Introduction
As a product of human evolution, language is a rather peculiar phenomenon. It might seem static at first glance; however, closer analysis proves it is an incredibly fluid substance, with multiple variations coexisting within the same language system (Srivani et al., 2022). Moreover, with the emergence and discovery of new phenomena, items, and concepts, new words enter languages, shaping and altering them, English being one of the most accurate examples. Therefore, one can rationally assume that the English language will continue to evolve, its future being unpredictable yet exciting (Srivani et al., 2022). Although determining the exact changes to occur in the English language, English is expected to incorporate a range of borrowed words and neologisms while splitting into a range of new dialects, which the enhanced globalization process will facilitate.
Topic Description
The topic under analysis allows considering the future of English while also looking at some of the problems that have been recurring in the language for a while. Since language is a relatively pliable phenomenon in which a range of factors can influence change, it is imperative to consider the avenues that its evolution will take in the next couple of decades. Moreover, with the current increase in the pace of global development, including technological innovations, social progress, and an increase in global communication and knowledge sharing, the language is bound to experience change. Thus, preparing for it and recognizing key patterns will help adjust to the alterations in the future. Specifically, the focus on language expansion and diversification should be kept.
Research Articles’ Relevance
The articles under analysis are pretty relevant to the topic and its associated issues, including the challenges that the English language is likely to be subjected to in the future. Specifically, each article selected for this research addresses an aspect of English linked to the current issues observed in English and the future development that the language is likely to experience. Some background readings indirectly explore the language’s future, including keeping track of the current status of English in countries that have their national languages but have adopted English as part of their economic development efforts.
Although most of the articles render the linguistic issues associated with the change and the sociocultural aftermath thereof, they should still be seen as relevant. Indeed, since language is a product of society, a system of symbols used among a special ethnic group to communicate ideas to one another, it needs to be reviewed from the sociocultural standpoint as well (Xiashi & Lin, 2020). Therefore, each of the articles is relevant to the issue at hand.
Additionally, the relevance of the articles is significantly defined by the fact that they have appeared in print only recently. Indeed, none of the articles being older than five years has predetermined their relevance for the present-day context of English language development. The specified details have also helped to identify the most recent trends and the current challenges that have not yet been fully resolved. Therefore, all of the selected sources can be seen as relevant and equally important for the understanding of permutations that English is experiencing.
Literature Review
When examining the changes that the English language is currently experiencing and forecasting its development in the future, most studies emphasize the importance of globalization as the factor driving the changes occurring presently in the language. However, based on the number of inaccurate predictions about English made in the past, in particular in the early twentieth century, all language evolution hypotheses, including those seeming to be intuitively correct and destined to find confirmation in the following decades, should be taken critically (Jansen, 2018). Nevertheless, globalization is frequently cited as a factor that can shape the language’s further development.
Further expansion and diversification of the English language due to continuous globalization are often predicted. Current studies show that expanding traveling opportunities has facilitated the rapid expansion of the English vocabulary, with an array of borrowed and new words signifying elements of other cultures appearing regularly (Fang, 2021; Safotso, 2020; Salih, 2021). However, accepting new words into English is quite complex, with multiple impediments on the way to accepting borrowed words and neologisms (Safotso, 2020).
Still, despite decades of linguistic colonialism, English has finally started to expand and incorporate the vocabulary to identify and explain elements and items belonging to other cultures (Ra, 2019; Safotso, 2020; Salih, 2021). Thus, the tendency to expand and embrace new words, including both neologisms and borrowed ones, can be considered one of the core changes to be observed in the future (Fang, 2021). According to Salih (2021), English is anticipated to continue dominating the global arena due to its current status and the large size of the English-speaking population. The specified change is linked to a particular challenge of navigating the alterations and ensuring that the English language remains flexible enough to incorporate the ideas and concepts that are novel to it, as well as introduce new words denoting the items that are endemic to other cultures.
An increase in the range of dialects and varieties of English is also to be expected in the near future. English coexists peacefully with structurally different languages, such as Bangla, resulting in active inter-language interaction (Ara, 2020). In low-income countries, the ability to incorporate English words into one’s speech is even perceived as a practice increasing personal prestige (Ara, 2020). As a recent study posits, with English maintaining its status as lingua franca, an increasing number of people seek to study and embrace it, which leads to the emergence of new varieties of the language (Ara, 2020; Hendricks & Adlof, 2020; Ra, 2019).
