For many years, the English language has been the ‘lingua franca’ and research by the British Council suggests it may stay this way for some time to come.
In a new publication, ‘The Future of English: Global Perspectives’ the authors sought to discover how English – “its teaching, assessment, and use in business will be affected in a rapidly changing world”.
The publication is part of a long-term research programme designed to identify which “key trends will define the role of English as a global language in the coming decade” and also to explore “the issues and opportunities for countries around the world in achieving their goals for the use of English”.
This article looks at some of the main points of the research, including what role the English language might play in multicultural societies and to what extent employment drives the future of English.
Read on to find out more…
The global dominance of the English language
The English language is the most spoken language in the world, with around 1.5billion people speaking it natively, or as a second language.
It has the ability to connect people (through a shared first or second language) and is also one of the UN’s 6 official languages alongside, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and French.
According to the British Council publication, English will remain the “dominant global lingua franca (a language used by people with different native languages to communicate with each other), but the role it plays in the lives of individuals or in policies will begin to change”.
This change is dependent upon many factors including the ‘digital divide’.
Many communities around the world have limited access to technology which can impact their ability to learn the English language leading to significant social, economic, and educational repercussions for those communities.
However, the publication suggest that the English language can look forward to continued prominence with the “number of learners remaining stable or rising over the next ten years”.
The role of English in multicultural societies
The publication used data and information from 49 countries and territories, many of which are now multicultural societies.
This multiculturalism has become the norm in many regions due to exploration, colonisation, migration and latterly, globalization.
Within these multicultural societies, English is often one the languages used by individuals during everyday conversations and has given rise to non-native speaking people using a “full range of languages organically and fluidly – a practice known as ‘translanguaging’.”
This has led to some governments restricting the use of English in certain settings (such as the Italian government) while others (such as the Ukrainian government) have pushed for dual language signs throughout the country and are creating regulations for promoting the use of the English language among officials.
The publication suggests that the English language now increasingly “belongs” to anybody that uses it, and it can be used however they like, in whatever form suits the situation, in order to successfully interact with others.
To what extent does employment drive the use of English?
Globalization and technological advances have changed the way organizations and corporations operate, and this had led to a change in skills required of employees.
According to the publication, many of these organizations previously desired employees who possessed highly technical skills, but now they are looking for employees who are good all-rounders with the ability to combine technical know-how with interpersonal ‘soft skills’ such as cultural awareness, teambuilding and problem solving.
These skills are vital in multicultural teams or multilingual workforces which are now far more common.
As with social and personal communications around the world, English is also the lingua franca of the business world.
It is often the ‘official’ language of choice for multinational organizations, and so the notion of ‘international business’ demands the expansion and the development of the use of English.
Similarly, English is becoming a “requirement for all sectors of industry” at all levels and it is not only those in senior positions or professional roles who are required to be proficient in the English language, but also those who work in lower-skilled roles such as, tourism or retail.
The publication also addresses the question of whether “English [will] remain the world’s most sought-after language”.
It suggests that its use, and the number of learners will likely rise over the next decade, and the main factors for this will be education, employment, technology and global mobility.
Employers, parents, and learners are driving the need for English language education and proficiency as they see it as a “necessity for success in life, learning and employment”.
As the data shows, “the future of English is interesting, dynamic and contextual” and for now at least, English is set to continue to “connect people and change lives”.
If you’d like to know more about the research undertaken by the British Council or read the publication itself, click here.
