The world as we know today runs on languages. Everyone speaks languages, from Arabic to Chinese to Afrikaans. But in the modern post-colonial world, the prowess of English as a language is undeniable. English is as common a medium of transferring information as you will come across. It is visible in many facets of peoples lives all around the world, from the economy they depend on to the the various forms of entertainment. But English has had the most lasting impact in one field: Education.
English is the most prevalent in Education. All of the top universities in the world have English as their medium of instruction. Universities like MIT, Stanford and Oxbridge have requirements for proficiency in English. If an applicant who qualifies for admission is not admitted, it is most probably because their proficiency in English as a language. The existence of tests that grade the level of proficiency of a person in English reveals to us the power that English has had since the Colonial period.
Since education is a stepping stone for anyone's life, English might establish itself as more important than the persons native tongue. This might have bad implications for the native tongue of that certain someone, which my lead to loss of culture. The fact that this is actually happening just reveals to us how much power English has maintained throughout the years.
But the real problem comes to surface when we realise that even the best educational institutions in a country whose native language is not English, have English as a medium of instruction. Yes, some might have courses in native languages as well. but it is a rare occurrence. Some even require a certain proficiency in English that is demonstrated through tests. This is a huge problem, as a lot of educators and students are killing their own culture without realising it.
For example, in India, even though there are many languages, the medium of instruction of the best education system is English. The best universities in India, like the IIT's have an English medium of instruction. This although does not look as bad, until we realise that India has around 780 languages. Courses in these universities do not have any of these 780 languages as their medium of instruction! Even the best universities in the states where native tongues are prevalent, English is still prevalent as a medium of instruction! This shows the massive linguistic power English has had to this day in India.
Even though receiving education through an English medium is efficient for the world as it helps in unifying people of different cultures, it has an immense impact on the way people think about their own culture. Given that not a lot of people will stop speaking in their native tongues, a small portion still will. This small portion, as time progresses might become large. It may even become larger until it results in the extinction of the language, and even threaten the existence of a culture itself.
English is the most prevalent in Education. All of the top universities in the world have English as their medium of instruction. Universities like MIT, Stanford and Oxbridge have requirements for proficiency in English. If an applicant who qualifies for admission is not admitted, it is most probably because their proficiency in English as a language. The existence of tests that grade the level of proficiency of a person in English reveals to us the power that English has had since the Colonial period.
Since education is a stepping stone for anyone's life, English might establish itself as more important than the persons native tongue. This might have bad implications for the native tongue of that certain someone, which my lead to loss of culture. The fact that this is actually happening just reveals to us how much power English has maintained throughout the years.
But the real problem comes to surface when we realise that even the best educational institutions in a country whose native language is not English, have English as a medium of instruction. Yes, some might have courses in native languages as well. but it is a rare occurrence. Some even require a certain proficiency in English that is demonstrated through tests. This is a huge problem, as a lot of educators and students are killing their own culture without realising it.
For example, in India, even though there are many languages, the medium of instruction of the best education system is English. The best universities in India, like the IIT's have an English medium of instruction. This although does not look as bad, until we realise that India has around 780 languages. Courses in these universities do not have any of these 780 languages as their medium of instruction! Even the best universities in the states where native tongues are prevalent, English is still prevalent as a medium of instruction! This shows the massive linguistic power English has had to this day in India.
Even though receiving education through an English medium is efficient for the world as it helps in unifying people of different cultures, it has an immense impact on the way people think about their own culture. Given that not a lot of people will stop speaking in their native tongues, a small portion still will. This small portion, as time progresses might become large. It may even become larger until it results in the extinction of the language, and even threaten the existence of a culture itself.
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