INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL ENGLISHES 

Global English; A simplified, logical and real variety of English that does not contain slang or colloquial language specific to a geographical place. 

Today there are thousands of different varieties and dialects of English around the world. 

So, we know a little about what Global English is and its history, but why does it matter? Probably, one of the most important aspects of language is the facilitation of successful communication, and this is exactly what global English does: it helps us communicate on a global scale.

WHO SPEAKS ENGLISH TODAY?

Distinctions between ’first‘, ’second‘ and ’foreign' language status are useful, But we should be careful not to give them a simplistic interpretation. In particular, it is important to avoid the distinction between ’second‘ and ’foreign' language use as a difference in fluency or ability. 

While we might expect people from a country

 where English has some kind of official status

 to be more proficient in the language than

 those from countries where it doesn't, Just on

 the grounds of greater exposure, it turns out

 that this isn't always the case.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ENL, ESL, EFL, AND ELF

English as a native language: The

 language of those born and raised in one

 of the countries where English has

 historically been the first language

 spoken (Mainly the UK, USA, Canada,

 Australia, and New Zeland) 350 million

 speakers.

English as a foreign

 language: The language of those

 who serve no purpose in their

 own country. Historically, the efl

 has been taught to use the

 language in conjunction with

 native speakers in the US and UK.

 1 billion speakers with

 reasonable competence.

English as a second language: The language once spoken in numerous regions colonized by the British (Mainly India, Nigeria, Singapore) 350 million speakers.

MODELS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SPREAD OF ENGLISH

There are 3 models.

 Strevens created a map of the world

 and he starts from the top and goes

 down. He divides English into 2

 groups: American English and British

 English; depending on the historical

 moment in which English moved to a

 specific area of the world.

As for the first group, the American English branch, he describes the area of the U.S.A., Canada, with all the subdivisions and different dialects of American English, and then influences other areas of the world.

Kachru, in 1980 thought of a model to describe English that wasn’t spread out on a map, he said ‘I want to think of this situation in a circle’. According to Kachru, we can divide English into three circles, the first circle is called the ‘inner circle’ (it includes the areas of the U.S.A, U.K, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) they use English as their mother tongue. 

The second circle is called the ‘Outer Circle’, it includes parts of the world where English is institutionalized (Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Ghana, Nigeria, Pakistan, Singapore, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Zambia). 

The last circle is called the ‘Expanding Circle’, it’s the name that tells you that something is moving in this part of the world; and we’re talking about China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea, Nepal, etc. 

Something quite similar happens to McArthur’s

 scheme, but in this case, he uses circles a little

differently, his idea is that there is a

 standard English. So he

 starts from an abstract, you get a little bit

 more standard, and then there's the English

 that people use in their everyday lives.

WHY ENGLISH IS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE?

War and English Language: In 1066 the Norman Conquest made French the language of Britain. So, we would all be speaking French now if it weren’t for The 100 Years War between the French and the English. 

Migration and English Language: 

English started to come about in 410AD when Germanic Tribes, including the Angles and Saxons, migrated over to Britain. Their vocabulary became more popular than the existing Latin from the Roman Empire, and Old English started.

The Black Plague and English Language: 

In 1348 The Black Plague hit Britain, leading to mass

 migration out and high number of deaths within. Between 1350

 and 1550, about 65,000 immigrants moved to England to make

 up for the lack of laborers. At that time, one in every hundred

 people was an immigrant, attracted by the better work

 conditions. Compare that to the present day, with about 8% of

 Englands population being immigrants.

Religion and English Language: 

In 597 Christianity came in to Britain, adding Latin-rooted words to the vocabulary like font, Bishop, and martyr. In 1611 The King James Bible, a new translation of the bible from Hebrew, gave English new phrases. Many of the phrases were very literally translated from Hebrew. It was a public, widespread book in Britain with a lot of influence on English.

Colonization and English Language: 

England colonized North America, the Indian Subcontinent, much of the Caribbean and Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. So, the colonized had to learn English and a lot of new English vocabulary came from these new places.

Literature and English Language:

In the 17th Century, Shakespeare’s work became super popular not only in England but around the world. His writing introduced many new phrases into English, and marked the era of Early Modern English.

Science and English Language: 

The Scientific Revolution took place

 in part in England around the same

time that English settlers were also

 off colonizing a large part of the

 world. Scientists like Robert Hooke,

 Robert Boyle, Francis Bacon, and Isaac

 Newton, published research in English.

 Since then, English has become a

 leading language in scientific research.

What Is a Global Language:

A language attains a truly global status when it develops a special role that is recognized in each country. This may seem to indicate the obvious, but it is not, because the concept of a ‘special role’ has many aspects.