The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language

by Rosemary Salomone

Overview

A sweeping account of the global rise of English and the high-stakes politics of language Spoken by a quarter of the world's population, English is today's lingua franca--its common tongue. The language of business, popular media, and international politics, English has become commodified for its economic value and increasingly detached from any particular nation. This meteoric "rise of English" has many obvious benefits to communication. Tourists can travel abroad with greater ease. Political leaders can directly engage their counterparts. Researchers can collaborate with foreign colleagues. Business interests can flourish in the global economy. But the rise of English has very real downsides at times generating intense legal conflicts. In Europe, imperatives of political integration, job mobility, and university rankings compete with pride in national language and heritage as countries like France attempt to curb its spread. In countries like India, South Africa, Morocco, and Rwanda, it has stratified society along lines of English proficiency and devalued commonly spoken languages. In Anglophone countries like the United States and England, English isolates us from the cultural and economic benefits of speaking other languages. In The Rise of English, Rosemary Salomone offers a commanding view of the unprecedented spread of English and the far-reaching effects it has on global and local politics, economics, media, education, and business. From the inner workings of the European Union to China's use of language as "soft power" in Africa, Salomone draws on a wealth of research to tell the complex story of English--and, ultimately, to argue for English not as a force for domination but as a core component of multilingualism and the transcendence of linguistic and cultural borders.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190625634
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/17/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Rosemary Salomone is the Kenneth Wang Professor of Law at St. John's University School of Law (USA). Trained as a linguist and a lawyer, she is an internationally recognized expert and commentator on language rights, education law and policy, and comparative equality. An elected member of the American Law Institute and fellow of the American Bar Foundation, she is a former faculty member of the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, lecturer in Harvard's Institute for Educational Management, and trustee of the State University of New York. In addition to The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language (awarded the 2023 Premio Pavese in non-fiction by Italy's Fondazione Cesare Pavese), her books include True American; Same, Different, Same, Different, Equal (selected as an "Outstanding Academic Title for 2005" by Choice Magazine); Visions of Schooling; and Equal Education Under Law.

Table of Contents

Preface Introduction Chapter 1: The English Divide Part I: Multilingual Europe Chapter 2: Myth or Reality? Chapter 3: A High-Stakes Movement Chapter 4: Shakespeare in the Crossfire Chapter 5: Headwinds from the North Part II: Shadows of Colonialism Chapter 6: The "New Scramble" for Africa Chapter 7: Adieu to French Chapter 8: Redress and Transformation Chapter 9: Confronting the Raj Part III: Defying the Monolingual Mindset Chapter 10: Defining the Deficit Chapter 11: Reshaping the Narrative Chapter 12: A Revolution in the Making Chapter 13: Marketing Language Conclusion Chapter 14: Looking Back, Moving Forward References Index

Editorial Reviews

"In writing this interesting, solid book, Salomone...was well served by her legal background in assessing multiple case studies in which the rise of English is evident as language, law, and politics interact in Europe and in various postcolonial settings." — M. A. Morris, Clemson University, Choice Connect

"[A] panoramic, endlessly fascinating and eye-opening book, with an arresting fact on nearly every page. . . . meticulous and nuanced in chronicling the battles being fought over language policy in countries ranging from Italy to Congo, and analyzing the unexpected winners and losers." — Amy Chua, The New York Times

"In this relevant, timely historical analysis, [Rosemary Salomone] tackles many of the relevant angles in the 'English only' debate.... A pertinent, accessible study that asks a big question: What language should the world speak?" — Kirkus

"A dazzling voyage around the globe uncovering how and why English reigns supreme in the modern world—and what it means for countries, markets, and populations. From France to India, then to China and beyond, Rosemary Salomone excavates the law and politics of language beneath sites of cultural, economic, and social contestation. Fascinating, multidimensional and urgent, The Rise of English traverses intellectual terra nova that reveals the blessing and curse of English global domination. Bravo!" — Richard Albert, William Stamps Farish Professor in Law and Professor of Government, The University of Texas at Austin

