Linguistic imperialism: a critical study

Abstract

Today, there is a rising need of an international language for infinite purposes and, so far, English seems to be that language. However, its use is being discriminative and unfair in different aspects. These have been discussed in the academic circles, but little is being considered of the general public's ideas. Furthermore, the different consequences that the notion of Linguistic Imperialism has, and all the various issues mentioned in the scholarly debate, do not seem to reach far beyond the academic spheres. The main goal of this study is to deal with perceptions of English Imperialism. Due to space limitations, we cannot present here the whole study. Hence, we will concentrate on the spread of English in the world and the agency behind it. We will first revise the opinion found in the literature, of scholars and linguists, to concentrate later on the feelings of the general public. To this end, we will use data collected both through a questionnaire and some personal interviews. The comparison of the two sources will show that what is being discussed by many authors is not generally reaching the general public and that the latter's opinion is rather complex and inconsistent, with little linguistic awareness.