April 2011 English as a Lingua Franca: Between Fear and Necessity The world is constantly changing due to globalization which influenced various domains in the human activity. Communication is one of the first fields influenced by globalization because it stays at the core of the human`s relationship and as we all know, languages are the tool that guarantee the efficiency of the communication. Throughout the history, people understood that the process of translation was not enough in a globalized world and they needed a full and deep comprehension of the political and economical implications all over the world. Lingua franca is described as a language used as a means of communication between populations speaking vernaculars that are not mutually intelligible by Encyclopedia Britannica, so we could agree that in time, people used different languages as lingua franca: from Greek and Latin at the beginning to Italian in the Renaissance era and French in the modern times. Nowadays, English has gained a great popularity due to Great Britain colonialism and to United States` international power in all the domains. Some see the notion of English as a lingua franca as a necessity for the day to day activity of the modern man because all the economic, political and commercial relationships depend on communication and an efficient communication can be performed by people who talk the same language, embrace the same values and have common goals. This is the point where fear has something to say: a common language, common values and goals lead to a leveling aim which

Coman 2 could be seen as the desire of a malefic power that wants to gain a greater notoriety through a leveling process. English has become a symbol of modernity and being able to speak the language gives to the modern man a sentiment of being part of something greater, like a global culture. In 1960, English was seen as a symbol of freedom and rebellion, due to the popular and rock music and why not, a tool against the censorship. Nowadays, English can still be considered as a weapon against censorship if we recall the episodes of the 2009 elections in Iran. The Iranian media did not present the riots after the results of the elections were made public, but thanks to social networks and thanks to the fact that there were some people who spoke English they succeed to make themselves heard worldwide. This was also the case of the Egyptians in 2011. (European Commission Directorate General for Translation). English is used especially in the business sector where it can be almost impossible to communicate without speaking the same language. To make this process easier, Jean-Paul Narrire, a French executive invented a new form of English especially for this purpose. It is called Globish (from global to English) and it has only 1500 terms, easy to memorize because they are related to the terminology of the digital age and international media. On the other hand, the expansion of English as a lingua franca raises the fear of a new kind of imperialism. For example, French people do not want to recognize the importance of another language other than their and they do not get why English and not French? (Hugh, Schofield. New lingua franca upsets French. www.news.bbc.co.uk). Maybe they forgot they were in the same situation in the past and furthermore, the implementation of English as a lingua franca followed the path of the French process of implementing their languages within the colonies. As in the case of French, people in the colonies were not forced to embrace only their

Coman 3 language, they were also allowed to spoke their own languages. This process of implementation of English was not totally rejected, influential voices in India admitting that the Indian people will gain its liberty only after conquering the English. (European Commission Directorate General for Translation). It is said that at the beginning, all the people spoke the same language; maybe this is the reason for which we want so badly to share a unique language in our communication. Living in a globalized world has its advantages and disadvantages and here is the point where the battle between necessity and fear starts. At one extreme, there are some voices who think English is only an imperialistic tool who reflects the power balance in the world without having any impact in the process of communication, without improving its quality or fostering mutual understanding. At the other extreme, English is seen as the only solution through a globalized communication, the only one who fulfills our communication needs at the moment. Those who sustain this theory imply the fact that knowing English will help us feel more accepted, helping us to overcome social and political exclusion. Maybe English used as a lingua franca has its nooks and maybe Great Britain or the United States want to impose it to enlarge their economic power, but the fact that we need a lingua franca to communicate at a global level cannot be denied. Either we are talking about English or Chinese, I think the simple notion of lingua franca and being able to manage a common language gives us power and the ability of integrating ourselves in the global community we live today.

Coman 4

Works Cited European Commission Directorate General for Translation. Lingua Franca: Chimera or Reality? 17 April 2011. Web http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/translation/publications/studies/lingua_franca_en.pdf Hugh, Schofield. New lingua franca upsets French: BBC, 17 April 2011. Web http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7845829.stm Sandra, Mollin. English as a Lingua Franca: A New Variety in the New Expanding Circle? 17 April 2011. Web.