English as Global Language: Problems, Dangers, Opportunities

Diogenes ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Kushner
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Secondary Effect ◽  
Universal Language ◽  
Business Aviation ◽  
Language Problems ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Cultural Homogenization ◽  
The Ideal

Now that the age-old dream, which never materialized, of a universal language has evaporated, we note that English is in the process of becoming if not the universal at least an omnipresent language. In many multilingual countries it has become the language of communication. Globally it is imposing itself as the language of business, aviation and scientific research. Is this a pure benefit for humanity, or does it conceal risks or even dangers? Is the spreading of English a secondary effect of Americanization? Is linguistic diversity being sacrificed? Only if the countries affected submit to linguistic and cultural homogenization. The ideal - which remains within reach - would be to accept English as a practical tool of communication without ceasing to strive for the maintenance and strength of other languages in symbiosis with their own cultures.

scholarly journals The visit of Comenius to London in 1641-1642 and its bearing on the origins of the Royal Society

1940 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-160 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Royal Society ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Great Society ◽  
Invisible College ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
Important Stage ◽  
Universal Language ◽  
John Wilkins ◽  
The Invisible

Miss Dorothy Stimson, Dean of Groucher College, U.S.A., in an article in Isis for 1 September 1935, tried to traverse the view stated in the Introduction to my Comenius in England (Oxford University Press (1932)), pp. 6-7, that the visit of Comenius (Komensky) to London in 1641-1642 marked an important stage in the development in England of the idea of a great society for scientific research which resulted in the organization of the informal ‘Invisible College’ by Theodore Haak and others in 1645, and prepared the way for the foundation of the Royal Society in 1662. She was however unable to explain away the fact that Theodore Haak, who was one of the most active supporters of Komensky’s plan for a Scientific College in 1641, was in 1645 the virtual founder of the informal ‘Invisible College,’ the precursor of the Royal Society. Miss Stimson stresses the contrast between the universal speculative plan of Comenius as outlined in his Via Lucis (1642), and the empirical and specialized activities of the Invisible College. Miss Stimson however has completely overlooked the fact that John Wilkins (1614-1672), Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, whom she rightly regards as one of the most active members of the Invisible College, held views very similar to those of Comenius on scientific method and on the desirability of a universal language.

Multilingualism and the Ideal of Unity in Diversity in the European Union. Key Concepts and Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-282
Author(s):  
Roxana-Maria Nistor-Gâz ◽  
Delia Pop-Flanja
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cultural And Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Tower Of Babel ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Unity In Diversity ◽  
The Ideal

"In a world challenged by cultural diversity, this article aims to look at the great diversity of languages and cultures that coexist within the European Union. Building on the story of the Tower of Babel that explains, from a religious point of view, the cultural and linguistic diversity existing in the European Union, the authors tried to contextualize EU’s motto of “unity in diversity”, interpreted as an ideal involving a lot of effort and sometimes even many conflicts, but one that we should all fight for and strive to maintain. Keywords: linguistic diversity, ethnicity, nation, minority, majority, communication, unity in diversity"

Becoming the Puppeteer: Reflections on Global Language and Culture by Puppetry Students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Ayala ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Hip Hop ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Language Shift ◽  
Art Teachers ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Puppet Theater ◽  
Global Language

Puppet theater on the island of Java is an ancient art which has maintained some of its characteristics considered traditional, but has also been transforming innovations such as the wayang with hip-hop music among other popular expressions. The art of puppetry has also been institutionalized and is itself a degree program at the National Institute of Arts of Indonesia. In this paper, I show the outcomes of my research among students and shadow puppet art teachers in Java, Indonesia. There are two special characteristics in training puppeteers: The main use of Jawanese language and the development of communities of practice as ways of working in the teaching and learning process. As such, these contexts motivate students to be constantly reflecting on the Javanese language and culture. I note the process and the reflections of the participants on the Javanese language shift, and the uses of language in puppet performances which consider the reception of young Javanese. To analyze the data, I draw from fieldwork and interviews, I use the theoretical concepts of discursive genres and dialogism proposed by Bakhtin and I propose that the art of puppetry is a social field that encourages vitality and linguistic diversity on the island of Java.

