[EDLING:392] Must the Whole World Speak English?

[Francis M. Hult]

Forbes

Must the Whole World Speak English?
Paul Johnson, 11.29.04, 12:00 AM ET

http://www.forbes.com/columnists/free_forbes/2004/1129/039.html

The French educational world is convulsed by a report on the future of its
school system. A commission headed by education expert Claude Thélot has
recommended that the teaching of English be mandatory in all French schools
and that it be accorded the same importance as the French language and
mathematics. The commission takes the position that English is now
the "language of international communication" and that French young people
must be taught to speak and write it fluently.

Another report on the level of knowledge of English attained by youngsters in
eight European countries gives France the lowest rating, claiming the French
actually regressed between 1996 and 2002. The Spanish, traditionally the least
polyglot of western European nationalities, are now doing better than the
French. Under a 1990 law, all Spanish schoolchildren are now taught a foreign
language (98% choose English) from the age of 8 and in some regions start at
6. In the Madrid region there are 26 bilingual schools and colleges in which
courses--with the exception of Spanish literature and mathematics--are taught
in English; by 2007 there will be 110.

Unlike the Americans and British, who simply allow the spread of English to
take its course, the French have spent billions on promoting their language in
French-speaking territories in Africa and the Pacific. Pushed by the Académie
Française, the French government has imposed sanctions on officials or
agencies financed by taxes that are found using Americanisms or English
phrases where a French equivalent exists. Some French parliamentarians have
raised an angry fuss over the Olympic Games' press conferences being held in
English and over a recent report by the European Central Bank to the European
Parliament given in English. It was not so long ago that the EU Secretary-
General, when asked why he invariably gave press conferences in French (with
no translation), replied: "Because French is the language of diplomacy,"
adding, under his breath, "and civilization." Recently the academician Maurice
Druon, together with a group of elderly French lawyers, demanded that French
be made the judicial language of Europe.

Professor Claude Hagège of the Collège de France has come to agree with the
idea of teaching English in French primary schools but only if another
language is taught at the same time. Both Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
and Minister of Education François Fillon support the proposal to make
teaching English mandatory. However, Jacques Chirac--who hates the spread of
English--has made what he sees as a high-minded plea for cultural diversity
and the richness of language. "Nothing," he says, "would be worse for humanity
than to move toward a situation where we speak only one language." That's an
odd statement coming from a man committed to an EU in which the harmonization
process is being extended to all laws and administration that have the
slightest impact on economies and whose aim is the "United States of Europe."

Must not a superstate of a score of nations have a common language? The
Germans, the principal allies of the French in the EU, have allowed English to
replace French as their country's second language in schools and in business.
Indeed, some German firms with big export interests already hold board
meetings in English. They find it "more convenient." That is also an
increasing practice in Sweden and the Netherlands.


The Inevitable Spread
As the author of more than 40 books--most of which have been translated, some
into as many as 30 languages--I have some insight into the process whereby
English spreads. The Dutch and the Swedes no longer bother to bring out local-
language editions of my books. However, some languages present particular
problems. There have to be two Portuguese-language editions, one translation
done in Lisbon for Portugal proper, another in Rio de Janeiro for Brazil,
evidence of strong linguistic bifurcation. The same happens with Spanish--one
translation in Madrid for Spain, another in Buenos Aires for Latin America.
For China there have to be three editions: one Big Letter, one Small Letter
and one for Hong Kong.

Languages are things of beauty. But linguistics students know perfectly well
that language cannot be dictated by elites ruling from above. It is the one
naturally democratic force in the world--surging up from below. That is why
French schoolchildren, no matter what the Académie Française orders,
say "Yeah" instead of "Oui." As for the further spread of English, much will
depend on what happens in India, a subcontinent of countless languages and
dialects. The British promoted Hindi as a common language for India. But under
mid-19th-century reforms, English was promulgated as the language of
administration. Educated Indians today speak and write English fluently, and
it is spreading faster in India than in any other country. Indians, even those
from poor families, recognize English to be their passport to affluence, not
least through telephonic outsourcing. Today millions earn their living by
speaking English.

India will soon be the world's most populous country. By 2050 India, with a
population of 1.6 billion, will have overtaken China (1.4 billion). If India
becomes a predominantly English-speaking country, as I expect will happen,
China will have to follow suit or risk relegation. There are high stakes in
the global language game. But there's not much we can do about it. Events will
take their course. Everyone should calm down--and learn English.