Lingua Anglica

Britain and the U.S. were urged last week to join in a massive drive to export one of their most precious natural resources : the English language. As a "truly universal language," said Sir David Eccles, Britain's Minister of Education, English could become "a great instrument for the creation of one world."

English is already the mother tongue of 250 million people; it is the second language of 250 million others. It has long been the language of world commerce and, said Eccles, is rapidly becoming "the accepted language of development and aid in all continents." Even Communist-bloc engineers on foreign aid missions accept English as the lingua franca; more than 50% of all Soviet schoolchildren take an intensive, eleven-year English course.

"English," said Eccles, "is now so far from being the suspect channel of Anglo-American culture and propaganda that it is accepted as the medium of rebellion and anti-colonialism." Britain's government, he said, is "under continuous pres sure" from new nations in Africa and Asia that need help in setting up English courses in their schools. The greatest demand comes not from governments but from private individuals, "simply because English is now the language of good jobs. Young people know that to get on in a scientific age they must know English."

To make their language "the common possession of the whole world," urged Eccles, English-speaking nations should launch an intensive campaign to improve mass teaching media, make available texts, film strips, records, books, radio and TV courses. The U.S. and the Commonwealth should also send "the greatest possible number of experts" to teacher training colleges throughout the worM.

Education Minister Eccles (Winchester and Oxford) warned, however, that English may yet suffer the same fate as Latin, the world's first truly international tongue, which became fragmented into French. Italian and Spanish after the fall of the Roman Empire. "The danger is very real that English will break down into Oxford English, New York English, Australian. Russian, Chinese English and so forth." Exploring examples of conflicting usages, Eccles pointed out that "flat" means "puncture" in New York and "apartment" in London, wondered "what to do about the young English gentlemen who call a donkey an arse?"

Concluded Eccles: "We must get down to the job of preserving common meanings and standards of purity for the English language. If we fail, we shall not be forgiven for our foolish negligence."

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