Publication Date
4-21-2017
School
School of Education
Major
TESL--Teacher Certification
Keywords
Trajectory, Economy, Military, Academia, Literacy, Government, Speakers, Population
Disciplines
Modern Languages
Recommended Citation
Bouton, Katarina, "English as a Global Commodity" (2017). Senior Honors Theses. 662.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/honors/662
Abstract
English is currently the language of diplomacy, higher education, business, science, the internet, and more. In order to understand what this means for the present state of English and its future, one must begin by looking at this language’s diachronic journey, followed by a synchronic picture of English today. In addition to statistics on English, this analysis will consider potential language competitors of Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, and Hindi, among others, in displacing the English language. Compared to these prospective challengers, English has broad roots in world history, lending to its depth and growing breadth; however, not only do the diachronic implications of English carry weight in determining English’s future position but also its place at this moment in time, foreshadowing its secure outlook as the dominant global language for the years to come.