Are you a monoglot? According to author David Graddol that is not something to be proud of.

If you have two or more languages you are a polyglot and way ahead of most Americans.

In the rest of the world, however, where English has become the lingua franca for business and diplomacy, computers, medicine and entertainment, almost every educated person speaks two languages, often more.

In 1997 linguist David Graddol published The Future of English? for the nonprofit British Council. Last year the Council published Graddol's follow-up essay, "English Next; Why Global English May Mean the End of 'English as a Foreign Language.'"

The 132 page book can be easily downloaded on the Internet and read for free. In fact, that is the only way to read it. http://www.britishconcil.org. Find it by Googling "English Next." I give the specific URL in the email version of this week's Words on Books.

Graddol cautions, "The familiar 'story of English' provides an historical narrative which represents the emergence of global English as a 'triumph' for native speakers. The reality is that there are much wider and more complex changes in the world language system now taking place. English is not the only 'big' language in the world, and its position as a global language is now in the care of multilingual speakers."

So-called "global English" has transformed the world in recent years, and at the same time worldwide use of English is changing the language itself. We grew up speaking the language, so we think of English as "our" language, but in fact we don't really "own" it anymore. It belongs not only to us, but to the Indian in a cubicle answering phones in Bangalore and to Chinese engineers building Olympic stadiums.

Graddol says "the entire world language system is restructuring. English is no longer the only show in town. Mandarin and Spanish, especially, have become sufficiently important to be influencing national policy priorities in some countries."

America is losing prestige and influence due to many factors, including resentment of US dominance. The one-way signs on Hollywood Boulevard are coming down. These days "Chinese viewers are more interested in soap operas from Korea than the USA... Hong Kong action movies have helped create a new Western film genre. 'Bollywood' influence is being felt around the world. In the USA... mainstream broadcasters are buying into Spanish programming."

The world has adopted English and we no longer own the rights. Graddol gives this example: When Americans leave an international meeting the conversation gets easier for everyone else.

Bill Bryson in The Mother Tongue quotes a US airline report referring to a crash as the "involuntary conversion of a 727" and a hospital describing death as "a negative patient-care outcome."

There have been international efforts to standardize English and simplify it. Civilian naval vessels use Seaspeak, a UN-sponsored dialect that cuts English to bare essentials to avoid misunderstandings (and oil spills). There are similar versions of English for use on trains (Tunnelspeak for the French and English workers in the Chunnel) and on airplanes (Airspeak, of course).

A new, international style of English is developing and we don't quite know the words. We communicate with nuance but also with jargon, obfuscation, euphemisms, localisms and slang. And we expect everyone to understand us.

It doesn't work that way any more. It's a new world and we need to understand the changes.

Aired Sunday May 11, 2008 at 10:55 am and Wednesday May 14, 2008 at 1:00 pm

Orders/Information:

Read or download the 132 page essay "English Next" here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-english-next.pdf

An interesting three-book book review by Henry Hitchings (author of The Secret Life of Words) in the Financial Times of London set me off on my quest for the Graddol essay.

Read Hitchings here: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4be29966-17db-11dd-b98a-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

Over time such long-winded URLs tend to become obsolete. If the above link dies, go to the Financial Times (www.ft.com) and search for "One language fits all."

The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson. Harper paperback $14.95. ISBN 0380715430.

Changing English by David Graddol. Routledge paperback $35.95. ISBN 0415376793.

In 2007 David Graddol edited Changing English. From the publisher: "Changing English examines the history of English from its origins in the fifth century to the present day. It focuses on the radical changes that have taken place in the structure of English over a millennium and a half, detailing the influences of migration, colonialism and many other historical, social and cultural phenomena. Expert authors illustrate and analyze dialects, accents and the shifting styles of individual speakers as they respond to changing circumstances. The reader is introduced to many key debates relating to the English language, illustrated by specific examples of data in context."

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