ELTWeekly Vol. 3 Issue#99 | September 26 | ISSN 0975-3036
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“Alone amongst world languages, English is more widely used as a second language than as a native language. If we define English Language Users as people who use the English language regularly (at least once a week or once a month), then there are more English Language Users who would give a different language as their native language than there are people who would say they were native speakers of English.
Since 1750, the population of the world has grown rapidly from less than one billion to six billion in 1999. Projected population growth foresees a continuing rise to eight billion in 2027 and reaching about ten billion in 2250. After 2250, it is projected that population growth will stabilise at about ten billion. 1
Although there are an estimated 7,000 different languages spoken in the world, it is estimated that 50% of the world population speaks one of the top twelve languages as a native language”.
Your article on English being the world language is interesting and informative. One, especially in the non-western countries should think the effect the feverish pitch at which English is being taught in Arab as well as other Asian countries will have on native languages and cultures. With the growing number of MNCs in the case of India and the American culture being imported into our countries has now made our cultural ethos, food, clothes obsolete.Add to this communication technology is wreaking havoc in terms of religion and culture. In India people who used to hold a rudraksha in one hand and Bhagavadgita in the other are now holidng a Marlbro cigarette in one and a mobile phone in the other. The same is the case with people in the Arab world—they no more hold the religious beeds in thier hands, instead they hold a cigarette or a pepsi can in one hand and a mobile in the other. People are so mesmerized by the western oriented television channels that they even forget to attend the five time prayers. We are living now in the world of self-contradiction. I am using the same language and the same technology against which I have spoken to express my views. I remember Mark Tully, the renowned BBC reporter from India, to have said that in order to bring social justice far and wide in India, we should take the English Language and technology deep into rural areas. In my view that will complete the Anglicisation of India without their being called colonials. This silent spread of the English language in the third world countries is what concerns most of the natives of these countries. The situation has come to such a pass that we pride ourselves in speaking a foreign language rather then enriching our languages saving them from probable extinction.