“What Global Language?”

“What Global Language?” by Barbara Wallraff

In “What Global Language?,” Barbara Wallraff argues that English is increasingly becoming less likely to achieve global status in future. Wallraff identifies several reasons to support her argument. One reason, which involves immigrants, is of particular concern. Wallraff observes that the increasing presence of immigrants from non-English speaking countries in the US, such as China, is a strong indication that the possibility of English becoming a universal language is diminishing. This point raises questions on the impact of foreign languages spoken by immigrants in the US, particularly Chinese, on the future English language. In this essay, it is argued that Chinese speaking immigrants in the US promote the development of English into a global language.      

On one hand, Wallraff’s argument that the high number of Chinese speakers in the US prevents the popularity of English may hold to some extent. Wallraff supports her point by noting that official US statistics have shown that a decade ago, one in every seven people in the US had another language at home rather than English. Given that Chinese speakers and speakers of other languages in the US have been increasing in number, the proportion of English speakers in the US is likely to have declined while the proportion of Chinese speakers will increase. To ascertain the observation that other languages are increasingly become important in the US, there have been introduction of Spanish language televisions networks in a number of urban canters in the US, including the New York City.

Further, Wallraff has observed that millions of speakers of other languages such as Chinese live in the US today. Given that most of the immigrants prefer to speak their own languages at home, this may negatively impact on the prospects of English achieving a universal status. Wallraff’s observations are supported by some studies. For instance, one study found that the presence of Chinese language media in the US hinders the impact of English media on the acculturation of the Chinese immigrants (Hwang and He 16-22). In addition, Zhang and Slaughter-Defoe (88-93) found that Chinese immigrant parents in the US valued their heritage language and viewed it as resourceful; and as such engaged in positive activities aimed at maintaining the heritage language to the next generation. Wallraff’s argument appears to be limited to the parents because she does not make any observations about children born to Chinese parents in the US. In addition Wallraff does not say anything about the language used at the work place, where people tend to spend most of their active time most days of the week.

On the other hand, it is not clear whether influx of immigrants who speak languages other than English is a threat to popularity of English. One main reason is that even if immigrants were to speak their native languages that would be limited to their homes. However, when the adults in the immigrant family leave for work, they inevitably have to speak English. To be able to communicate effectively in the workplace, immigrants will have to learn English. In addition, if an immigrant family has children, those children will have to be enrolled in a school. At school, they will be interacting with students who mostly speak English. Most of the children begin to have acculturation motives (Baolian Qin 162; Yang et al. 81-84). Children from immigrant Chinese families would have no choice than to learn English. Zhang and Slaughter-Defoe (88-93) found that children to Chinese immigrant parents in the US considered their heritage language as irrelevant to their lives.

As a result, they resisted their parents’ attempts to use the children maintain the heritage language (Zhang and Slaughter-Defoe 88-93).This has happened in the past, to the extent that Chinese parents have felt that their children have been getting alienated (Baolian Qin 162-164). Further, Chinese students with acculturative motive are most likely to watch US-based English speaking television stations and visit US-based English language websites (Yang et al. 88-93). These illustrations show that basically, when non-English speaking immigrants go to the US, the number of English speakers increase, whether they use their native language at home or not. In any case, it has been argued that two thirds of children in the world grow up in bilingual environments and become competent speakers of the two languages (Crystal 167). If Crystal’s estimates are to be applied in the context of immigrants in the US, it would be easily concluded that two thirds of children born to immigrant children in the US will develop competency in their parents’ language and in English. Although the children will have competence in two languages, English will have gotten additional speakers and moved towards its universal status.

In addition, immigrants are less likely to decrease globalization rate of English because ability to communicate in English is a strong requirement for many people wishing to go to the US. Most of the people come from countries where learning of English is openly encouraged and therefore there is every possibility that whoever enters US has already learned English. For instance, China has the largest English-learning population worldwide. Some have gone to the extent of arguing that “it seems there are more people learning to speak English in China than there English speakers in the whole of the United States” (Yajun 3). The reason for making this assertion is very convincing. As a matter of policy, English learning is compulsory in China from year three at primary school. As a result, more than 200 million children and 13 million students are learning English in Chinese primary schools and Universities respectively (Yajun 3). This is an indication that in the coming decades; Chinese nationals who will migrate to the US will already be English speakers, unlike Wallraff who sees continued influx of Chinese in the US as a threat to the prospects of English becoming a global language. As such, it would be inaccurate to argue that Chinese people living in the US may be hindering the progression of English into a global language.

In conclusion, this essay has argued that the increasing presence of Chinese immigrants in the US does not present any serious threat to the prospects of English being a global language. This argument is inspired by Wallraff’s blame on the increasing immigrant population in the US, especially the Chinese, for killing the prospects of English becoming a global language. It has been argued that Wallraff’s argument is limited to a home environment, and particularly to the parents. Wallraff does not mention children in this argument. Studies show that whereas parents support their heritage language, children do not support them and want to be acculturated in the American culture, which includes learning the English language.  Further, in future, almost every Chinese will have learned English before going to the US since English is now compulsory in the Chinese education system. Therefore, Chinese immigrants in the US do not necessarily hinder the development of English into global language. On the contrary, Chinese immigrants in the US will promote the development of English into a global language than it will hinder it.

Works Cited

Baolian Qin, Desiree. "" Our Child Doesn't Talk to Us Anymore": Alienation in Immigrant Chinese Families." Anthropology & Education Quarterly 37.2 (2006): 162-179. Print.

Crystal, David. (1997). English as a Global language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Print.

Hwang, Bao-hui, and Zhou He. "Media Uses and Acculturation Among Chinese Immigrants in the USA: A Uses and Gratifications Approach." International Communication Gazette 61.1 (1999): 5-22. Print.

Mirabela, Pop. "Globalization of English." The Economist (2001): 190. Print.

Wallraff, Barbara. “What a Global Language?” The Atlantic Online. The Atlantic Monthly Company, Nov. 2000. Web. 5 March 2014.

Yajun, Jiang. "English as a Chinese language." English Today 19.2 (2003): 3-8. Print.

Yang, Cui, et al. "Tuning in to Fit in? Acculturation and Media Use Among Chinese Students in the United States." Asian Journal of Communication 14.1 (2004): 81-94. Print.

Zhang, Donghui, and Diana T. Slaughter-Defoe. "Language Attitudes and Heritage Language Maintenance among Chinese Immigrant Families in the USA." Language, Culture and Curriculum 22.2 (2009): 77-93.

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