One issue that has not attracted much attention in the Brexit debate is the destiny of the English language in post-Brexit Europe. Assessing the likelihood of English remaining the lingua franca in Europe should not be done from a political perspective but a practical viewpoint.
Some number crunching will indicate how strong the roots of the English language are in European society. English is spoken as a second language by 38 per cent of European adults while French is the second language of 12 per cent and German of 11 per cent. Even more impressive, 94 per cent of secondary students in Europe learn English as a foreign language.
One misconception that needs to be put to rest is that the UK is behind the importance of the English language in the world. The political and commercial dominance of the US is what makes the use of the English language so ubiquitous. The use of English online and in the media all encourage the use of English as an ongoing second language of choice for hundreds of millions of people around the world.
Up to the early 1990s, the use of French reigned supreme in the EU. It was the language of communication within the EU institutions. This predominance was partly the result of history and partly because the institutions were located in French-speaking cities: Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg. The English and Irish officials were not numerous enough to influence the use of languages in the corridors of EU institutions. It was more likely to be greeted with a bonjour in a lift rather than with a Good morning.
However, when Sweden, Finland and Austria joined the EU in the early 1990s, more EU officials preferred to communicate in English both socially and officially. This transformation became even more pronounced when 10 new member states joined the EU in 2004.
It is people who make a language and not university professors and lecturers
It is improbable that Brexit will diminish the importance of the English language in the EU. What is likely to change are the standards that define how English is spoken and written. When the UK’s 60 million native English speakers leave the EU, there will be five million native speakers from Ireland and Malta remaining – just one per cent for the total EU population.
Regardless of official status, the daily use of English throughout the continent is unlikely to be diminished. Many countries have invested heavily in the teaching of English. Expediency rather than political logic will determine the future of the English language in the EU.
However, sticklers for the correct use of grammar, vocabulary and syntax will have a hard time getting used to the ‘improper’ use of the English language. Standard English, like most other languages, is in constant transformation. It is people who make a language and not university professors and lecturers. Indian, Australian, South African, US, Canadian and Maltese English have developed their grammars and norms. This divergence is not necessarily the result of speakers learning British English incompetently.
European English will be different from standard UK English. We have to get used to hearing people saying that they will SMS rather than text a friend. A mobile phone may be referred to as a “handy” in English communication in the EU. An Italian will introduce himself with “I am coming from Italy” rather than “I come from Italy”. The absence of English translators in Brussels and Luxembourg will probably reduce the influence that native English language translators have on the use of standard UK English in official EU documents.
We need to have a good look at the way our students are learning English. While Maltese English will be somewhat different from UK English both in intonation and writing, there is always a good and a poor command of a language. Sometimes I wonder whether the kind of English our students use at University and vocational colleges is comprehensible to a non-Maltese. Basic grammatical competence underpins the effective use of any language. So does the wealth of vocabulary that one possesses.
In today’s economy, our young people need to be articulate to communicate well in their place of work. A poor command of the English language will reduce the effectiveness of employees who struggle to communicate in a comprehensible way.
Being articulate is not equivalent to being eloquent. Eloquence is best left to politicians who peddle their promises through rhetoric.
We are indeed lucky in having the English language as one of our official languages.