David Crystal - Will English Always Be the Global Language?

From the interview with David Crystal in Belgrade on 9 November 2013
Interviewer: Tony O'Brien, British Council Director Western Balkans

[@Hesiona69]

I wish all our exam listening was spoken by David Crystal. I understand every word!

[@AlejandroRuedaProjectD]

+Hesiona69 I agree :D (since Colombia)

[@hungfungwong7195]

+Hesiona69 that's right

[@TheSkum]

+Alejandro Rueda from colombia = desde columbia

[@AlejandroRuedaProjectD]

+Skum you're right, thank you my friend

[@TheSkum]

Alejandro Rueda de nada esta bien no es tan importante =]

[@yeah_i_likeCartoons]

My professor: *asks any question* Me: There are so many answers to this question, really.

[@travisblaylock5052]

@@francesca1634 ccc😎🙂z9z8z8cg

[@travisblaylock5052]

@@francesca1634 ccc😎🙂z9z8z8cg

[@RoyaIArtz]

@@francesca1634 ccc😎🙂z9z8z8cg

[@lowreslireas]

tfw when you have above average IQ

[@graceyounger51]

he said this out loud as i read your comment wtf

[@stavrillambro7250]

I could listen to him for hours and i understand every word of him.Just great...

[@ananartik]

David is the wizard of linguistics.

[@cristinaserafim6745]

My goodness! I love the way David Crystal talks about accents! It's beautiful how unbiased he is! To me, he's some inspiration to a more diversified world!

[@lathabala8836]

David Crystal's voice is crystal clear!

[@chelsealema]

Are we just gonna ignore the fact that someone out there has a job as a Futurologist?

[@afonsotatiano8239]

hahahahhahahahah funny but it´s true

[@mohammadkurdish4553]

Lol i did not know there were Futuroligists out there

[@lorrainepurple]

What an excellent talk. Could listen to him for hours. Will definitely show this to my students.

[@ingevangysel7050]

I believe the observation that 'power drives language' is a very accurate one! Fascinating to see how this phenomenon emerges from a combination of specific factors

[@mitreka88]

but dutch is an exception. they dont want us to speak hollands sprekens in colonial era. so 99% indonesian cant speak hollands. and after independence year, our government forced all students to learn english.

[@roblee1909]

Great to see these 2 gents together, David Crystal was my Linguistics lecture at Bangor Uni, and Tony was my boss at the British Council in Poland. Thoroughly nice chaps!

[@abdullateefmuraina4602]

From Nigeria, glad I came across this video. I love it when my country is recognised in a discussion. Thanks Mr. David Crystal.

[@jhon3221]

Professor Crystal, listening to you is simply fascinating, you make we love English and Linguistics. I thank God for you existence.

[@user-gk3un3qk9c]

This video was very informative for me. I learned that there are so many dialects. He interesting talked about these dialects. He was tense because he did not know what would happen to the English language in the future. It turns out so many people know English and it is so diverse. I was delighted with that. People anxious about their future. But I am sure that this problem can be solved.

[@phinkanika09]

MSM 566 Thank you, David Crystal, for your outstanding speech. Global language is a fascinating topic, and I am sure many people watching this video can relate and benefit from it. The point that most resonates with me is that "power drives language." A hundred years ago, no one would have imagined that English would have become the second language in Cambodia when French was predominantly used in our society from the education system to government institutions. However, as English spoken nations have expanded their power to South East Asia coupled with globalization and the rising of the internet era, English has rapidly taken over French, making it the second language in Cambodia within a short period. This example clearly explains how language derives from the power of people speaking it. I also appreciate that you emphasize how English usage can differ from one country to another to reflect the cultural identity and how it evolves from generation to generation. It reminds me to be open-minded and consider others' perspectives in terms of language and cultural differences when communicating with diverse people to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings that could damage my relationships with them. Overall, it was an exceptional talk. I am looking forward to learning from you more about this topic in your next video. Thank you.

[@enrd20]

A great influential man on talking about language change whose theory and opinion are always quoted in paper 3 of A level English language. We love you professor..❤.❤❤

[@sonyagerehanova1013]

The video is very informative. I am delighted! David Crystal talks about the global language, and how it can change in a while.The whole world speaks English. It is spoken in different countries, but with its accent. trends affect and commerce affect the fact that English is a global language. We don't know what kind of language will become global in 100 years, because the world does not stand still. I'm anxious about this.

[@eakorshunova]

I enjoyedd this video. I was satisfied with the way David Crystal spoke in such clear and understandable words. I understood everything he said. From this video, I was petrified to learn how global English is. He also mentioned dialects. I believe that dialects are a unique thing, it is very interesting to know how people pronounce the same word in different regions.

[@nicholasstokes8330]

Excellent video clip. I could listen to David for hours. Most captivating.

