Some reflections on English as a ‘semi-sacred’ language
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
English Today
Publication Date
1-1-2006
Volume
22
Issue
1
First Page
29
Last Page
35
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
By general consensus English has become, if not a global language, then at the very least a lingua franca. Some commentators on English in the world, like Robert Phillipson (Linguistic Imperialism (Oxford University Press, 1992), use the term that serves him as a title to imply that English is itself part of the problem of having just such a global language. The argument here however is that English – like Latin, Sanskrit, Classical Arabic and Examination Chinese – through its political ascendancy (as a result of various waves of colonial activity alongside its use for religious purposes), may have taken on the character of a ‘semi-sacred’ rather than simply an imperial and imperialist language.
DOI
10.1017/S0266078406001052
Print ISSN
02660784
E-ISSN
14740567
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2006 Cambridge University Press. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Asker, B. (2006). Some reflections on English as a "semi-sacred" language. English Today, 22(1), 29-35. doi: 10.1017/S0266078406001052