Is the Supremacy of the English Language on the Decline?
It is obvious that the Chinese have taken a dominant place in the industrial market and have become competitive in just about every field.
It doesn’t take a great economist to know that Chinese products are in our baskets when we shop in a clothing, decor or even grocery store. For instance, we know that major grocery brands source their supplies from China so that prices remain competitive (often at the expense of quality, but this is not the subject).
Because global trade has become so important in today’s society, and China is a dominant economic power, it is becoming increasingly important for multinational companies to communicate in Mandarin to simplify communications and negotiations with their Chinese suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers and importers. Given China’s economic dominance, should we come to the conclusion that Mandarin will be the language of tomorrow and is on the verge of replacing English as a global lingua franca?
Today, English is undoubtedly the language of commerce and technology, but English has become the world’s leading language not only for economic reasons, but also for historical and cultural reasons.
Colonization, of course, was the first major factor in the positioning of English, as Shakespeare’s language became the official or dominant language of 75 countries or territories around the world. Since the middle of the 20th century, English has become the language of globalization and international markets. As European countries recovered from the Second World War and worked on their reconstruction, the US had the opportunity to develop considerably and position itself as an economic power, bringing English along as the global language of business.
Culture has also played a more than considerable role in the positioning of English; Cinema and music are incredible vectors of this language: Mickey Mouse, James Dean, Cher, and Drake all speak English, and indeed, it has simply become cool to speak the language of American popular culture.
However, is English losing its place, acquired for so many reasons over time, to Mandarin for simple economic reasons?
If we consider that the Chinese alone represent a quarter of the world’s population and that they are essential for anyone wishing to do business, it would therefore make sense to do so in their language. Many business schools have already understood this and require students to learn Mandarin.
Is the English language on the decline? We may be living the end of an era without realizing it.
Writer: Emmanuelle Guidez
