The so called “globish” language is quickly becoming the most common language in the 21st Century. Globish, as it is commonly known, is like a very basic and blunt version of English.
The term was coined by Jean-Paul Nerriere in 1995. Nerriere has written several books on this new form of English language, which relies more on gestures and uses only about 1,500 words.
Globish takes on from the British English style language that was common in the 19th century, and the American English that was common in the 20th century.
The key to speaking effective Globish is to avoid any jokes or fancy expressions. That includes long words.
According to McCrum, who has done research on the subject, businessmen who are native English still have lots to gain if they learn Globish.
One of the greatest promoters of Globish is in fact Barack Obama. Obama was raised in Kansas, lives in Hawaii and Indonesia and has to speak to people from all over the world.
When Obama speaks, McCrum says, he is universally understood. His campaign slogan “yes we can” works anywhere in the world.
An interesting fact is that Japanese language schools go over Barack Obama’s speeches in order to teach students English. In China, Globish is sometimes called “Crazy English”.
McCrum notes Japanese language schools use Obama’s speeches to teach English. Other examples of Globish, a sort of English as a foreign language on a grand scale, include the call and response teaching of “Crazy English” in China, and the adoption of English slogans by media-savvy protesters everywhere.
English is perhaps the base of world communication because it takes something from each culture. Latin, French, German and Swedish have all influenced English.
English is a good language for the world to learn as it is quite adaptable, compared to other languages such as Mandarin Chinese, for example.
Factors influencing the popularity of English lately have been technology. In particular, Netscape’s web browser in 1995, made a big impact. Anyone wishing to use the web had to learn English. Also, mobile phones have had a major impact.
