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1、World English: A Blessing or a Curse? Universal languageBy Tom McArthur1 In the year 2000, the language scholar Glanville Price, a Welshman, made the following assertion as editor of the book Languages in Britain and Ireland: For English is a killer. It is English that has killed off Cumbric, Cornis
2、h, Norn and Manx. There are still parts of these islands where sizeable communities speak languages that were there before English. Yet English is everywhere in everyday use and understood by all or virtually(actually) all, constituting such a threat to the three remaining Celtic languages, Irish, S
3、cottish Gaelic, and Welsh. that their long-term future must be considered. very greatly at risk. (p 141) Some years earlier, in 1992, Robert Phillipson, English academic who currently (at the present/ at the moment) works in Denmark, published with Oxford a book entitled Linguistic Imperialism. In i
4、t, he argued that the major English-speaking countries, the worldwide English-language teaching industry, and notably (especially) the British Council pursue policies of linguistic aggrandisement. He also associated such policies with a prejudice which he calls linguicism a condition parallel to(equ
5、al to/ similar to) racism and sexism. As Phillipson sees it, leading institutions and individuals within the predominantly white English-speaking world, have by design(=deliberately) or default(=mistake) encouraged or at least toleratedand certainly have not opposedthe hegemonic spread of English, a
6、 spread which began some (about) three centuries ago as (when) economic and colonial expansion.2 Phillipson himself worked for some years for the British Council, and he is not alone among Anglophone academics who have sought to point up the dangers of English as a world language. The internationali
7、zation of English has in the last few decades been widely discussed in terms of three groups: first, the ENL countries, where English is a native language (this group also being known as the inner circle); second, the ESL countries, where English is a second language (the outer circle); and third, t
8、he EFL countries, where English is a foreign language (the expanding circle). Since the 1980s, when such terms became common, this third circle has in fact expanded to take in the entire planet.3 For good or for ill, there has never been a language quite like English. There have been many world lang
9、uages, such as Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit. By and large, we now view them as more or less benign, and often talk with admiration and appreciation about the cultures associated with them and what they have given to the world. And it is fairly (very) safe to do this, because none of t
10、hem now poses much of a threat.4 English however is probably (perhaps) too close for us to be able to analyze and judge it as dispassionately (objectively), as we may now discuss the influence of Classical Chinese on East Asia or of Classical Latin on Western Europe. The jury is still out in the tri
11、al of the English language, and may take several centuries to produce its verdict, but even so we can ask, in this European Year of Languages, whether Price and Phillipson are right to warn us all about the language that I am using at this very moment. warn sb. of sth.5 It certainly isnt hard(diffic
12、ult) to look for situations (examples) where people might call English a curse. An example is Australia, which is routinely regarded as a straightforward English-speaking country. The first Europeans who went there often used Latin to describe and discuss the place. The word Australia itself is Lati
13、n; evidently (Obviously/ Apparently) no one at the time thought of simply calling it Southland (which is what Australia means). In addition (besides), in South Australia there is a wide stretch of land called the Nullarbor Plains, the first word of which sounds Aboriginal, but nullarbor is Latin and
14、 means no trees. And most significantly of all, the early settlers called the continent a terra nullius. According to the Encarta World English Dictionary (1999) the Latin phrase terra nullius means:. the idea and legal concept that when the first Europeans arrived in Australia the land was owned by
15、 no one and therefore open to settlement. It has been judged not to be legally valid. But that judgment was made only recently. When the Europeans arrived, Australia was thinly populatedbut populated nonetheless (from then on)from coast to coast in every direction. There were hundreds of communities
16、 and languages. Many of these languages have died out, many more are in the process of dying out, and these dead and dying languages have been largely replaced (substituted) by either kinds of pidgin English or general Australian English. Depending on your point of view, this is either a tragic loss
17、 or the price of progress.6 At the same time, however, can the blame for the extinction of Aboriginal languages be laid specifically at the door of English? The first Europeans to discover Australia were Dutch, and their language might have become the language of colonization and settlement. Any set
