Essay On Why Should We Learn Globish
Every Friday evening, while you may be enjoying a family dinner at the local pizzeria, several hundred Chinese people congregate informally around the willow trees of a little square in Renmin University of Beijing. They gather in clusters to hold ‘English conversation,’ where they discuss their hobbies, sport games and movies. Welcome to the English Corner. [pause]
This scene demonstrates the aspirations of many modern, educated Chinese teenagers who want to participate in the international community of English-speaking nations. China depicts the most dramatic example of a near global hunger for English that has brought the English language to its position as the dominant lingua franca in the world.
But why has English spread so rapidly? …show more content…
The dominance of English is intrinsically linked to its former influence of the British Empire and the current influence of American political and economic hegemony. [change slide]
As we have learnt in class, British English enjoyed global supremacy up till the 19th century. The world was dominated by the Union Jack because of the colonial expansion of England which transformed English into a language of command and civilisation. Consequently, the world answered to the Queen’s English.
The power and influence of English was then transferred to the United States through the two World Wars. America’s economic supremacy consolidated the universal position of the English language and continues to maintain it today.
[commanding tone] However, we are now part of the generation where English is gaining a supranational momentum that is separating it from its Anglo-American origins, and instead is delving itself deeper into the developing world. English, an adaptable, populist and subversive language, no longer depends on America or Britain, but is now being shaped by the world where the second language is English, transforming itself into simplified versions in order to respond to the demand of a global economy and business. This subset of English is known as Globish. [pause]
But where did Globish come from? Globish was established by Jean Paul Nerriere, a retired marketing executive, as an easier version of English that can work almost as well as a full command of the language in most business situations.
It was introduced after noticing that non-native English speakers managed to successfully communicate together using Globish. However, when a native English speaker such as ourselves entered the conversation, their expertise in English, through the use of convoluted sentences, a vocabulary of over 100,000 words, and many grammar forms, hindered communication and caused confusion, making it difficult for non-native English speakers to interact with them.
Therefore, while in our English essays using highly descriptive and elaborate language is favourable, in international business situations, using complex English can hurt the comfort levels by creating a disparity between native and non-native English speakers. The simple goal of Globish in a business context is to reach a level where EVERYONE is able to understand each other all around the globe. [change slide]
According to the British Council, [emphasise] by 2030 nearly one third of the world’s population will be trying to learn English at the same time. Thus, more and more voices will be adapting the English language to suit their needs, finding in Globish a common linguistic denominator. With an increase in the number of people learning English as their second language, I believe that Globish will prevail because of its limited vocabulary and simple grammatical structure. [change slide]
To give you some examples of Globish in business interactions, instead of using specific vocabulary that are often difficult to remember, such as ‘discount’ or ‘gross income,’ in Globish, they become ‘a reduction in cost of a full priced item’ and ‘the total money earned by a business before expenses are removed.’
In addition, unlike proper English which may take years to learn, Globish only takes six months [emphasise] as it does not involve Anglophone literature, culture or humour.
For example, the idiom ‘belt-tightening’ is expressed in Globish as ‘spending less money,’ highlighting how Globish focuses on practical and efficient communication.
So why should YOU learn Globish? Learning Globish will make you highly sought after by employers as it makes communication more effective in a time where global business teams increasingly comprise of non-English natives, and people all around the world need a consistent language to conduct successful business.
This is because of the growth of the developing world’s economy. As you can see from this graph, in the last year, Indonesia’s GDP grew 6.4%, Vietnam’s by 6.4% and China’s by 9.5%. [point to PowerPoint] As a result, many Australian companies are becoming progressively reliant on their Asian investors and partners for advancement.
As future employees for these companies, to grow connections in the developing world, it is likely that you will have to interact with customers or colleagues whose first language is not English. This exposes you to the risk of not being understood and therefore losing the opportunity to expand overseas or partner with companies in the developing world, as well as wasting your company’s time and
money.
According to a study released by The Economist’s Global Intelligence Unit, “nearly half of the executives at global companies [emphasise] believed that language barriers, leading to ineffective communication or inadequate collaboration, have resulted in them losing money” and believe that an improvement in international communication would improve their profits.
[persuasive and encouraging tone] Globish CAN be the solution to people doing business around the world by creating efficient communication which is essential to the construction of strong internal partnerships. Globish WILL embrace the broader possibilities of a globalised world knit together through business and international relations.
