Does English Endanger Other Languages?
English has been immensely used all over the world as it is the universal language. We use it in different aspects of our lives ranging from the complex aspects may it be in the field of global trading, in technology and innovations, and in speeches addressing the nation to the simple aspects like communicating with a person who has a different nationality, interacting with other people in work or in school and in writing academic requirements.
The rise of the English language has enabled a country’s security to succeed because of the advantage and flexibility that the English language could give to a country, especially in terms of investments. But, does English endanger other languages?
It does if we let the English language influence us completely. It depends on the person and the moderation of the use of the said language.
According to Chauvot, P. (2016), Almost half of the world’s current population only use and speak one as their mother tongue among the 20 languages they have. With that said, it shows a risk for the other native languages and mother tongues of different countries as these languages rarely used can be extinct eventually.
Moreover, there are parents who teach the English language to their children as a mother tongue and not the language that is from their own country. While it prepares the child to be globally competitive and be ready for the world, it endangers a country’s native languages.
So the solution for that? Use the English language moderately. It is important for us to have knowledge in regards to using the English language. Fluency in this language can bridge the success for us but let us not let the influence of this language compromise and endanger one of the most important parts of one’s culture and identity, the native language.
Reference:
Chauvot, P. (2016). Endangered Languages: Why are so many Languages Becoming Extinct? Communicaid Group Limited. Retrieved from https://www.communicaid.com/business-language-courses/blog/why-are-languages-dying/