18、tler language could have had the same effect. If for example the Mongols had sustained their vast Eurasian empire, Mongolian might have become a world language and gone to Australia. Again, if history had been somewhat (a little) different, todays world language might have been Arabic, a powerful la
19、nguage in West Asia and North Africa that currently affects many smaller languages, including Coptic and Berber. Spanish has adversely (negatively) affected indigenous languages in so-called Latin America, and Russian has spread from Europe to the Siberian Pacific. If English is a curse and a killer
20、, it may only be so in the sense (meaning) that any large language is likely (possible) to influence and endanger smaller languages.7 Yet many people see (consider/ regard) English as a blessing. Let me leave aside here the obvious advantages possessed by any world language, such as a large communic
21、ative network, a strong literary and media complex (network), and a powerful cultural and educational apparatus (organization). Let us instead look at something rather different: the issue (problem) of politics, justice, and equality. My object (target) lesson this time is South Africa. Ten years ag
22、o, South Africa ceased (stopped) to be governed on principles of racial separateness, a system known in Afrikaans (a language derived from Dutch) as apartheid. The system arose (occurred) because the Afrikaner communityEuropean settlers of mainly Dutch descentsaw themselves as superior to the indige
23、nous (native) people of the land they had colonized.8 English-speaking South Africans of British descent were not particularly strong in opposing the apartheid regime (rule), and the black opposition, whose members had many languages, was at first weak and disorganized. However, the language through
24、 which this opposition gained (obtained/ got) strength and organization was English, which became for them the key language of freedom and unity, not of oppression. There are today eleven official languages in South AfricaEnglish, Afrikaans, and nine vernacular languages that include Zulu, Ndebele,
25、and Setswana. But which of these nine do black South Africans use (or plan to use) as their national lingua franca? Which do they wish their children to speak and write successfully (in addition to their mother tongues)? The answer is none of the above. They want English, and in particular (especial
26、ly/ specifically) they want a suitably Africanized English.9 So, a curse for the indigenous peoples of Australia and something of a blessing for those in South Africa.10 How then should we think of English in our globalizing world with its endangered diversities? The answer, it seems to me, is cryst
27、al clear. Like many things, English is at times (often) a blessing and at times a cursefor individuals, for communities (society), for nations, and even for unions of nations. The East Asian symbolism of yin and yang might serve (illustrate) well here: There is something of yang in every yin, of yin
28、 in every yang. Although they are opposites, they belong together: in this instance (case) within the circle of communication. Such symbolism suggests (shows) that the users of the worlds lingua franca should seek to benefit as fully as possible from the blessing and as far as possible avoid invokin
29、g the curse. (1, 292 words)ABOUT THE AUTHORDr. Tom McArthur is founder editor of the Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992) and the quarterly English Today: The International Review of the English Language (Cambridge, 1985 ). His more than 20 published works include the Longman Lexicon of C
30、ontemporary English (1981), Worlds of Reference: Language, Lexicography and Learning from the Clay Tablet to the Computer (1986), and The English Languages (1998). He is currently Deputy Director of the Dictionary Research Center at the University of Exeter.EXERCISES I. Reading ComprehensionAnswer t
31、he following questions or complete the, following statements.1. It can be inferred from Glanville Prices statement that he is _.A. happy that English is everywhere in Britain and IrelandB. worried about the future of the remaining Celtic languagesC. shocked by the diversity of languages in Britain a
32、nd IrelandD. amazed that many people in the UK still speak their Aboriginal languages2. Cumbric is used as an example of _.A. a local dialectB. a victim of the English languageC. a language that is on the verge of extinctionD. a language that is used by only a limited number of people3. Which of the
33、 following is the major concern of the book Linguistic Imperialism?A. English teaching overseas.B. British governments language policies.C. Dominance of English over other languages.D. The role of English in technology advancement.4. Both Price and Phillipson are _.A. government officialsB. advocate
34、s of linguistic imperialismC. in support of language policies carried out by the British CouncilD. concerned about the negative effect of English on smaller languages5. According to the text, the EFL countries _.A. are large in numberB. is known as the outer circleC. will be endangered by EnglishD.
