A Brief Analysis of the Development of English as a Global Language Essay

A Brief Analysis of the Development of English as a Global Language - Essay Example As the report declares social change will contribute to change in status of a language, as Gerry Knowles implies in a study of the history of language. This paper stresses that medium can become the official language of a country when it is adopted as the mother tongue and used by â€Å"such domains as government, the law courts, media, and the educational system. English did not achieve global status by way of one or two variables: several factors contributed to the process and arrival, factors which are part of a slowly evolving phenomenon that parallels the social changes experienced by numerous cultures over many eras. The culture of nationalism and the revolutions lead to worldwide expansion, as does the Industrial Revolution: electricity, roads, railroads, and airways introduce and facilitate transportation, commerce, migration. The farmer, no longer isolated in rural domains, picks up the local dialect or brings his own to the towns. Tradesmen, needing a common medium, trade words. With the printing press, administrations, and the London-based dialect passing to greater reaches, the shifts and adaptations make English both l ocalized and â€Å"normalised†. With education, standardised English is formalised. With film, television, and satellite technology, a trend is clearly toward the globalised. And with language change facilitated by the development of new technology that leads to improved communications.