McKay Chapter 1

McKay Chapter 1: English as an International Language.
Ch1 is all about exactly what the title states. It explains the present use of the English language and the history while giving reasons why the English language is the way it is. According to McKay, defining a language as international relies on many factors. It could be a language that has a large number of speakers, but to be an international language as described in the book, it must be spoken by a large number of native speakers of other languages as well. A language achieves global status when it develops a “special role” that is recognized in every country. The special status can be achieved by making it an official language of the country or by requiring it as a foreign language.
This chapter contains a graph explaining the various roles that the English language takes. There are three circles, each containing information on the speakers of English. A) the inner circle-where English is the primary language. B) Outer circle- English serves as a second language in a multilingual community and C) the expanding circle-English serves as a foreign language. There are some drawbacks to this categorization, as McKay explains, but it is helpful to provide an estimate of current English speakers.
The author gives reasons for the spread of English; 19th and 20th century British and American colonialism and the migration of English speaking people to other areas were “of central importance.” Things like motion pictures, popular music, international travel, and publications in today’s world all contribute to the spread of the English language. The widespread use of English makes it important for countries wishing for economic development to have access to it.
Mckay also talks about things that might impede the spread of English. In the expanding circle countries, there is little need for people to learn English. This may be because they often have little need to use English in their daily life. I liked that McKay mentioned technology as a possible factor that could impede the spread of English. I’ve often thought that with so many translation methods available online, some people may be able to bypass learning a language. However, I believe that technology cannot completely replace the learning of a language in many contexts. I also liked that she mentioned the negative aspects of the spread of English, one of them being the rise of social inequalities based on a lack of access to instruction in the language.