Post-Imperial English

Fishman, Joshua A.; Conrad, Andrew W.; Rubal-Lopez, Alma

doi:10.1515/9783110872187

Cited by 135 publications

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“…Linguistic imperialism at first sounds like a conspiracy theory, and Philipson (2016b) compares English to a hydra in that it expands at the expense of and destroys other languages, which sounds alarming. Some scholars have criticized the theory of linguistic imperialism (e.g., Fishman et al, 1996 ; Spolsky, 2004 ; Pervaiz et al, 2019 ) as a conspiracy theory that emphasizes the center countries’ imposition and exploitation of the periphery countries. However, in the reality of the present time, English’s supremacy results from a bottom-up movement led by its speakers, and this paper has put forward the features of linguistic neo-imperialism that discuss how English maintained a status, especially in major domains where the idea of force and compulsion from the colonizers are no longer the driving force why English thrives.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

English linguistic neo-imperialism in the era of globalization: A conceptual viewpoint

Zeng

Ponce²,

Li³

2023

Front. Psychol.

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As Phillipson warned, “[l]inguistic imperialism [is] alive and kicking” and has become even more subtle in an era when English has become the global lingua franca. With this, this conceptual paper aims to propose features of linguistic neo-imperialism by describing how English has continuously spread and retained its power in various domains particularly in periphery countries, whether ex-colonies or non-colonies. Broadly, we highlight these features from the aspects of communication, business, academia, and education. The features of English linguistic neo-imperialism are interrelated and interactive in these fields, reinforcing the current dominant position of English. We then proceed with drawing implications for the local languages, particularly in their preservation and use alongside English and other dominant lingua francas.

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