In English as a Global Language (2007), David Crystal
presents a lively and factual account of the rise of English as a global language.
Consider the following statements.
I – Dialects emerge because they give identi ty to the
groups which own them.
II – The study of language history shows that if two
social groups come to be separated only by a mountain range or a wide river, they will soon begin to
develop diff erent habits of speech.
III – When a country becomes independent, there is
a natural reacti on to reinforce the linguisti c character
imposed by its colonial past, avoiding the indigenous
language, to provide a symbol for new nati onhood.
IV – The drive for identi ty was parti cularly dominant
in the second half of the twenti eth century, when the
number of independent nati ons dramati cally grew,
and the membership of the United Nati ons more
than tripled.
The only correcti ve alternati ve is