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By: Parker Zhang
Currently, many families globally see English proficiency as the way out of poverty. So many non-English speaking nations have English as a university entrance test subject. In the 21st century, the globe has seen the rise of China alongside the rapid industrialization of other countries. So this leads me to speculate, in a world with multiple superpowers, we will see people:
Switch to Mandarin as the lingua franca
Keep English as the standard language of business
Replicate the trends of a multi-polar world and result in no dominant language
Here are the cases for all three.
Photo by olia danilevich from Pexels
The Chinese Century
It is projected that in the next few years China will overtake the United States as the largest economy in the world. As China becomes the one to watch, developing countries and their citizens may pivot to learning Chinese rather than English.
History has shown that people willingly take up the language of the world’s most powerful. In fact, the word lingua franca comes from French which is used to describe a common language between speakers whose native languages are different. First came Latin, and then their era ended and the Italians took over once. Around the 14th century, French replaced Italian as the primary language of communication in western Europe. This carried on until World War 1. Before this, the French language was dominant in the world of diplomacy. But at the Treaty of Versailles, there was a shift. English and French versions of the treaty were jointly published, departing from a long-standing tradition. Aiding this transition from French to English, the British colonial administration promoted the use of the English language. Subsequently, during decolonization, many African countries–in an attempt to avoid linguistic and tribal tension–kept English as their official language.
So if we are to heed the past, we can assume that within a generation or two, Mandarin will become a crucial part of educational curricula globally - as we’ve seen how English is today. Mandarin would then be seen as the ticket out of poverty.
And although this quote and its background aren’t fitting, people will “follow the money” if it means that they can make a better life for their families.
Even though Britannia no longer rules the waves, her language shall prevail.
Photo by Johnmark Barit from Pexels
Alternatively, English could remain supreme, a timeless relic of the colonial past. Since World War 2, English has become ingrained in many that learning it will lead to opportunities and success — big money. The infrastructure is getting stronger every day. Global cities usually have bilingual street signs, catering to the international business community. In the biggest soft power flex, website domains use the Latin alphabet and while there could be a resurgence among countries that use the Latin alphabet, current trends of rising powers deem it unlikely. While future technological innovations could render the web obsolete, one must look towards how languages across the globe have had to adapt to the whims of English. China has had to develop a writing system with anglicized letters so its citizens could use a standard keyboard.
Many international organizations including the UN and Air Traffic Control rely on English to communicate their everyday objectives. It would be too much of a hassle to redesignate the language of business when the world has grown around a single unifying language. The global communication infrastructure needs English–wonderfully displayed by Medium’s monetization of only English literature.
Is Big Tech the Future Universal Language?
However, lingua francas could be rendered obsolete. The advancement of translation technology is fascinating and rapidly improving. Students in developing countries may be fretting over which language will further their career the most, but tech could step in and make it easier. We could be looking at regional dominant languages complemented by strong, robust translation software. Take Google’s Interpreter Mode for instance. If programming could iron out slang and grammatical errors and perhaps change the monotone voice, we could look at conducting business and diplomacy through an app translator. Like all problems, there are modern solutions ready at our fingertips.
In a multi-polar world, there just seems to be too many options. It could become a political statement which language you choose as your second language. And so, as we watch international geopolitics play out, tech is possibly the perfect equalizer.