Globalization and the Variety of Languages

Résumé du document

The legend of the Babel's tower tells that at the very beginning of the world, the human beings had only one and unique language. Today some 5000 languages are spoken in the world. It shows one of the many layers that composed humanity's cultural heritage. However, this variety of the languages is quickly disappearing. On average, 25 languages die every year and half of the population of the world uses only 9 languages in the daily life.

These facts lead up to wonder if the globalization is a threat for languages' diversity? And is there a way to limit this impact? The globalization means by definition « the development of interdependence's links between men and women, human activities and political systems on the scale of the world" as well as transfers, possessions' international exchange, the workforce and the knowledge.

Extraits

[...] On average languages die every year and half of the population of the world uses only 9 languages in the daily life. These facts lead up to wonder if the globalization is a threat for languages' diversity? And is there a way to limit this impact? The globalization means by definition the development of interdependence's links between men and women, human activities and political systems on the scale of the world” as well as transfers, possessions' international exchange, the workforce and the knowledge. [...]

[...] Multinationals are also the cause there. In fact, the strategies and the overall policies of the big groups can be diffused only in English to be then applied in the national language. For example, the Metro group that having its headquarters in Germany, possesses stores all around the world but the communication between a German store and a store based in Shanghai can be made only in English. There is also the example of the Nike company that realized an English slogan called" Just do it "that was broaden in all over the world. [...]

[...] Although the globalization allowed a liberalization of the exchanges, ideas and movements we notice that the disappearance of the languages is on the way. The number of disappearing languages is going to continue to increase, and the appearance of new types of languages will not manage to compensate the loss of the languages which will have disappeared. The globalization has unquestionably a backhand effect for the weak languages (minorities) as well as for the extension of the strong languages. However the death of the languages is not necessarily irreversible, given that organism as the UNESCO, the Chirac foundation and the initiative Babel try to slow down this increase of linguistic loss. [...]

[...] We notice that the current presence of the English language is important in the world. In fact, the promotion of English in the status of common language and either foreign establish a key pillar of the Americanization globalization's world strategy. At first, English was only spoken in Great Britain then it developed through important international business connections. English in the " business world " have just followed and became established after the end of the British reign, and left place with the Americanization led by the USA. [...]

[...] The globalization ignores the geography, the distances but also the time, thanks to the communication's technologies such as internet. It seems evident that these innovations contribute to the disappearance of the languages especially when the language in question is numerically weak. Indeed nowadays, the information and the knowledge are transported most of the time by the new technologies and the communications. The new technologies in the globalization bring at the same time the opportunity to improve its knowledge and learn more in every domain but also the threat about the disappearance of the languages and the cultures. [...]