Globish WILL be the language of the future and it is important that as Business Studies students we begin to learn Globish if we hope to succeed in a career in business, as employers will be looking for individuals who can effectively communicate to create worldwide business connections which will benefit their company. Thank you.
This scene demonstrates the aspirations of many modern, educated Chinese teenagers who want to participate in the international community of English-speaking nations. China depicts the most dramatic example of a near global hunger for English that has brought the English language to its position as the dominant lingua franca in the world.
But why has English spread so rapidly? …show more content…
The dominance of English is intrinsically linked to its former influence of the British Empire and the current influence of American political and economic hegemony. [change slide]
As we have learnt in class, British English enjoyed global supremacy up till the 19th century. The world was dominated by the Union Jack because of the colonial expansion of England which transformed English into a language of command and civilisation. Consequently, the world answered to the Queen’s English.
The power and influence of English was then transferred to the United States through the two World Wars. America’s economic supremacy consolidated the universal position of the English language and continues to maintain it today.
[commanding tone] However, we are now part of the generation where English is gaining a supranational momentum that is separating it from its Anglo-American origins, and instead is delving itself deeper into the developing world. English, an adaptable, populist and subversive language, no longer depends on America or Britain, but is now being shaped by the world where the second language is English, transforming itself into simplified versions in order to respond to the demand of a global economy and business. This subset of English is known as Globish. [pause]
But where did Globish come from? Globish was established by Jean Paul Nerriere, a retired marketing executive, as an easier version of English that can work almost as well as a full command of the language in most business situations.
It was introduced after noticing that non-native English speakers managed to successfully communicate together using Globish. However, when a native English speaker such as ourselves entered the conversation, their expertise in English, through the use of convoluted sentences, a vocabulary of over 100,000 words, and many grammar forms, hindered communication and caused confusion, making it difficult for non-native English speakers to interact with them.
Therefore, while in our English essays using highly descriptive and elaborate language is favourable, in international business situations, using complex English can hurt the comfort levels by creating a disparity between native and non-native English speakers. The simple goal of Globish in a business context is to reach a level where EVERYONE is able to understand each other all around the globe. [change slide]
According to the British Council, [emphasise] by 2030 nearly one third of the world’s population will be trying to learn English at the same time. Thus, more and more voices will be adapting the English language to suit their needs, finding in Globish a common linguistic denominator. With an increase in the number of people learning English as their second language, I believe that Globish will prevail because of its limited vocabulary and simple grammatical structure. [change slide]
To give you some examples of Globish in business interactions, instead of using specific vocabulary that are often difficult to remember, such as ‘discount’ or ‘gross income,’ in Globish, they become ‘a reduction in cost of a full priced item’ and ‘the total money earned by a business before expenses are removed.’
In addition, unlike proper English which may take years to learn, Globish only takes six months [emphasise] as it does not involve Anglophone literature, culture or humour.
For example, the idiom ‘belt-tightening’ is expressed in Globish as ‘spending less money,’ highlighting how Globish focuses on practical and efficient communication.
So why should YOU learn Globish? Learning Globish will make you highly sought after by employers as it makes communication more effective in a time where global business teams increasingly comprise of non-English natives, and people all around the world need a consistent language to conduct successful business.
This is because of the growth of the developing world’s economy. As you can see from this graph, in the last year, Indonesia’s GDP grew 6.4%, Vietnam’s by 6.4% and China’s by 9.5%. [point to PowerPoint] As a result, many Australian companies are becoming progressively reliant on their Asian investors and partners for advancement.
As future employees for these companies, to grow connections in the developing world, it is likely that you will have to interact with customers or colleagues whose first language is not English. This exposes you to the risk of not being understood and therefore losing the opportunity to expand overseas or partner with companies in the developing world, as well as wasting your company’s time and
money.
According to a study released by The Economist’s Global Intelligence Unit, “nearly half of the executives at global companies [emphasise] believed that language barriers, leading to ineffective communication or inadequate collaboration, have resulted in them losing money” and believe that an improvement in international communication would improve their profits.
[persuasive and encouraging tone] Globish CAN be the solution to people doing business around the world by creating efficient communication which is essential to the construction of strong internal partnerships. Globish WILL embrace the broader possibilities of a globalised world knit together through business and international relations.
Globish WILL be the language of the future and it is important that as Business Studies students we begin to learn Globish if we hope to succeed in a career in business, as employers will be looking for individuals who can effectively communicate to create worldwide business connections which will benefit their company. Thank you.