In the recent years, the argument that the Chinese language will overtake English as the global language has become common across the world. Particular factors have inspired such a feeling among people. Despite English being a universal language for a long time, some elements suggest that the Chinese language will grow regarding the number of people speaking the language (Ammon 204). A recent example that indicates the penetration of mandarin in English speaking nations like the United States of America was when Mark Zuckerberg spoke Chinese for 30 minutes during his talk in one of the Universities in China. His efforts to speak the language was a revelation that Americans are also learning the language. Studies have indicated that the number of the number of students learning and institutions that teach the Chinese language has been up surging in the past two decades. Currently, more than 60,000 college students in the US are studying Chinese, and the number is three times as many as in the 1990s. The trend suggests that the population will even grow further. An underlying aspect that has contributed to the rise in the number of people, particularly students interested in learning the Chinese language is the increasing importance of China in the global economy. The country has now become a crucial partner for business, and more countries including the developed economies like the US and Britain have recognized the economic potential of China. Students feel that learning Chinese as their second language will add value to their academic qualifications. However, the chances that the Chinese language will overtake English as a global language are almost zero. Studies have cited several reasons why English will remain the dominant language over Chinese basing on the population of people speaking the language as well as the countries that use it as their first and official language.
The growth in the population of learners studying the Chinese language at different academic levels is not sufficient to conclude that Chinese will surpass English about the number of people and countries speaking the language. In the US, a small but growing number of parents are sending their children to study in schools that offer all their lessons in Chinese. The reason behind this is to add competence in their kids. The learning is only done for employment and economic purposes. The notion that soon China will overtake the US as world economic leader has inspired many to go for the language. A comparison between the percentage of Americans schooling mandarin Chinese and the total population is a clear suggestion that the Chinese language will neither overtake English in the current generations nor the coming three generations (Drout 71).
The factors that led to the growth of English as the most common language globally were very dominant and are still dominant in the contemporary days. The central aspect that led to the prominence of English across the world was the establishment of British empires in the 19th century. Many nations have the language as their official language because its foundation was set by their rulers many years back. The language will still be dominant because of the American dominance since the 20th century. The American pop culture is adored by many people, and it is a crucial aspect for the popularity of English as a foreign language. Also, the English language has many channels through which it is spread and dominate many parts of the world. The American music, movies, video games, and television programs have a broad audience across the globe. Compared to America, the success of China in the mentioned realm is very limited. The Chinese music, movies, and television shows do not go beyond the Chinese border. The lack of influence through the reals makes the Chinese language an inferior language compared to English because the language is only limited to the Chines people (Li 91). The English culture, as well as the freedom associated with it, plays a significant role in assuring its dominance at the global level. Majority of the English speaking nations have the freedom of speech, and the lack of restrictions is utilized along its loved cultures to spread English further.
English is viewed as a more neutral language than the Chinese. A limiting factor for the spread of the Chinese language is that it is associated with one country, China. On the other hand, English is spoken across many countries, and it is not associated with a specific nation. The dominance of English is also justified through its incorporation into other languages like Russian, German, and Spanish. Such countries have adopted the use of certain words due to their interaction with the English language and culture (Wierzbicka 67).
English is dominant over the Chinese language because Chinese is a more difficult language to comprehend. Specific aspects based on grammar, pronunciations, alphabets and pronunciations make Chinese a very sophisticated language to learn (Xianghui and Zongxiang 51). English is more natural because it has a particular number of alphabets; 27 alphabetical letters while Chinese does not have a specific number of alphabets. Understanding the Chinese language can only be achieved through learning the pronunciation of more than 75,000 independent. The hardship associated with learning the Chinese language gives English an upper hand of remaining the global language for many ages to come. A survey by the US Foreign Service Institute indicated that it would take a person longer time to learn the Chinese language than any other primary language in the world. For native English speakers, it takes 2,200 hours to attain professional fluency in English. Reaching a similar level in French, Spanish, and Dutch takes four times fewer hours. Many individuals lose interest in the language because of the challenges they ought to encounter and as such, majority of Germans, Dutch, French, and Spanish people who wish to be bilingual go for the English language. There is nothing that can be done about the problematic nature of the language (Xianghui and Zongxiang 31). Hence, English will still be the most preferred language in the world because it is easy to learn and speak.
The superiority of English over the Chinese is justified by the number of people and countries that use English as their official and second language. Only one out of four Americans are multilingual. Most Americans speaking more than one language are immigrants. In China, more than 400 million people are studying English (Li 80). That implies that China has more English learners than the US has English speakers. The number is also an indication that English has penetrated into China. A total of 101 nations in the world use English as either their official or second language. Out of the 101 countries, 35 use English as their endorsed language. Many non-English speakers aspire to learn English because it is the essential language for people who travel to different destinations around the globe.
The political and economic stability experienced in most English speaking nations like the US, UK, Australia, and Canada plays a vital role in making English a dominant language over Chinese. Many countries want to associate with such big economies in the world, and one of the necessities to establish the economic ties is by learning the English language to ease communication and cooperation. Economically inferior nations are compelled to learn English for them to benefit fully from their links. The fact that the most influential country in the world speaks English, the language is perhaps the most admired in the world. The United States of America is the world's superpower, and it has political, social, military, and economic influence in all parts of the world. Many nations have adopted the political structures of the US, and they are making English a principal language in the countries (Drout 104). Also, every state will always want to associate itself with a superpower through sharing their language.
In one of the studies, it was discovered that the Chinese language is associated with the physical look of the Chinese people (Wierzbicka 44). The notion of the language is standard across the world, and few people have interest in learning the language because their physical appearance does not match the Chinese language. English will remain the most spoken language in the world because there are stereotypes associated with it. English is a lovable language because it can be spoken by people of all races and cultural backgrounds.
Works Cited
Ammon, Ulrich. "English Next. Why global English may mean the end of 'English as a Foreign Language.'." Language Problems " Language Planning 32.2 (2008): 203-207. Print.
Drout, Michael D. C. A History of the English Language. Prince Frederick: Recorded Books, 2006. Print.
Li, Songqing. "English, advertising and positioning: the impact of English on Chinese people’s daily lives." Journal of World Languages 2.2-3 (2015): 77-93. Print.
Wierzbicka, Anna. Imprisoned in English: The Hazards of English As a Default Language. N.p., 2014. Print.
Xianghui, Kong, and Feng Zongxiang. "A Study of Function Words Fossilization in English Writing among Chinese Non-English Majors." (2017): Print.
