Questões de Concurso Comentadas para furb

Read the excerpt of the book entitled 'The Other Tongue: English across cultures' written by Joshua A. Fishman, published in 1992:

The ongoing nativization of non-native Englishes in various parts of the world proceeds within the penumbra of a rather stable and widespread image of English. This image is itself both influenced by and, in turn, contributory to an international sociolinguistic balance of power that characterizes the latter part of the twentieth century. This balance of power rests solidly on three realities: (1) not only is English increasingly associated with technological modernity and power, but this association is now being fostered by non-English mother-tongue interests; (2) English is both functionally fostered and regulated by local political authorities; and (3) indigenous "preferred languages" are complementary fostered and regulated by these same authorities.

Not only is English still spreading, but it is even being spread by non-English mother-tongue interests.

The world has previously witnessed the spread of languages of empire, the diffusion of lingua francas, and the growth of international languages. In most respects, therefore, the continued spread of English for international and intranational purposes is not novel in the annals of world history—or, if it is novel, it is so primarily in a quantitative sense, in terms of scale, rate, and degree, rather than in any qualitative sense or in terms of kind. If there is something qualitatively new under the sun in conjunction with the spread of English in the non-English mother-tongue world, it is merely that the spread has reached such an order of magnitude that it is now significantly fostered by the non- English mother-tongue world, rather than being predominantly de- pendent on resources, efforts, or personnel of the English mothertongue world (Conrad and Fishman 1977). Whether we monitor the veritable army of English-speaking econo-technical specialists, advisors, and representatives, or whether we examine the diffusion of English publications, films, radio and television programs, literacy programs and educational opportunities, it is becoming increasingly clear that non-English mother-tongue countries are significantly active in each of these connections. Nor is their involvement merely that of Third World recipients of Western largesse. True, Third World nations are themselves fostering massive efforts via and on behalf of English. On the other hand, however, equally massive programs via English are being conducted by the Soviet Union, the Arab world, and mainland China-world powers that have their own well-developed standard languages and that normally oppose various political, philosophical, and economic goals of the English mother-tongue world.

Source: FISHMAN, Joshua A. Sociology of English as an additional language. The other tongue: English across cultures, v. 2, p. 19-26, 1992.