scholarly journals The Search for One’s Own Ideology as the Primary Task of Social Power

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 420-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Shvaiba
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Primary Task ◽  
Human Power ◽  
Creative Force ◽  
Religious Ideal ◽  
The Ideal

Scientific knowledge of the historical future requires methodology. And methodology is the application of ideology in scientific research in General, and in research of social processes in particular. For example, religion is always an ideology. It is an illusory ideology. Illusory not because it cannot be as described by the religious ideal (that the ideal is unattainable). For Man, as for his creation — God — there is no unattainable and cannot be. Religion is illusory, not in the sense of an ideal, but in the sense that it cannot be and become in this way, through faith. Religion creates and strengthens (fixes) the ideal but proceeds from the fact that the ideal created by man is a creative force. But God is not power. It’s just a representation of human power. And what the person who created it expects from God is a human goal.

Terminological polysemy in the prose of Mariia Matios

2019 ◽  
pp. 291-298
Author(s):  
Liudmyla Marchuk
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Present Stage ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Full Inclusion ◽  
Literal Sense ◽  
Universal Language ◽  
Creative Individual ◽  
Gradual Development

The article is one of the attempts to analyze the linguistic features of modern Ukrainian female prose. Despite the fact that in recent decades literary scholars have revealed some important features of the works of this genre, the language of feminine prose remains poorly understood. The obtained results supplemented the information about the general patterns of the use of terminological vocabulary in the artistic text. In the article, we distinguish the main ways of using terminology as an artistic means of language of Ukrainian writers. The urgency of the topic of scientific research is determined by the increased attention to the genres of contemporary women’s prose and the creation of a separate term “female prose”. A thorough linguistic study of the language of Ukrainian novels by Mariya Matios will help to understand the influence of science and technology on the fiction language of the 21st century. Creative individual and author’s use of terms by an artist is the reflection of the main characteristic processes not only in the language of fiction, but also in the whole contemporary commonly used language. Scientific and technical terminology is at the present stage the leading place in the enrichment of expressive means of language, therefore, in our work, we highlight some of the most relevant aspects. First of all, from the standpoint of styles interaction the modern Ukrainian language, since terminology is a product of scientific style. The study of the place and functions of terminological vocabulary in the language of Ukrainian prose deserves attention also in terms of stylistics of artistic speech. It is important to establish certain regularities in the gradual development of the terms of modern prose – from their use in the literal sense to full inclusion in the artistic text, use in the form of tropes. The work will contribute to further study of the functional and stylistic features of the terminological vocabulary in prose, to reveal the main characteristic processes not only in the prose text, but also in the modern universal language.

scholarly journals An experiment with the balance to find if change of temperature has any effect upon weight

1905 ◽  
Vol 76 (512) ◽  
pp. 445-457 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Low Temperatures ◽  
Secondary Effect ◽  
Boiling Liquid ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Exact Determination ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Very High ◽  
The Ideal

In all the experiments hitherto made to determine the gravitative attraction between two masses, the temperature has not varied more than a few degrees, and there are no results which would enable us to detect with certainty any dependence of attraction upon temperature even if such dependence exists. It is true, as Professor Hicks has pointed out, that Baily’s results for the Mean Density of the Earth, if arranged in the order of the temperature of the apparatus when they were obtained, show a fall in value as the temperature rises. But this is almost certainly some secondary effect, due to errors in the measurements of the apparatus, or to the seasons at which different attracted masses were used. The ideal experiment to find if temperature has an effect on gravitation would consist in one determination of the gravitative attraction between two masses at, say 15°C., and another determination at, say, the temperature of boiling liquid air. But the difficulties of exact determination at ordinary temperatures are not yet overcome, and at any very high or very low temperatures, they would be so much increased that the research seems at present hopeless.

scholarly journals Can't see the science for the solicitors: judicial review of scientific research in light of NIWA's case

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Laura Jane Hardcastle
Keyword(s):  
Judicial Review ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Bad Faith ◽  
Scientific Training ◽  
Atmospheric Research ◽  
Temperature Records ◽  
Judicial Scrutiny ◽  
The Ideal

