English as Global Langauge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English as Global Langauge - Essay Example Before examining these pros and cons, it might be useful to examine how English came to be one of the most commonly used languages in the world. Historically, this language came into Britain from northern Europe during the fifth century and moved to the Asian, African and American continents with the expeditions and colonizations that followed in the last three centuries. English was left behind as a legacy in the colonized countries as they became independent nations, and was often made the official language of communication. With the rise of technology, especially the media in the form of the radio, television and the internet, the dissemination of English became reinforced. Not only the media but trade became truly globalized with the rise of off-shoring and outsourcing made possible with better technology . The rise of multinational companies and corporations and international organizations like UNESCO enhanced the need of a global language. English was there to readily fill in the gap, with its already existing spread and flexibility. Since English was already present in various places like India and Africa as a result of former colonization, it was easier for the language to spread further. English has been touted time and again as a language that could successfully eliminate the need for translation during communication in business, political, and cultural contexts. It has a huge vocabulary of more than 80,000 words which makes it very expressive, and the written script is similar to that of many European languages because of a common origin in Latin. But the increasing use of English in countries with different native languages has an effect of diminishing the status of these indigenous languages. This is even more significant given the history of the English language which was earlier seen as a symbol of colonial oppression in many countries, and is seen today in many countries as a demonstration of the superiority of the West. In some quarters it is felt that the use of English as an official language instead of a native tongue is detrimental to a country's national and cultural identity. Due to its global nature in an increasingly shrinking world, English is fast becoming the language of commercial and formal communications . This makes it an economically viable language to learn in many developing countries where knowing fluent English can actually lead to increased earning opportunities. This strong economic incentive behind learning English could lead to the relinquishment of native tongues, leading to entire languages dying out. Another factor that could cause a language to decline is a decline in its literature. There is a growing trend of non-native authors writing in English: Indian or African writers writing in English are becoming quite common. It is a well-documented fact that all authors with very few exceptions have their best literary output in one language alone. If most literature begins to be produced in English, even by authors who have a different mother tongue, it would be a great loss to their original languages. When languages decline, they take with them rare and precious cultural traditions. This raises fears of loss of cultural diversity which is so vital to the evolution of mankind. Experts think that a uniform world where all cultures and literatures would be similar could become a future scenario

Visit Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visit Museum - Essay Example Ashland is also a historic place that is maintained through donations. It has beautiful sceneries for refreshment. The political position of Henry Clay and his love for racing contributed to the Lexington, Kentucky rising as the Horse Capital of the World. His role as a Senator is still remembered today, the panel of historians and Senate leaders still regard him as one of the greatest senators of all time. Mary Todd Lincoln House is a museum that was constructed to honor the wife of the wife of the 16th President of the U.S. Mary Todd was one of the first ladies in the U.S with a very unwelcoming behavior. She spent her time in seclusion because of the hatred people had towards her. The events that take place in the museum include the Presidents Day Family Event that take place in February, an annual dinner and entertainment that take place in September, Cemetery Walking Tours that take place in October, and Mary’s Birthday celebration which is held in December. Mary Todd Lincoln House is the house in which the wife of the 16th President of the U.S. grew up. The home faces the main street in Downtown Lexington, and it is a few distance from the Lexington Convention Center. Since 1977, the House, which is the first historic museum to honor first lady, has been opened to the public to honor the first lady. I was delighted to enter such a historic house in my life. I had the chance of seeing one of the portraits that were completed while she was in the White House as the first lady. In the portrait, the first lady had flowers on the hair a signification of her hair dignity style. The house had a bedroom upstairs in which President Lincoln and his wife stayed when they visited her home. Apart from this, the house consists of fourteen rooms; a master bedroom, a nursery area, Mary’s bedroom and many other rooms that served different roles. The many numbers of rooms is a signification of how wide Mary’s family house.