English, a Global Language

English is a language that originated in the British area, and which was spread across the globe frequently during the times of the great colonies. Brittan was quite active at exploring what they called the “new world”. This resulted in many British colonies around the world, as well as expanding in the users of the English language and vocabulary. Today, another méthode is used for this very task. The internet and global Medias are frequently used internationally. For instance, this blog has been read of people from many countries. The colonies were abandoned by the British colonial lords at the last part of the 17th century. But the British language stayed behind. Today, many of these countries have developed their own variety of the English language. How do these differ from the original language? To try and answer this question, I have chosen three different varieties: Hinglish, Pakistani-English and South African English.

Hinglish is a variety of English spoken in India. Apparently, this language is expanding alongside the technical revolution. Mobile, internet and television helps this language expand. This variety is actually a mix of the two languages Hindi and English. The characteristics are using Hindi words in an English sentence, or vice versa. This is considered a more global and international way to talk than to completely stick to one of the languages.

The South African English is a non-rhotic language. This means that they only pronounce letters such as R if it is followed by a vowel. The word car is pronounced without the last -R. This is similar to the British language. This language differs from the British variety in some ways. The influence from their original language has defiantly had an influence.

English came to Pakistan later than its arrival in India. Today, English is one of Pakistan’s official languages. Many documents are written in English. The Pakistani-English is most similar to the

British English, but it is heavily influenced by the Pakistani language as well as the varieties of English used in the neighboring countries of Pakistan.

In conclusion, I would say that English is an important language. It is about to be t

he global language, which could be an important key to cooperation and globalization in the future. The different varieties of the language will be influenced on the habitat’s culture and original language. I do not consider this to be a problem as long as we are able to understand each other across borders.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistani_English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_English

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinglish

Pictures:

http://financewand.com/globalization-speeds-up-very-rapidly.html

http://duskanddawn.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/one-god-one-world-one-dream/