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demonstrating in Lithuania； Estonia； Korea； Iraq； Mexico； and other countries where
neither the protestors； the ones they’re protesting against； nor the local media speak
native English？ In addition to the signs and banners in their own languages； they always
carry signs and banners in English。 And for good reason。 They want their message to
reverberate around the world。
On a map of Africa； Nigeria seems a tiny patch where the bulge of that gigantic
continent meets the body。 Inside that patch； however； live between 100 and 120 million
people speaking 250 different languages； with names like Yoruba； Ibo； Hausa； Nupe； and
Oyo。 From their first day of school； the children of Nigeria are taught English。 Without
English； not only could Nigeria not talk to the world； Nigerians couldn’t even talk to each
other。
When a Nigerian educator； Aliu Babtunde Fafunwa； proposed in early 1991 that
Nigerian children begin their education in their 250 respective mother tongues； the
government newspaper itself wrote in an editorial； “The least luxury we can afford in the
last decade of the twentieth century is an idealistic experiment in linguistic nationalism
which could cut our children off from the main current of human development。” That’s
hardly a hate filled denunciation of former colonial masters。
Every attempt to launch an artificial international language has so far failed。
Esperanto； Idiom Neutral； Kosmos； Monoglottica； Universalsprache； Neo…Latine；
Vertparl； Mundolingue； Dil； Volapuk； even an international language based on the notes
of the musical scale； all started out weak and gradually tapered off。 My guess is they
always will。 You can no more “vote” a language into being the international language
than you can vote warmth into a blizzard。
Languages attain prominence something the way individuals and countries do；
through all kinds of force； including war。 There’s an added element in prominence；
however。 Brute force is not enough。 The winning language must have a degree of
acceptability to the losers。
Russian emerged from World War II as a mighty language； but it failed to bluster
beyond the bounds of the Communist empire。 Russian even failed to inspire people to
learn it inside their empire。 Students in Hungary； Romania； and East Germany knew no
more Russian after eight years of schooling than Americans know French after similar
exposure。
English； on the other hand； was welcomed。 Africans and Asians may not have
rejoiced at being forcibly incorporated into the British Empire； but they recognised that
the English language； if learned by all； was a unifying tool that enabled different tribes
who lived five miles apart to communicate for the first time； in a language brought down
upon them from thousands of miles away。
A wolf will lift his neck to let a larger wolf know that he accepts the other’s
dominant role as leader。 The entire world has lifted its neck to acknowledge English as
the language of choice in the modern world。 It wasn’t all military and commercial power；
either。 American movies； songs； comic strips； TV series； even T…shirts all helped make
English the international language of the earth by acclaim。
But only the shortsighted will consider the dominance of English reason to return
foreign language materials to the bookstore and forget the whole thing。 It’s precisely
because the peoples of the world honour our language that we get so much more
appreciation when we go out of our way to honour theirs。