Unit 1 English as the World Language of Research and Education

English is now considered to be the world language of science, technology, and

education. In fact, it has become a lingua franca, that is a common language
used for communication over areas where several languages have usually been
spoken. The knowledge of English allows professionals and researchers to get
access to the latest information in their fields and to effectively communicate
with their colleagues throughout the world. In this introductory Unit you are
invited to reflect upon and discuss the role of English language.

Task 1. Read the newspaper article and answer the questions that follow. While
reading, try to insert the omitted words that are above the text. Sentence
numbers have been added here for ease of reference.

interpreted claimed varieties customize expertise dominant ambiguities

prerogative converse

1. English language 1. _____ is becoming a priority academic/professional

requirement whether international higher education graduates choose to return
to their home countries or whether they choose to stay in the United States,"
notes Joan Morley.

2. "English is today the 2. _____language in science and technology, medicine

and health care fields, commerce, business and industry, and much more.

3. It should come as no shock to find that three-quarters of the world's

information stored in computer banks is in English."

4. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, a billion persons in the

world are able to speak English, with more speaking it as a foreign language
than as their mother tongue.

5. But the language that non-native speakers actually speak can be thought of as
many different Englishes.

6. Some speak only about computers, or oil, or commodities trading or swine;

they, 3._____ English into forms useful for specific purposes, and those who
speak these forms are usually unable to 4. _____ comfortably about matters
outside their field of interest.

7. Phrases like "get the hang of it," "to go along with," and "getting at," for
example, mystify many non-native speakers.

8. 5._____in English can even be deadly.

9. An air traffic controller in Madagascar radioed, "Clipper 1736 report clear of

runway."
10. The pilot 6._____ that as clearance for takeoff, rather than an order to report
that he had cleared the runway, collided with an incoming airliner, and 600
people died.

11. Such linguistic mistakes have7. _____ at least 3,000 lives, an expert told the
Journal.

12. Alan Firth, a British scholar who specializes in foreign 8. _____ of spoken
English, told the Journal: "What happens to this language is no longer our
9._____.

13. English is no longer our possession. 14. It's not a monolith. 15. It's in an
incredible state of flux."

Task 2. The following text is a passage from the book "English as a Global
Language " by British linguist David Crystal. While reading,check your
knowledge of the underlined words and expressionsconsulting a dictionary if
necessary. React to the statementstypewritten in bold using the following scale
and discuss your judgments with a classroom partner (if you have one).

a) strongly disagree;b) disagree;c) doubt;d) agree;e) strongly agree.

When we investigate why so many nations have in recent years made Englishan
official language or chosen it as their chief foreign language in schools, oneof
the most important reasons is always educational—in the broadest sense.Black
Southern African writer Harry Mashabela, writing in 1975, puts it likethis:

learning and using English will not only give us the much-needed
unifying chord but will also land us into the excitingworld of ideas; it will
enable us to keep company with kings inthe world of ideas and also make it
possible for us to share theexperiences of our own brothers in the world ...

Not everyone has viewed the arrival of the language in such a positive light ... ;
but the dominant view is certainly that a person is more likely to be in
touchwith the latest thinking and research in a subject by learning English
thanby learning any other language. ...

It is important to appreciate that the use of English does vary, in this respect.A
1981 study of the use of English in scientific periodicals showed that 85 percent
of papers in biology and physics were being written in English at thattime,
whereas medical papers were some way behind (73 per cent), and papersin
mathematics and chemistry further behind still (69 per cent and 67 per
centrespectively). However, all these areas had shown a significant increase
intheir use of English during the preceding fifteen years—over 30 per cent,
inthe case of chemistry, and over 40 per cent, in the case of medicine— and
thefigures fifteen years further on would certainly be much higher. This can
beseen even in a language-sensitive subject such as linguistics, where in
1995nearly 90 per cent of" the 1,500 papers listed in the journal Linguistic
Abstracts were in English. In computer science, the proportion is even higher.

Since the 1960s, English has become the normal medium of instruction inhigher
education for many countries—including several where the languagehas no
official status. Advanced courses in The Netherlands, for example, arewidely
taught in English. If most students are going to encounter Englishroutinely in
their monographs and periodicals, it is suggested—an argumentwhich is
particularly cogent in relation to the sciences—then it makes senseto teach
advanced courses in that language, to better prepare them for thatencounter. But
these days there is also a strong lingua franca argument: the pressure to use
English has grown as universities and colleges have increasinglywelcomed
foreign students, and lecturers have found themselves faced withmixed-
language audiences.

The English language teaching (ELT) business has become one of the
majorgrowth industries around the world in the past thirty years. In a 1995
globalconsultation exercise initiated by ... a British Council project, people
professionallyinvolved in ELT in some ninety countries were asked to react to a
series ofstatements concerning the role and future of the English language.
Responsesused a 5-point scale from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree.'
Nearly 1,400questionnaires were returned. One of the statements was: 'The
global marketfor English language teaching and learning will increase over the
next 25 years.'Over 93 per cent agreed or strongly agreed. A particular growth
area is centraland eastern Europe, and the countries of the former Soviet Union,
where itis thought that nearly 10 per cent of the population—some 50 million
inall—are now learning English.