<p>The existence of climate change remains an unjustifiably vexed issue worldwide. In New Zealand Climate Science Education Trust v National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, sceptics’ attempts to challenge NIWA’s temperature records allowed the Court to extend its reach into the heart of the scientific research process. Whilst this paper supports Venning J’s determination that NIWA’s decisions were within the Court’s jurisdiction for review, his finding that individuals might suffer harm as a result of them is shown to be unjustified. Furthermore, the Court’s inherent unsuitability to addressing matters with high scientific contents, due to its adversarial nature and judges’ lack of scientific training, supports a finding of non- or partial justiciability. Non-justiciability is here rejected for allowing scientists behaving fraudulently to escape rebuke. The standard of deference Venning J attempts to introduce is similarly flawed as it allows unwary judges to unintentionally judge matters of science. Concerns are also raised that research might stagnate if scientists must worry about judicial scrutiny of their work. Thus, a standard of flagrant impropriety, or “fraud, corruption or bad faith”, is argued to be the ideal threshold for permitting judicial review of scientific research.</p>

Spanish as a world language

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Mar-Molinero
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
World Language ◽  
The Future ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Local Dominance ◽  
The U.S

The article traces the spread of Spanish across the globe, highlighting the changing nature of this spread, from indicator of local dominance to colonisation, and then, today, globalisation. This article focuses on the role of Spanish in an era of globalisation, raising issues about the nature of a world or global language, and noting how the emergence of such languages mirrors the decrease of a wider linguistic diversity. It seeks to answer such questions as whether Spanish can be called a global language or instead only an international one. It suggests various tests that should be applied in order to consider what constitutes a global language. I will conclude by speculating on the future spread and role of Spanish, particularly in the U.S. and in its interaction with English.

scholarly journals The Role of Language in Sustainable Development: Multilingualism and Language Literacy in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-93
Author(s):  
Neha Toppo ◽  
◽  
Rahman Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Cultural Sustainability ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Language Literacy ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Local Languages

The paper, out of the three major domains of sustainable development, brings its focus on socio-cultural sustainability. As human contacts and negotiation are essential to serve the purposes of sustainable development worldwide, language as a shared means of communication is worth paying attention to. The central objective of the paper is to deliberate on the significance of language and literacy in sustainable development. Firstly, it introduces the notion of sustainable development and conceptualizes language within its frame. Then, it explores the link between language, literacy and development; and elucidates the role this plays in attaining sustainable development goals. The paper further highlights the debate between English and mother tongue/local languages specific to the literacy programmes in India. Conflicts in language selection for the medium of instruction, deciding on the place of mother tongue and global language, etc are some obvious issues in the multilingual and multicultural education scenario. Therefore, the paper calls for the need of adopting a multilingual approach in order to address the linguistic diversity in the multilingual educational contexts. Both English and local languages have been equally emphasized for attaining social sustainability at the local and global plane. Some implications are also suggested to be utilized in language/educational programmes.

scholarly journals Teaching Medical English through Professional Captioning Videos

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-107
Author(s):  
Božena Džuganová
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
The Internet ◽  
English Classes ◽  
Medical English ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Since the Barcelona objective released on 16 March 2002, European Union met an ambitious goal: to promote learning of “at least two foreign languages from an early age” (European Commission 2019). Thus, bilingualism, multilingualism, and linguistic diversity became a part of European policy (Pokrivčáková 2013a; Pokrivčáková 2013b; Schunz 2012). Nevertheless, English language is still considered to be the global language, used as lingua franca. English is the language of international dialogue facilitating further educational and professional development, it is the language of international communication, science, academia, and the Internet (Dearden 2014). English is the first foreign language taught in Slovakia, and therefore majority of Slovak medical students chose the course of Medical English during their study. To develop communicative competence and performance in students, it is necessary to offer a very wide range of stimulating activities in English classes. Videos published on the Internet offer enormous potential for foreign or second language (L2) acquisition at every level according to Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in almost all learning phases, covering a significant variety of authentic topics (Barnau, Džuganová, Malinovská 2018). Our study is particularly aimed at watching of YouTube professional medical videos with/without captions and their effect on English language skills, especially listening comprehension in medical students at Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia (JFM UC).

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