Flashcards on English as a Global Language
English as a Global Language: Summary & Analysis
Tap to flip · Swipe to navigate
English as a Global Language and Its Diffusion
80 cards
Card 1
Question: According to the text, why did English achieve global status in the 19th and 20th centuries?
Answer: Because British industrial and commercial dominance in the 19th century and the economic supremacy and global presence of the United States in the 20t
Card 2
Question: What phrase was used to describe the global spread of English during the British Empire?
Answer: It was a language "on which the sun never sets".
Card 3
Question: What is the historical role of translation and interpretation in international communication?
Answer: They have been central for thousands of years, especially in encounters between monarchs and diplomats, but they have limitations when many languages
Card 4
Question: What linguistic solution emerges when several communities begin to trade with each other?
Answer: Pidgins appear: simplified languages that combine elements of the languages in contact and can evolve into local lingua francas.
Card 5
Question: Besides pidgins, what other forms of lingua franca does the text mention?
Answer: Indigenous languages that become dominant (e.g., Mandarin) and languages adopted from outside due to political, economic, or religious influence (e.g.
Card 6
Question: What determines the geographical extent to which a lingua franca can be used?
Answer: Political factors: the extent depends on the political power and influence of those who promote the language.
Card 7
Question: Which international organizations that emerged after 1945 increased the need for a global lingua franca?
Answer: The United Nations (1945), the World Bank (1945), UNESCO and UNICEF (1946), WHO (1948), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (1957), among other
Card 8
Question: Why do many organizations try to reduce the number of official languages in their work?
Answer: To reduce costs and complexity of interpretation/translation and administrative work, as translation can consume a large part of the budget.
Card 9
Question: What practical situation favors the use of a single 'working language' in international meetings?
Answer: When participants have already learned that language for other reasons and use it automatically as a utilitarian measure to facilitate communication (
Card 10
Question: In what areas is the adoption of English as a lingua franca most evident?
Answer: In the international academic and business communities: conferences, research, business, and daily communications among professionals from different c