Moreover, the current versions are expected to mutate and diverge further into other branches and dialects, therefore becoming increasingly varied (Xiashi & Lin, 2020). The described trend is linked to one of the current challenges, namely, the difficulty in understanding the emergent dialects and the resulting misunderstandings (Hendricks & Adlof, 2020). However, the specific concern is unlikely to become a significant issue that could pose a threat to English as a language. Instead, it will help to boost the evolution of the language, making it more versatile and unique. Moreover, the development of new dialects and variations of English will allow it to be kept as the lingua franca that will bridge different cultures and remain a key element of the global community.
However, the described changes have been seen not only as an opportunity but also as a reason for concern. Based on linguistic evolution models, researchers do not exclude external threats from the Chinese language stemming from the nation’s soft approach to economic development and spreading influence (Salih, 2021). The emergence of new dialects of English, as well as a greater range of people from different cultures and linguistic backgrounds speaking it, is likely to lead to the abandonment of the unified framework of English (Hendricks & Adlof, 2020).
While the described change is likely to make the task of learning English accessible to a much broader range of people, including members of those cultures that have distinctively different phonetics and syntax in their language, it will also pose a significant challenge. Namely, without the necessity to maintain a uniform version of English as the example to follow when learning, the language may eventually dissipate, losing consistency and homogeneity (Muhamadjonovna, 2020). As a result, English may split into the soon-to-be-obsolete version of the Received Pronunciation with the accepted grammatical standards and the multitude of dialects spoken and actively used across the globe (Muhamadjonovna, 2020). Therefore, the specified premise may lead to challenges in sustaining English and making it comparatively easy to learn.
Furthermore, the development of multiple dialects and the introduction of an array of new constructs into the English language may complicate learning for ESL people. Specifically, with the uniform standard of UK English being gradually abandoned, the choice between learning the established version of English or shifting toward developing an understanding of the existing varieties thereof becomes rather complicated. Therefore, the English language is likely to incorporate quite a few challenges for ESL learners in the future.
Moreover, a range of the described challenges is already present in the current context of English learning, with learners having to adapt to a wide variety of pronunciations and the necessity to expand vocabulary regularly as new notions and concepts are introduced into the language (Xiashi & Lin, 2020). Therefore, the article by Xiashi and Lin (2020) provides a rather substantial assessment of the current situation with English and the issues that are likely to occur in the specified linguacultural context in the future. Overall, the current trend in language development, as well as the observed challenges, appears to be rooted in the development of multiple opportunities. Therefore, the ability to navigate these opportunities and select the most suitable options for each ESL learner appears to be the most reasonable course to take.
Conclusion
Though predicting the future development of English with complete accuracy does not seem possible, one would expect it to expand to include neologisms, particularly technology-related ones, as well as new slang and a number of borrowed words due to the increase in globalization. The specified phenomenon will imply having to meet several challenges, the key one being maintaining a consistent version of English as the means of keeping it the lingua franca. In fact, the very necessity of the English language retaining the identified status in the era of technological advancement is likely to become somewhat questionable in the future. Thus, English is likely to shift toward a much more multicultural form, including changes introduced by ESL and non-English speakers, as well as the development of new cultures and technologies leading to the emergence of new terms and vocabulary.
References
Ara, R. (2020). A foreign language or the second language: The future of English in Bangladesh. International Journal of Language Education, 4(1), 81-95. Web.
Fang, Y. Q. (2021). A glimpse at the study of English neologism. Business Prospects, 2(2), 78-84. Web.
Hendricks, A. E., & Adlof, S. M. (2020). Production of morphosyntax within and across different dialects of American English. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 63(7), 2322-2333. Web.
Jansen, S. (2018). Predicting the future of English: Considerations when engaging with the public. English Today, 34(1), 52-55. Web.
Muhamadjonovna, S. D. (2020). A set of methodological tools for the formation of sociolinguistic competence of future English teachers. The American Journal of Social Science and Education Innovations, 2(12), 298-302. Web.
Ra, J. J. (2019). Exploring the spread of English language learning in South Korea and reflections of the diversifying sociolinguistic context for future English language teaching practices. Asian Englishes, 1-15. Web.
Safotso, G. T. (2020). Neologisms and cameroonisms in Cameroon English and Cameroon francophone English. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(10), 1210-1217. Web.
Salih, A. A. (2021). The future of English and its varieties: An applied linguistic perspective. English Language Teaching, 14(4), 16-24. Web.
Srivani, V., Hariharasudan, A., Nawaz, N., & Ratajczak, S. (2022). Impact of education 4.0 among engineering students for learning English language. Plos One, 17(2), 1-8. Web.
Xiashi, G., & Lin, Y. (2020). Impact of language ego, the native language effect on oral English learning of high school students. International Journal of English and Cultural Studies, 3(1), 33. Web.