From English to "Globish": How a Language has Evolved

Image by Simon Howden

Have you ever wondered how the English language evolved and how it has become the language of business and intercultural communication? If so, read on. The article below landed in my inbox back on June 4th, 2012 and I have been sharing it with students in my Introduction to Language course ever since. I'm posting it here now because it is such a concise history of English as a language. Enjoy!

Original article from NPR Books on Morning Edition:

How did a mongrel tongue born on a small island in the north Atlantic become the globally dominant language now known as English?

That's a question Robert McCrum tries to answer in his new book, Globish, which explores the way English took the world by storm over the course of several centuries. It's a story that begins back in the first millennium, when the language spoken in England wasn't even called "English."

Another Misguided Push for "Official" Language

HARRISBURG -- It's a hot political issue that divides the state's conservatives from liberals, rural residents from multicultural urbanites, and people whose main language is English -- that is, most Pennsylvanians -- from those who speak it only as a second language, with Spanish usually the first.

Two bills have been introduced in the Legislature to make English the "official" language of the Keystone State, meaning there no longer would be any state government pamphlets or publications printed in any other language.

"This is our country, our culture, our lifestyle and our language," Rep. Scott Perry, R-York, said. "If our language doesn't suit you, no one forced you to come here and no one is forcing you to stay."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11258/1174808-454.stm#ixzz1Y8bFHCVB

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