Why English?

It would be difficult to deny that English is widely spoken around the world in majority of cities, schools, and tourist spots. One may immediately consider English as the “language of the world” and it would not be difficult to find someone who would argue for that. However, I am opposed this idea. One article that promotes this thinking I’d like to scrutinize is “10 Reasons Why English Is The World’s Language” by supposed expert Robby Kukurs. I’d like to point out one of his reasons that may be a bit too biased and unbalanced. This particular reason found in his article was the last one, possibly also placed as the last item for it to create a provoking impact on its viewers. Kukur states that, “Speaking Fluent English Denotes a Certain Social Status.” In the context of our country, this touches upon certain issues pertaining to our history and culture. This “social status” may be seen in our country’s social hierarchy wherein people who are more fluent in foreign languages such as English have better career opportunities and therefore succeed more. Usually, those who have access to such instruction are the wealthy ones or middle class ones. With this context, the majority, or the poor, are left behind. Through this “denoted social status” a divide is created within a community. This divide further expands as English is used as a language of power therefore also a hurdle to the country’s socio-economic success as one whole community. This thinking can be changed through raising awareness to such issue and promoting the use of the Filipino language.

SOURCE:

http://englishharmony.com/english-is-the-world-language/