The Online Lingua Franca
NPR’s “All tech considered” takes a look at the increasing use of languages other than English on the web. In the early age of internet use, English was the dominant language. As a language that bridged communication, it served the majority of people who had access to the internet. However, access to the world wide web has reached a critical mass of people who prefer to communicate in their native language.
“According to Internet World Stats, Arabic users on the Internet have increased by more than 2,000 percent over the past decade. Chinese will soon replace English as the most-used language on the web.”
NPR’s story poses a question: as more non-English speakers use the internet, how do we prevent a sort of language balkanization of virtual space?
But first, why should we avoid such a fragmentation? Obviously, the inability to read and understand web material is a downside, but English remains a global language and the language of global business. As it is, the segment notes that 73% of the internet right now is not in English. For now, NPR notes that the mechanization of translation is a wobbly, yet improving solution to using parts of the internet in other languages.
It seems that English is a suitable and durable ‘online lingua franca.’ After all, cross-cultural communication requires some common linguistic ground. Nevertheless, an opportunity for non-English speakers to learn via the internet seems to be a major benefit to new users around the world.
What do you think?
