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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 7
FEATURES
I
n May 2017, Jean-Claude Juncker, President
of the European Commission, announced
that he would speak French at a conference
because, after Brexit, "slowly but surely
English is losing importance in Europe".
As premature statements go, that must
rank among the greatest. Of course, there
were some who applauded it. The emotional
baggage that comes with an internationally
used language is not always positive.
There are doubtless many in France, for
example, who regret the way French has
lost its 18th-century status as the default
international language. But the facts speak
against Mr Juncker's wishful thinking.
In Europe, more than 90% of secondary-
school students are studying English, a
percentage that has steadily increased over
the years. This trend is reflected worldwide:
English is by far the most popular language
in schools and further education. In the past
decade, more countries have recognised the
language's position by introducing English
into their educational system (e.g, Rwanda
and Gabon) or making it one of their official
languages (Burundi and South Sudan).
For internal political reasons, the direction
hasn't always been one-way: Madagascar
made English official in 2007 and reversed
its decision in 2010; while in 2015, Tanzania
dropped English as the language of school
instruction in favour of KiSwahili. But even
here, the picture is the same: a slow and
sure increase in the numbers who are
learning English.
Englexit
or
Englentrance?
David Crystal on the changing position of English
following the UK vote to leave the European Union
EXIT STRATEGIES
The Special European Council (Article 50)
in Brussel on 29 April 2017
©
EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT
