College TESOL Teacher

english as a Global LanguageGlobalization has invaded almost every square mile of this planet. Hegemonic cultural norms that were once seen as “Western” have invaded nations at an extremely fast pace. Western cultures, ideologies and ways of life have become crucial for progress and success. It is no wonder why learning english is in such high demand. Markets for english schools have been popping up throughout the world in nations as far as Thailand to Costa Rica, with the need for english teachers becoming greater and greater each day. There is no doubt that english is the most important and dominant language in terms of politics and economics, as well as pop culture. Although many point to a decline in Western economic and scientific importance, especially with a rise of third world nations (Brazil, India and China), english will still continue to be the dominant global language for years to come because of Western pop culture, specifically American, which has permeated the world. The history of the english language is vast and interesting. Ever since the glory days of the British Empire, english became the lingua franca of its’ colonies, which encompassed a vast stretch of territory, including the land that would later be known as the united states of America. This colonization spread the english language throughout these “newfound” territories and it became dominant in many, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Until WWII, most if not all english taught was based on ‘British english’. But with the advent of the united states as the global powerhouse, the influence of American english became stronger and more important. After the war the U.S. established itself as the leader in global economics and scientific ‘progress’. And this is when the english language truly began to ‘take’ over political and economic global spheres. American corporate capitalism spread like wildfire throughout the world economic system. Businesses in Japan, Korea, India and most of the world began to follow the ‘American model’, which produced companies like Apple, Windows, Starbucks, McDonalds and others that have found success in almost every nation on this planet. This led to english becoming the dominant language in the business world, as well as the political world. If one wants to be financially successful one has to speak english. But as we have seen recently, the united states has been slowly falling off its pedestal as world power, because of its own neo-liberalist/capitalist agenda. Yet, American pop-culture is very much alive and in full demand worldwide. So-called music artists such as, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, as well as American dominance in television and film, will ‘save’ the english language from losing its global importance. Not only that, but American culture (fast-food, shopping malls, etc.) has invaded the planet at an extremely fast pace altering cultures around the world. Another American invention, the Internet, which is still somewhat controlled by the American government, has become an integral part of our daily lives. Here we are subdued with ads and other media that sell us American pop-culture. During this zenith of worldwide capitalism/globalization, selling an image of “cool American/Westerner” to the world population, where accumulation of materialistic items is important and being up to date with trends is the norm, will keep english as the global language.