Originally published in Read Play Edit on 30 July 2016
We've talked a lot about how language—words and grammar—changes over time (here's one of my posts with links to many of the rest: "The Language Metamorphosis"), but this article takes a really long view: What will the English language be like in 100 years?
The global role English plays today as a lingua franca—used as a means of communication by speakers of different languages—has parallels in the Latin of pre-modern Europe.
Having been spread by the success of the Roman Empire, Classical Latin was kept alive as a standard written medium throughout Europe long after the fall of Rome. But the Vulgar Latin used in speech continued to change, forming new dialects, which in time gave rise to the modern Romance languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian and Italian.
This, author Simon Horobin of Oxford University points out, indicates a future of multiple Englishes. (A look at this map—showing, among other things, where English is spoken—plays into this idea too.) Chances are you already know at least one alternate English language now. 🙂
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Fast-forward eight years: Gerry and I were coming home from the farmers market, listening to a woman being interviewed on NPR about current events. Judging by her accent, she was from the Middle East, and I remarked upon her ability to discuss this issue so well. Gerry smiled. "You speak English," he said, "because you're an American. She speaks English … because you do." This is a good update to add to the discussion above.
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