What is a global language?
there is no official definition of "global" or "world" language, but it essentially refers to a language that is learned and spoken internationally, and is characterized not only by the number of its native and second language speakers, but also by its geographical distribution, and its use in international organizations and in diplomatic relations. a global language acts as a “lingua franca”, a common language that enables people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities to communicate on a more or less equitable basis.
historically, the essential factor for the establishment of a global language is that it is spoken by those who wield power. latin was the lingua franca of its time, although it was only ever a minority language within the roman empire as a whole. crucially, though, it was the language of the powerful leaders and administrators and of the roman military - and, later, of the ecclesiastical power of the roman catholic church - and this is what drove its rise to (arguably) global language status. thus, language can be said to have no independent existence of its own, and a particular language only dominates when its speakers dominate (and, by extension, fails when the people who speak it fail).
the influence of any language is a combination of three main things: the number of countries using it as their first language or mother-tongue, the number of countries adopting it as their official language, and the number of countries teaching it as their foreign language of choice in schools. the intrinsic structural qualities of a language, the size of its vocabulary, the quality of its literature throughout history, and its association with great cultures or religions, are all important factors in the popularity of any language. but, at base, history shows us that a language becomes a global language mainly due to the political power of its native speakers, and the economic power with which it is able to maintain and expand its position.
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questions:
1. under what circumstances can we call the language global?
2. what is the main function of a global language?
3. what important factor makes the language global?
4. why was latin the lingua franca of its time?
5. what is the reason of the language disappearing?
6. what are three factors that make the language global?
7. what qualities of the language make it popular?
choose synonyms for the following words from the text. then use these words in the sentences of your own:
essentially, to enable, diverse, equitable, wield, adopt, intrinsic, expand.
