Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? English should be the universal language.

Language is one of the important things that we all share. Without a language people could not communicate, express their opinions or share ideas. Communication for everybody would be better if everyone speaks the same language, and currently with the development of globalization, some lesserknown languages are dying out every year. Even though others think that each country should preserve its own language, I believe that English should be the universal language.
1Opponents

say that having a variety of languages is one of the richest things people have in our world. Replacing all languages to universal language is like taking a piece of their culture, traditions and history. Each language is unique and the beauty of each language could be lost because people will start using only one language and forget their national language. For example, in Spain there are other languages besides Spanish. Thirty years ago, dialects like Catalan were not allowed at school, and people were forced to speak only Spanish; as a result, now people can learn this language at school together with Spanish, and they can now share their parents language and gain their identity. Despite this argument by opponents that each country should preserve their own language, the development of English as a universal language is a fact that people cannot deny because it is obvious that English is becoming a world language.
2Others

strongly claim that having a global language would benefit communication in the contemporary world, especially with the sweeping trend of international trade. Besides, English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. Also, English is the universal language on the internet. For instance, when we want to create a web page or download soft wares, all the all instructions, procedures are in English. Furthermore, having a universal language will be easy to learn. Everybody at school will learn English and speak it correctly. For instance, I live in Peru and it would be easy to learn; for example, to learn only English at school, instead of learning Spanish, English, and others. 3Moreover, it would be for travel purposes. Tourists will be able to travel to any part of the world without having language difficulties. They would be understood, and they

would understand other people. It is very necessary that every human being should have understanding of each other feelings, traditions, customs, races and above all religion, so the language that they can communicate must be the same. In brief, we must balance all the advantages and disadvantages of creating a universal language. To have a universal language could be easy for everybody to learn, it could be beneficial for tourism but also some think each language represent each countrys culture and history.

2. Should English be the Global Language? People in general have different opinions on English as a global language. There are positive as well as negative aspects of this. Do we need a global language? Why do we need it? Why should English be the best option?

.1 Translation

has always played a central role in interaction between people with different

languages and language skills. Thousands of years ago, monarchs, ambassadors and merchants had to rely on someone to translate. But the more linguistically mixed the community got, the less they could rely on individuals to ensure their communication. Most of these problems have been solved with a lingua franca or a pidgin. A pidgin is a language created, usually spontaneously; from a mixture of other languages as a means of communication between speakers of different languages Pidgins have simple grammar and few synonyms. The prospect that a lingua franca might be needed for the whole world is something that has arisen in the twentieth century. Since the 1950s, many international organisations have come into being e.g. the UN and the World Bank. Also political groupings e.g. The European Union and The Commonwealth have come into being. The pressure to make an agreement concerning one language has become urgent, but it is a sensitive issue. (Crystal 2003: 12-13)

The need for a global language is mainly appreciated by the international academic and business communities, but also by individuals as the world becomes more and more global. (Crystal 2003: 12-13) 2.2 Why English has grown as much as it has, and why it might be seen as the best option for a global language have more than one answer. One is the geographical-historical reasons, and another is the socio-cultural. The geographical-historical part explains how English has reached its position and the socio-cultural explains how and why it remains that way. (Crystal 2003: 29) 2.2.1 English came to England from northern Europe during the fifth century and started to spread around the British Isles. (Crystal 2003: 30) The historical movement of English around the world began with the expeditions to Asia and America and continued with the colonial developments in Africa and the South Pacific. When many colonies became independent during the mid-twentieth century, they kept English as their official language or semi-official language. This led to a major step forward for the English language; it is represented on every continent and on islands in the three major oceans, making the label global language a reality. (Crystal 2003: 29) 2.2.1 The socio-cultural aspect looks at the way people in many ways have become dependent on English for their social life and for their economic well-being. English is the language of many business and political domains and also the language of entertainment such as television, the film industry, the music business, communication (internet, telecommunication and computers) and safety. (Crystal 2003: 29) 2.2.2 Todays status of English has mainly two reasons; the expansion of the British colonial power and the emergence of the economical power of the United States. The latter is what scientist argue explain the status of English in the world today. (Crystal 2003: 59)

3. Positive and Negative Aspects on English as a Global Language 3.1 Positive aspects of English as a Global Language According to Buck (2005), English has, without doubt, reached the top position in the language hierarchy. Almost 30 % of the population are already reasonably competent in English. As the language of commerce, economy and politics, knowledge of and fluency in that language is helpful when participating in these fields. The economic power houses, the political bodies and commercial organisations also use English as their language of communication. More than 85% of the scientific, technological and academic production in the world today is performed in English. By using English you are able to communicate with people in almost all countries all over the world. English is the most widely spoken language with regards to number of countries, even though Chinese, Hindi and Spanish have more native speakers. The case might be that even in countries where one of the other languages is spoken you will be able to communicate with the inhabitants, using English as a lingua franca. It is often taken for granted that one speaks English and when someone does not, one might be looked upon suspiciously. I asked approximately 40 people from different backgrounds, different age and with different nationalities which language they would prefer as a global language and the majority answered English. The following reasons were given: It is the language you hear and read every day; the younger generations have learned it in school and it would be the best global language because it is the most spread all over the world. The people, who disagreed, said that Spanish would be the best global language, because it has more native speakers than English. 3.2 Negative aspects of English as a Global Language

Even though there are many positive aspects of having a global language, there are negative aspects as well. How would it be possible to carry through a global language? Are there any dangers with having a global language? A global language might cultivate an elite class with native speakers, who take advantage of the possibility to think and work quickly in their mother-tongue. If this was the case they might manipulate it to their advantage at the expense of those who has another language as their mother-tongue and in this way create a linguistic gap between people. (Crystal 2003: 14-15) English has a history, sometimes cruel and violent with colonialism and war, and introducing English as the global language might be seen as a threat of future dominance. Perhaps a global language will make people unwilling or unable to learn other languages and make other languages unnecessary. (Crystal 2003: 15) One of the risks having only one language is that the chosen language may become very technical and impoverished for non-native speakers, e.g. the Eskimos, who have several words for snow, because they need it. They would probably not be able to express themselves properly if they only had one word for snow. And Swedish people would not be able to use the word lagom, a word which says a lot about the Swedish society and people. Many of the people who answered my question about English as a Global Language, expressed a worry that if we only had one language, they would feel poor when it comes to expressing feelings and emotions in a language that is not their mothertongue, that they would not know enough words to be able to really express how and what they feel.