The Globalization of Language

     “Languages are dying at an unprecedented rate.  A language dies every 14 days,” Patricia Ryan sadly informed those in attendance at her 2010 TED Talk.  As a seasoned English teacher in the Arabian Gulf countries, Ryan has witnessed drastic cultural and linguistic changes in the Arabian countries of her students.  Ryan uses her experiences to show that even languages have fallen prey to the negative effects of globalization, as what was once a rich part of the diverse societies across the world is being lost as people strive to learn English.  Ryan worries that humanity is limiting its future opportunities for growth and knowledge by inadvertently forcing potentially great scientists and thinkers to master the English language before continuing their studies in fields such as mathematics and science at prestigious English-speaking universities.  Limiting foreign entry into such schools based significantly on the results of an English proficiency test is unfair in Ryan’s eyes; while she sees value in the English language uniting people across the world, she dislikes how it can conversely be used to prevent people from sharing everything they have to offer to society.

     Ryan uses personal experience in the form of many concise anecdotes to help illustrate her points to the audience, educated global citizens concerned with English’s dominance as the global language.  She begins with a story about a colleague of hers who, teaching English in an Arab school, took her students outside the classroom to teach them nature vocabulary and ended up learning more herself about the traditional Arab names and histories of said plants.  In addition, Ryan explains how even though her daughter, who went to school in England and in an Arab country, would have to translate everything she learned in math and science in her Arabic classroom into English, she was nevertheless the best math and science student in her English class.  Both stories exhibit that despite the barriers presented by different languages, every language has its own idiosyncrasies and unique take on aspects of life that compliment those found in other languages.  As the pool of languages from which they can pull words and ideas grows smaller and smaller, people risk losing diverse approaches to problem solving and facets of creativity unique to certain languages.

     Furthermore, Ryan’s talk was made compelling by the personal way in which she addressed her audience.  In using phrases such as “I know what you’re thinking,” or “You must be wondering…” Ryan invites the audience into her talk.  This seems to place the audience on the same level as Ryan, encouraging them to listen carefully and thoughtfully consider every word she says.  By approaching them as intellectual equals rather than people to speak down to, Ryan ensures her audience can get the most from the talk.

     Given Ryan’s discussion of the limits created by the globalization of language, it is especially important that the audience be capable of really connecting to Ryan’s words.  In that way, they are able to truly ponder the challenging question raised by Ryan: Is the world’s focus on English limiting great ideas in other languages?