"The Rise of English provides an important study of the role of English in society and education. Rosemary Salomone has not only has written a unique comprehensive overview and analysis of the historical, colonial, and current influence of English; she also gives valuable insights to its competitors and to the future dominance of English." — Hans de Wit, Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow, Center for International Higher Education, Boston College

"Based on an overwhelming amount of source material, The Rise of English by Rosemary Salamone provides a panoramic, tremendously informative and always gripping overview of the supremacy of English in today's world and of the push and pull factors that gave it its unique role as the dominant lingua franca. The book combines a broad scope with a keen eye for detail, guiding the reader through countries and continents, along language policies, legislation, and lawsuits. The ever increasing dominance of English in higher education, Europe's policy of multilingualism, Africa's and India's colonial past, and the advantages of individual and societal bilingualism - these are just a few of the many themes that are covered, authoritatively and eruditely. This book is a really impressive tour de force and reading it a rich and rewarding experience." — Annette de Groot, Professor of Experimental Psycholinguistics, University of Amsterdam

"In this penetrating analysis of language policies and practices around the world, Professor Salomone reveals a fundamental paradox. In most nations, multilingualism is the norm and English serves as the lingua franca of commerce for purely pragmatic reasons. Meanwhile, in the United States, language remains mired in ideology and identity politics, producing a monolingual mindset with isolating consequences on the international stage. English dominates and distances at the same time." — Rachel F. Moran, , Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Irvine School of Law

"The Rise of English is a highly impressive feat of academic research on the dominant role of the English language across very different sociolinguistic contexts around the globe. Rosemary Salomone's style is remarkable and her comprehensive and creative analyses make the book a must read for a worldwide readership. I have no doubt that this book will become a classic in the field of language policy." — Christine Hélot, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Strasbourg

"The rise of English is a complex process, which combines plain domination and voluntary commitment, cultural hegemony and pragmatic considerations, economic imperatives and cosmopolitan dreams. Drawing on evidence from four Continents, Rosemary Salomone masterfully tackles this complexity and shows that building sustainable structures of transnational communication requires fostering multilingualism." — Peter A. Kraus, Professor of Political Science, University of Augsburg

From the Publisher

2021-09-29
An American law professor and linguist addresses the babel of controversy over the predominance of the English language as the world’s lingua franca.

As Salomone demonstrates, English rules as the international language of business, finance, and technology. However, its dominance crushes regional and Indigenous languages and identity and often leads to a dangerously blinkered monolingualism. In this relevant, timely historical analysis, the author tackles many of the relevant angles in the “English only” debate. The argument against “linguistic hegemony” is fierce and ongoing—not only in Europe, where Brexit has renewed calls for the conducting of Europe’s business in French and other European languages, but also in Africa (still making peace with colonial languages), India, and even the U.S., where language immersion and bilingualism are hot-button topics. France wages a valiant battle to keep its language dominant, and calls for English-only graduate classes there and in the Netherlands and Italy have met with push back and lawsuits. In Africa, French and Chinese are giving English a run for its money. In Rwanda and Morocco, English is chosen as an equalizer, while in India (where there are thousands of Indigenous languages), the teaching of English exacerbates the class divide. “The world is chasing after English for the opportunities it presumably offers,” writes Salomone, crossing geographical, generational, and class bounds, yet after the initial headlong rush to globalization, employers are learning the value of hiring people with facility in multiple languages. With the rise in migration and immigration, the author underscores that 1 in 5 people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home and that the pandemic has emphasized the need for language skills, especially in health care. “The health crisis…revealed the limitations of machine translation and the false sense of comfort with English monolingualism that technology has created,” writes Salomone.

A pertinent, accessible study that asks a big question: What language should the world speak?

Kirkus Reviews