10.Linguistic imperialism, definition, English language is a killer language/ trojan horse.

The global spread of the English language can be seen as linked to linguistic imperialism, in particular,
where English becomes dominant at the expense of indigenous languages. The spread of English may
marginalize other languages since English can be a gatekeeper to education, employment, business
opportunities and popular culture. Pennycook (1995) is suspicious that the spread of English is beneficial
but points out that the language can also be appropriated and changed, in many cases (2001). Cooke
(1988) uses the metaphor of the Trojan horse to describe the way that English may be welcomed initially
in a country but then cause concern as it dominates the native language(s) and cultures.

Linguistic imperialism is the imposition of one language on speakers of other languages.

The term originated in the 1930s as part of a critique of Basic English and was reintroduced by linguist
Robert Phillipson in his monograph "Linguistic Imperialism" (Oxford University Press, 1992). In that
study, Phillipson offered this working definition of English linguistic imperialism: "the dominance
asserted and maintained by the establishment and continuous reconstitution of structural and cultural
inequalities between English and other languages." Phillipson viewed linguistic imperialism as a subtype
of linguicism.

It is logical that people in many countries wish to develop competence in English, but in many
postcolonial countries this entails subtractive learning. For instance, a consequence of education in
Singapore being exclusively through the medium of English is that more than half the population now
use English as the home language. English-medium schooling that neglects mother tongues can have this
effect.

The spread of English has accompanied the political and economic intentions of English-speaking nations
to conquer other countries. He claims this endangers their cultural ideals, their ways of life and their
indigenous languages.

Phillipson calls for radical change in language policy to redress the balance and to promote the
multilingualism that reflects the more natural state of language use around the world.

Phillipson’s arguments have also provoked a number of criticisms, among which are making teachers
feel unnecessarily guilty about teaching English, and adopting a patronising attitude towards developing
countries by assuming they are incapable of making their own decisions about language choice. It has
also been pointed out that a language cannot, in itself, be imperialistic.

A trojan horse:

A language can cease to exist for several reasons: it can be murdered (when a language is forbidden to
be spoken), it can commit suicide (when a language voluntarily is given up), or it can die of old age, like
Latin and ancient Greek. It can also morph into a new language, as in the case of Old English into Middle
English and Modern English.
When English is trying to push out other major languages, like French or German, there is a struggle,
sometimes creating a sense of inferiority and resentment on the part of the weaker language, and there
is an attempt at artificially keeping the onslaught of English at bay. French has its 'Academie Francaise',
Spanish has the Real Academia Española and German has the Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung. There is
no Academy for English, probably because English doesn't feel threatened.

Cooke (1988) uses the metaphor of the Trojan horse to describe the way that English may be welcomed
initially in a country but then cause concern as it dominates the native language(s) and cultures. The
metaphor builds on the historical story of the giant wooden horse, which concealed Greek soldiers who
wanted to invade Troy. In modern computerese, Trojan horse programs are called Trojans (or remote
access Trojans or trapdoors) where hidden programming is concealed which can later destroy data when
they escape into other programs. Where antivirus software is used to combat computer Trojans,
language teachers must find other resources. Cooke's (1988) metaphor is a valid one, suggesting that
colonialism and class interests threaten indigenous languages and act as a gatekeeper to employment
and economic opportunities. There is inner conflict in the learning of English since it may carry
unwanted ideologies and cultures, like a Trojan horse (Canararajah 1999, p. 3).

Although initially the spread of English has been considered as an economic opportunity, it has been
seen as a destructive language too, regarding the linguistic and cultural diversity. Pattanayak (1996) says
that this spread of English accentuates the rift between the urban and the rural, the developed and the
developing and the mass and the elite. And because it prevents many languages sharing communication,
it promotes alienation, anomie, and blind spots in cultural perception.

So, many authors say that the spread of English is responsible for the death of other languages;

the colonization of Australia, for instance, in which native language of indigenous almost disappeared, or
the language of the American natives, which is the same case.

But the spread of English has not been like this in other countries. English language is in many countries
as a co-official language or as a language of trade. Even in East Africa, if you remember, it serves as a
thrust of the Swahili, expanded its functional and geographical range.

So, it does not seem that English has to be seen as a killer language. It is not the direct cause of the
language deaths in all the situations. Instead, the direct fact in killing languages seems to be the
globalization of the economy, which takes the English language as a medium of communication. In other
words, English would not be seen as a killer language, by the “medium to murder”.

It is ironic that, although the use of English has expanded, the relatively small number of people who
speak English as their native language soon will be the only monolingual group in the world. Since there
is no need or much opportunity to learn another language, native English speakers will lack the double
dimension that speaking another language gives you. That is why so many foreign born parents living in
this country insist that their children be raised bilingually, even though there is no practical reason to do
so.