English as a Universal Language

Patricia Aburdene & John Naisbitt

English is becoming the world's first truly universal language. It is the native language of some 400 million people in twelve countries. That is a lot fewer than the 800 million people or so who speak Mandarin Chinese. But another 400 million speak English as a second language. And several hundred million more have some knowledge of English, which has official or semiofficial status in some sixty countries. Although there may be as many people speaking the various dialects of Chinese as there are English speakers, English is certainly more widespread geographically.

Today there are about 1 billion English speakers in the world. By the year 2000, that figure is likely to exceed 1.5 billion.

The world's most taught language, English is not taking the place of other languages; it is supplementing them:

—Two hundred and fifty million Chinese—more than the entire population of the United States—study English.

—In eighty-nine countries, English is either a common second language or widely studied.

—In France, state-run secondary schools require students to study four years of English or German; most—at least 85 percent—choose English.

—In Japan, secondary students are required to take six years of English before graduation.

Media and Transportation

English prevails in transportation and the media. The travel and communication language of the international airwaves is English. Pilots and air traffic controllers speak English at all international airports. Maritime traffic uses flag and light signals, but if vessels needed to communicate verbally, they would find a common language, which would probably be English.

Five of the largest broadcasters—CBS, NBC, ABC, the BBC, and the CBC—reach a potential audience of about 300 million people through English broadcast. It is also the language of satellite TV.

The Information Age

The language of the information age is English.

Computers talk to each other mostly in English. More than 80 percent of all the information stored in the more than 100 million computers around the world is in English.

Eighty-five percent of international telephone conversations are conducted in English, as are three-fourths of the world's mail, telexes, and cables. Computer program instructions and the software itself are often supplied only in English.

German was once the language of science. Today more than 80 percent of all scientific papers are published first in English. Over half the world's technical and scientific periodicals are in English, which is also the language of medicine, electronics, and space technology.

International Business

English is the language of international business.

When a Japanese businessman strikes a deal anywhere in Europe, chances are that the negotiations were conducted in English.

Manufactured goods indicate their country of origin in English: "Made in China," not Zhongguo Zhizao. It is the language of choice in multinational corporations. Datsun and Nissan write international memorandums in English. As early as 1985, 80 percent of the Japanese Mitsui and Company's employees could speak, read, and write English. Toyota provides in-service English courses.

Diplomacy

English is replacing the dominant European languages of centuries past. English has taken the place of French as the language of diplomacy; it is the official language of international aid organizations such as Save the Children as well as of UNESCO, NATO, and the UN.

Lingua Franca

English serves as a common tongue in countries where people speak many different languages. In India, nearly 200 different languages are spoken; only 30 percent speak the official language, Hindi. The European Free Trade Association works only in English even though it is a foreign tongue for all six member countries.

Official Language

English is the official or semiofficial language of twenty African countries, including Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and South Africa. Students are instructed in English at many universities there.

English is also the official language of the Olympics and the Miss Universe competition.

Youth Culture

English is the language of international youth culture. Young people worldwide sing the lyrics of U2, Michael Jackson, and Madonna songs without fully understanding them. "Break dance," "rap music," "bodybuilding," "windsurfing," and "computer hacking" are invading the slang of German youth.