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1、EnglishasaGlobalLanguageBillLeeInstructor:PatrickSeifer2006．6．10EnglishasaGlobalLanguageIntroductionFewpeoplewillgiveitasecondthoughtifwesayEnglishisaninternationallanguage.SomeonemayevengofurtherastosaythatEnglishisagloballanguage.Inmyopinion,ifthereiseveragloballanguage,thatisEn
2、glish.Englishasagloballanguageistheresultantinteractionofhistoricaldominanceandpresentdemand.Ofthehistoricallyinternationallanguages,whatmadeEnglishcarryonwithitsinternationalinfluence?Theestablishmentofalanguageasaninternationallanguagemainlyreliesonthepoliticaldominance,especial
3、lythemilitarypowerofthepeoplewhospeakit.ThedominantRomanEmpiremadeLatinonceaninternationallanguage,butwiththedownfalloftheRomanEmpire,LatinlostitsglamourbutstillremainedinfluentialforoveronethousandyearsthankstoRomanCatholicChurch.NowLatinisreducedtoalanguageforscholarlystudyandec
4、clesiasticlearning.PortuguesewasoncetheinternationallanguagespokeninSouthAmerica,AfricaandtheMiddleEastduetoPortugal’sworld-wideexplorationandcolonization，butnowPortugueseexertslittleinfluenceininternationalaffairs.LatinandPortuguesewerebothinternationallanguages,butneitherofthemc
5、ancarryonwithitspastdominance,letaloneafurtherascensiontoagloballanguage.Historicaldominancealonecould,atmost,makeaninternationallanguagebutit’snotsufficienttomakealanguagemaintainitspastinfluence.Historicaldominanceneedstogohandinhandwithpresentdemandtomakealanguageproceedfromani
6、nternationallanguagetoagloballanguage,justasthecasewithEnglish.Inthe18thcentury,IndustrialRevolutionspedupBritain’sindustrialdevelopment,andBritainbecametheworkshopoftheworld.GlobalexplorationandcolonizationturnedBritainintoahegemonicsuperpowerintheworldinthe19thcentury.Powergaver
7、isetotheascendancyofEnglishoverotherlanguagesallovertheworld.InsomecolonizedcountriesEnglisheliminatedorsupersededthenativelanguagesandbecametheonlylanguageorofficiallanguage.WhentheBritishEmpireset,AmericaemergedasasuperpowerandbecameevenstrongerthantheBritishEmpirehadbeen.AfterW
8、orldWarII,Americabecamethedominan
