Linguistic

Imperialism
Impacts of global language
dominance

Linguistic Imperialism:

The transfer of a dominant language

(and aspects of its culture) to
speakers of other languages.
Definition reference: Gerald Knowles,
Encyclopdia Britannica.

Photo: Public domain

Linguistic Imperialism:
Assumes the active promotion of the language by
the dominant class as an active expression of
power of the powerful over the powerless.
(Robert Phillipson, 1992)
Notions of imperialism understate agency,
rendering participants cultural dupes or
passive puppets of an ideological order, or
in a mechanistic universe.
(Talbot, Atkinson, & Atkinson, 2003:273)

cogs

References: Robert Phillipson, Linguistic Imperialism (1992); Henry Widdowson (1998a), p. 398. EIL: squaring the
Circles. A Reply. World Englishes 17/3 397-401. Talbot, Atkinson, & Atkinson, 2003:273

Different views of the source of Linguistic Imperialism

It may take a militarily
powerful nation to
establish a language, but
it takes an economically
powerful one to maintain
it and expand it
David Crystal (1997:1)

Linguistic Imperialism
is a sub-type of Cultural
Imperialism. Linguistic
Imperialism permeates
all the other types of
imperialism, since
language is the means
used to mediate and
express them
Robert Phillipson
(1992, 65)

A good command of the English language

is required for this role
How good is
your English?

Lady, you
need to get
your English
right
Do you
speak
English?

Speak
English!

We speak
English here

You get
points for
good
English
You cant
even speak
English
properly!

I have a problem with

your accent

English is the
language of
international
air control
of academic
journals are
first published
in English
85 % of global
international
organisations
use English as
an official
language
1/3 of
newspapers
are published
in countries
where English
has special
status

Statistics: David Crystal (2003) English as a Global Language.

Historical examples of active Linguistic

Imperialism exercised by
Conquerors/Oppressors

FRENCH over
ENGLISH
following the
French invasion
of England in
1066

JAPANESE
over KOREAN
following the
annexation of
Korea by Japan
in the early 20th
Century

RUSSIAN over
UKRANIAN
following
Soviet
oppression of
the Ukraine in
the early 20th

Book cover copyright Xinran, 2006

2006
published
series of
essays
originally
published in
The
Guardian
(UK)
newspaper
and related
to modern
day issues
facing
Chinese
people
throughout
the world.

2010 published non fiction

book describing realities of
everyday life for North Korean
citizens and defectors from
North to South Korea.

The full
content of
many
official
documents
like legal
documents
are
produced
only in
English or
primarily in
Negative
English
mental
health
impacts on
non
speakers of
language of
power

I found a very cheap place in north

London. It had three bedrooms and
one living room, and was occupied
by 15 Chinese men who all worked
in restaurants. They shared a tiny
kitchen and a bathroom, but kept a
storeroom aside to let to a
translator who could help them
deal with local government.
I tried to explain that I was not well
qualified enough to take their very
cheap room because my English
was poor, I had no knowledge of
the law and of how things worked
in this country. I could not
understand their papers from the
Home Office.
But I saw how scared, insecure and
lost they were, the massive worry
in their begging eyes
and
thirsty
Xinran
(2006)
pg 64.
words. I felt so sorry I couldnt help

Local
government
communicat
es using the
globally
dominant
language.
This results
in loss of
independen
ce for nonspeakers
and
language
learners

Book cover copyright

Barbara Demick 2010

When a globally
dominant language
is imposed even
within cultures it
does not originate
from, it can be a
battle for native
speakers to fight for
the right to use their
If a language has not
native language
been actively
promoted and/or is
not used globally by
speakers of power,
that language is
likely to be less
available for
practical use in
global language

Professionals who migrate to a new country

or language community can be profoundly
disadvantaged by aspects of Linguistic
Imperialism found in the
re-qualification requirements of the adopted
country.

After years of fighting the South

Korea Medical Board she bit the bullet
and at age forty began a four-year
medical program.
Her studies, she told me, were
difficult, not because her training in
North Korea had left her ill prepared
but because the South Korean
medical school used English
terminology that was completely
unfamiliar to her.

Barbara Demick (2010) pp. 259-260

The only foreign language she had

studied was Russian.

Conclusion
Ongoing Questions about the English language and Linguistic
Imperialism:

Active or Accidental?
Morally wrong or morally irrelevant?
Survival of the fittest or deliberate dominance?
Can any negative impacts be mitigated?

REFERENCES
Crystal, D. (1997). English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press
Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language. Cambridge, UK; New York:
Cambridge University.
Demick, B (2010). Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. New York:
Spiegel & Grau
English Language Imperialism: Year In Review 1997. (2010). In Encyclopdia
Britannica. Retrieved October 05, 2010, from Encyclopdia Britannica Online
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1016976/language-imperialism
Phillipson, R.H.L. (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Talbot, M., Atkinson, K., & Atkinson, D. (2003). Language and power in the modern
world. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press
Widdowson, H.G. (1998a) EIL: squaring the Circles. A Reply. World Englishes
pp.397-401.
Xinran (2006) What the Chinese Dont Eat. Great Britain: Vintage.