The Rise of English and the Space for Modern Languages

This article examines the space for modern languages in Inner CircleEnglish countries including Australia, UK, and USA against thecontinued rise of English as a global lingua franca. It is reasonableto surmise that the global popularity of English – demanded by theOuter and Expanding Circle and mainly supplied by the Inner Circlecountries will leave limited instrumental value for learning otherlanguages. As reported in this article, the global linguistic market isdominated by English which has also attracted new market playersalongside the old, Anglophone market leaders. Indeed, the “English isenough” ideology is dominant in the Inner Circles of English, affectingthe quantity and quality of the study of other languages in thesesocieties. Despite all sociolinguistic, attitudinal, and instrumentalfactors in favor of an English-only monolingual social psyche, thearticle concludes that the space of other languages has not fully driedout. There are still many reasons from multiple perspectives that pointto the value of other languages in a global regime of English.