A new book by Robert McCrum seeks to explain how English has grown and developed outside of English-speaking countries. Jean-Paul Nerrière, a former IBM executive, noticed that clients and colleagues in East Asia communicated better with each other when they were speaking in English than with native English speakers. For example, a Korean businessman and Japanese businesswoman would understand each other's English better than the English of an American colleague. Nerrière dubbed this phenomenon Globish because the language was a stripped down, distinct version of English that was not necessarily easy for English speakers to master.
With a 1,500 vocabulary, Globish is a standardized, very basic form of English for use as a trade language. In many respects, Globish is similar to Pidgin languages that have arisen throughout history to facilitate trade between two language groups. Pidgin languages are not native to any group and often feature small vocabularies and extremely simple grammar. Pidgin languages are also, like Globish, standardized and not just haphazardly worked out by speakers as they communicate.
The use of Globish as a limited lingua franca also shows the extent to which the English language is used, in some form, by non-native speakers. According to the article, less than 5% of the world population speaks English as its native language, but up to 25% speaks English. This estimation probably does not include people who are somewhat familiar with English and speak a pidgin-like version of it.
Globish and the wider use of English by non-native speakers shows that as the use of imperial languages like English grows, often for economic reasons, the assumption that language and culture are inextricably linked is becoming outdated. While people do gain access to a culture by learning the language of that culture, it is not guaranteed that speakers of basic English will in any way associate with the culture of countries like the United States or Britain.
Jess, interesting comment on the way by which "American" culture might become removed from the English language as Globish-usuage rises. How do you feel that non-native English speakers are taking control of the English language?
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