35、have made English their official language6. According to McArthur, Chinese is different from English in that _.A. it has made a great contribution to the worldB. it has had positive influence on other languagesC. it may result in the disappearance of other languagesD. it probably will not endanger t
36、he existence of other languages7. When he said the jury is out in the trial (Line 3, Paragraph 4), McArthur meant _.A. punishment is dueB. the jury is waiting for a trialC. no decision has been made yetD. there is no one to make the decision8. Australia might be used as an example to show that _.A.
37、languages are changing all the timeB. some English words are derived from LatinC. English has promoted the progress of some nationsD. English should be blamed for the extinction of smaller languages9. Many people see English as a blessing for people in _.A. AustraliaB. East AsiaC. South AfricaD. ESL
38、 countries10. The main theme of this speech is that _.A. English should be taught worldwideB. English as a world language does more harm than goodC. we should be objective to the internationalization of EnglishD. we should be aware of (realize) the danger of English as a world languageB. Questions o
39、n global understanding and logical structures1. Why does McArthur introduce Glanville Price and Robert Phillipsons points of view on the spread of English? What is his? Intention?McArthur quotes Prices assertion and cites Pillipsons viewpoint on the spread of English as sort of cons to initiate his
40、argument. Cons are usually popularly believed arguments or opinions that are against the authors point of view. Cons are commonly used writing techniques and are often employed in order to appeal the audience and highlight the authors viewpoint. 2. Does McArthur agree with what Price and Phillipson
41、argued? From as early as which section does McArthur show his attitude? Toward the dominance of English as a world English?No. McArthurs opinion is different from Price and Pillipsons arguments. He doesnt believe that English is a killer and should be blamed for the extinction of smaller languages.
42、He sees English as both a blessing and a curse, maybe as a blessing more than a curse. After introducing Price and Pillipsons viewpoints, McArthur writes about his own ideas on the issue of English as a world language. From the sentence “For good or for ill, there has never been a language quite lik
43、e English”, we can learn that McArthur does not curse English like Price and Pillipson and he has a different point of view. 3. By reading It certainly isnt hard to look for situations where people might call English a curse, could we conclude that McArthur believes English is a curse?No. This sente
44、nce is a kind of justification. Although McArthur literally justifies the fact that there are situations where people might call English a curse, he doesnt believe that English is virtually a curse. By adding the word “certainly” McArthur shows his intent. 4. Could you pick up some words and express
45、ions that signal change or continuation in McArthurs thought?“For good or for ill”(paragraph 3) /“however” (paragraph 4) /“But”(paragraph 5) / “At the same time, however”(paragraph 6) /“Yet”(paragraph 7) 5. How many parts can this speech be divided? How are the parts organized?Part One: paragraphs 1
46、 and 2. These two paragraphs introduce the situation that many academics argue against English as a world language. Part Two: paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Paragraph three is a transitional paragraph that initiates McArthurs own argument. In these paragraphs McArthur argues that English is not
47、 only a curse as many people have believed, but a blessing as well. Part Three: paragraph 10. McArthur concludes in the last paragraph that English may be a curse or a blessing depends on different situations and we should make advantages of world languages and avoid their disadvantages. II. Vocabul
48、aryA. Choose the best word from the four choices to complete each of the following sentences.1. There has been much opposition from some social groups, _ from the farming community.A. straightforwardlyB. notably(especially)C. virtuallyD. exceptionally2. The _ view in Britain and other Western countries associates aging with decline, dependency, isolation, and often poverty (property).A. predominantB. credulousC. inclusive(exclusive)D. sustainable3. But gifts such as these cannot be awarded to everybody, either by ju
