Is English the world's lingua franca?

This week my Google alerts produced two exciting articles about bilingual education. The first article is called "Learning English at the movies" and it describes a language club that takes students on movie trips to improve interest in English language-learning and subsequently, literacy. So far this year they are planning on taking the students to see three different movies, all based on books, followed by language activities and quizzes.

This school is located in Johor Baru, Malaysia, where the common language is... you guessed it... Malay. I found it interesting that this school is pushing English language literacy as a way to "invest in the betterment of the communities..." instead of focusing on their native language. This made me think of the term "lingua franca" or a common language between people who do not speak the same language. Many people around the world use English as their lingua franca because it is so commonly spoken. As a history teacher, this caused me to think about the impact of colonialism and traditional cultural norms. Language has a massive impact on culture and traditions, and it would be interesting to conduct a study with students who are learning English as their second (or third/beyond) language and try to see how much of a role that has played in shaping their personal culture. 

The second article that caught my attention is called "Bilingual education - a competitive advantage." The article discusses the impact of bilingualism on brain function and the success rate of students. Bilingual education is the idea that students study one or more subjects in an additional language as well as in their first language. English is commonly used as the "second language" in order to prepare students for higher education and competitive employment (furthering my lingua franca argument). The article also cites examples from studies that have shown increased cognitive abilities in bilingual students, such as increased capacity for memory, time management, the ability to multitask, and focus. Bilingual education is becoming a global trend with some countries like Italy, requiring state schools to teach at least one subject in another language. The belief is that through bilingual education, students will be better equipped to participate in a global community and their opportunities in life will exponentially increase because of their ability to relate to other cultures and participate in multiple social situations.


Resources:

Bilingual education - a competitive advantage. (2018, October 8). Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.relocatemagazine.com/education-bilingual-education--a-competitive-advantage-au18

Learning English at the movies. (2018, October 9). Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/10/09/learning-english-at-the-movies/