View this article in RussianIt is well known that English is a universal means of communication for speakers of different languages. As an international language, it operates both at the regional and international levels and it is already very difficult to imagine its absence in international politics, business, science, aviation and technology. For example, on a computer, 80% of the world’s data is stored in English. So what will happen to this indispensable language in the future? Will it suffer the fate of extinct languages such as Sumerian, Koine, Hittite, etc. or will it rise to new heights and evolve into something completely new? To answer this question, let’s go back in time to a time when the English language was just introducing itself to the world.
In most countries, children start learning English immediately after they start school. In many families, this process begins much earlier and on a par with the native language. Moreover, in some countries there are even lessons for one-year-old children. Such processes greatly popularize English. From childhood, children absorb foreign languages, can watch and understand cartoons in English, know words, and can easily integrate entire phrases in English during communication. This leads to the fact that entire layers of culture are transformed. It becomes impossible to predict the future, since it is difficult to imagine what this will lead to and what language will dominate on Earth. It may not even be the English we are so used to. Most young parents also already speak English at a certain level and take courses with the whole family. This is one of the reasons why English is considered a common language.
Let’s take, for example, words that young people often use in everyday life. There are now a sufficient number of English words of international use. These are, for example: “telephone”, “gadget”, “make-up” and so on. In any case, over the years there will be very few people who will not be able to speak English. Although it definitely may not be the main language, because one cannot exclude the popularity and demand of other languages, English is still clearly out of competition.
Nowadays it is very common to see experiments in the field of education that concern the gradual introduction of the English language. Natural sciences and various subjects (business, management, information technology, etc.) in universities and other educational institutions are increasingly taught in English. This suggests that in this way it becomes possible to study English in conjunction with practice. And, naturally, this contributes to its spread in the future. Of course, the day is unlikely to come when teaching will be conducted only in English, but, nevertheless, how much you know the language will allow you to either expand or narrow your horizons, ambitions, and, consequently, achievements.
In many institutions, English is presented for learning as a tool for communication between people who do not know each other’s language. And this is the most important factor. The one who positions himself in this way has the most advantageous position. This in no way affects the culture of one’s own language and gives freedom to use English simply as a very effective tool.
And what a huge number of courses, seminars, trainings, books are produced in English-speaking countries. They don’t even have time to be translated into other languages. And anyone who wants to keep up with progress, with new technologies and the latest achievements, is simply forced to draw the necessary information from English-language sources.
Now let’s move forward into the future for the same period of time – 1500 years, which will take us to the year 3524. Will English still exist? I’m not asking if he will change – he certainly will. For example, English-speaking computer users have now invented an entirely new language that sounds completely foreign to those who do not use the technology. Words such as pwn, gg, noob and others may sound unusual and completely confusing to those who do not play computer games.
If you analyze the degree of changes that have occurred in the English language over the past 1500 years and look at the same period of time in the future, then with a very high probability in 1500-2000 years it will be just as strikingly different from its current version. So if you have a time machine, you know English perfectly and want to fly into the future for the weekend, get ready for the fact that the impressions of a cool quick trip will be slightly spoiled by the language barrier and the need to find a translator.
Many say that the English language will suffer a sad fate, causing it to end its days like Latin or even disappear altogether. However, I disagree with this, and here’s why. The unprecedented development of technology will allow humanity to achieve great flexibility.
The widespread integration of English learning from a young age, its growing presence in academic fields, and its dominance in accessing information all suggest a continued rise of English in the future. However, the language will likely evolve significantly, potentially becoming as unrecognizable to us as Old English is today. While other languages may gain prominence, English’s established role as a global communication tool is unlikely to vanish entirely.
References
- Bard (2024, May 28). The Enduring Future of English: A Language in Transformation.