As per capita income of the world has been at its highest in the last decade, more travelers are visiting various tourist destinations than ever before. With this there is a growing perception that eventually English will become the only spoken language globally. Although it is true that when English becomes a common language we will have a much closer and understanding international community, it would certainly be at the expense of smaller indigenous people and their languages.
Even though English is currently used for communication in most countries, there is still a wide disparity between the number of people who speak it and those who don’t. People native to South America or China still like to communicate in their local languages and possess little or no knowledge of English. If English becomes the primary language all over the globe, then it would certainly reduce the communication barrier between nations. With better understanding, more and more visitors would be willing to visit these countries and hence it can prove to be a boon for the local tourism industry. For example, countries like China and South Korea have been seeing significant fall in their annual tourism with tourists complaining that most common services like hotels, road signs and maps are not bilingual.
On the other hand, electing English as the only spoken language around the world would certainly prove a threat to small cultures around the world, especially indigenous communities. Already one can witness that there are many tribes which are disconnected from the world, and if English were to become the main language, it would push those groups further away. If there is no support provided to market their local language and culture, their heritage would fade away by lack of visits from tourists. For instance, many small tribes living in Peru and islands of Japan see a lot of visitors who are very curious of their old and rich history.
In conclusion, with more and more tourists visiting various cultures and places, the rationale behind making English as a global language will only get stronger. This might prove effective in removing misunderstandings and communication barriers among the global community, but the cost of endangering future of indigenous communities is simply too high to pay.
As per capita income of the
world
has been at its highest in the last decade, more travelers are visiting various
tourist
destinations than ever
before
. With this there is a growing perception that
eventually
English will
become
the
only
spoken
language
globally. Although it is true that when English
becomes
a common
language
we will have a much closer and understanding international
community
, it would
certainly
be at the expense of smaller indigenous
people
and their languages.
Even though
English is
currently
used
for communication in most countries, there is
still
a wide disparity between the number of
people
who speak it and those who don’t.
People
native to South America or China
still
like to communicate in their local
languages
and possess
little
or no knowledge of English. If English
becomes
the primary
language
all over the globe, then it would
certainly
reduce
the communication barrier between nations. With better understanding, more and more visitors would be willing to visit these countries and
hence
it can prove to be a boon for the local tourism industry.
For example
, countries like China and South Korea have been seeing significant fall in their annual tourism with
tourists
complaining that most common services like hotels, road signs and maps are not bilingual.
On the other hand
, electing English as the
only
spoken
language
around the
world
would
certainly
prove a threat to
small
cultures around the
world
,
especially
indigenous
communities
. Already one can witness that there are
many
tribes which
are disconnected
from the
world
, and if English were to
become
the main
language
, it would push those groups
further
away. If there is no support provided to market their local
language
and culture, their heritage would fade away by lack of visits from
tourists
.
For instance
,
many
small
tribes living in Peru and islands of Japan
see
a lot of
visitors who are
very
curious of their
old
and rich history.
In conclusion
, with more and more
tourists
visiting various cultures and places, the rationale behind making English as a global
language
will
only
get
stronger. This might prove effective in removing misunderstandings and communication barriers among the global
community
,
but
the cost of endangering future of indigenous
communities
is
simply
too high to pay.