[@mr.mstfa7]

Can you tell the abstract what he actually said in this video

[@marybethosazuwa6975]

MSM 566 I absolutely enjoyed watching this video and the information as well as the insight it provided. I learned a lot and realized things hadn't thought of before. Specifically about the fact that the English language is spoken so much that we in some cases view it to be the most common language for individuals. However, different people from different cultures have their own significant and universal language that is spoken regularly. There is always a history behind a language, and each language has its unique culture, background, and history that makes it significant. I like those languages bring individuals together and share cultures that we haven't discovered.

[@enriquemalcacabanillas7289]

I'M LOVING IT!

[@marythomas1807]

Excellent talk given by Dr. David Crystal, so crystal clear. 👏👏👏

[@francismausley7239]

"In order to facilitate complete understanding between all people, a universal auxiliary language will be adopted and in the schools of the future two languages will be taught -- the mother tongue and this international auxiliary tongue which will be either one of the existing language or a new language made up of words from all the languages..."

[@user.0704]

The audience look thrilled to be there.

[@user-sq2vw8mc9v]

At first I was petrified how clean David ‘s ancient is. David told us about accents with satisfied. I totally believe in “power drives Languages”. I was disoriented at first about that phenomenon. But l felt delightful myself when I realized meaning. I like David’s thought about the secret how English become a Global Language, not bitter actually:)

[@lowreslireas]

Everyone's talking about Crystal's way of talking but what about the man to his side?? He has the loveliest, most pleasant elder voice I've ever heard, not mentioning his accent

[@pincha2079]

I’m really satisfied that English is global language, such as this give us a lot of opportunities for communication, traveling and other staffs. But now a lot of English’s as American, British, Indian, Welsh and e.t.c. show us various types of English speakers. It could be a problem for learners, such as they may be puzzled by the difficulty of Choosing the one of English. Also based on information that Adam Chrystal gave, I realized that modern English won’t depend on ares and will have a lot of dialects-English’s, so it’s a question what the language will it be? If I start thinking about future of language I’m feeling anxious because I afraid of I won’t understand others English speakers because of many English’s in English

[@yvonnemarshall3709]

We discussed some of these things in the "Language and Culture" course I took for TESL/FL (teaching English). Very interesting!

[@loisfarrell4637]

MSM 566 As someone who speaks English for their first language I have never stopped to think just how expansive the English language has spread. It is an incredible thing to be able to take a step back and analyze the origins and the why of this phenomenon. Communication. Even though the English grammar is atrocious and complex and leaves room for obvious error, it is still the most commonly used in the world. As David Crystal points out, "there is no sign of any slacking off in that progress." I think that language is the kind of thing that is actually always changing. The dictionary is constantly revised and people adapt new lingo and phrases everyday. This is due to the fact that it is so universal. If something is used by most of the world, it is going to be tweaked and edited, unconsciously or on purpose, yet somehow the entire world stays up to date on the many changes. In respect to HR and how it parallels, I think that flexibility and communication are sisters. They learn from each other. People are good at staying up to date and I would even argue that it is essential to stay up to date, otherwise you will fall behind and fail to adequately communicate to others what you want to say. Theresa F.

[@PiPaPoPedram]

I even watched this on 1.5x speed and still understood every word he said. His style of talking his just so good to listen to.

[@danielpopescu6167]

Thank you for this simple to learn and practical language it sounds good no matter what useful everywhere. The language of the free

[@amritt.fitness]

The OG of Linguistics- What a lad; doing my essay on the future of English language

[@nusrahbi8378]

Brilliant lecture!

[@muhammadisaac07]

That was so important Talk 😊😊 Thank you so much sir

[@user-ux6rd6tg5j]

Im satisfied with what Ive just heard.David Crystal speaks very well so I haven’t been puzzled by his pronunciation.About the topic of the video in the on hand it’s quite terrifying that language which is global now might not be used in future.American English is really widely used and I think some British can feel furiously about it especially the ild generation but for example the most popular songs are in American English so it’s explainable.About the dialects it’s really tens to hear some difficult dialects which you can’t understand in this case people are anxious.But as the author has said you will get used to them.

[@flaze3]

Если ты не против, несколько исправления: I'm satisfied I didn't struggle to understand him As regards the topic... On the one hand... Some Britons might feel furious about this The older generations As regards dialects, It's really trying/difficult to listen to... People can get anxious ))

[@nms7725]

I found it interesting to know that English continues to be on the rise and that other countries are adopting their own versions of English. There is a strong desire for independence and identity, whether it is as a country or a company. Even though English is an exponentially growing language, there still needs to be adequate cross-cultural preparation for employees. If someone from Britain is going to India, where they speak English, training is still necessary. As noted in the video, there are different types of English. The person traveling to India will most likely need to understand Indian English. Not only will this preparation help someone communicate effectively, it will lessen his or her chances of becoming bias (consciously or unconsciously). When traveling abroad, “expatriates need to be…flexible, tolerant of ambiguity, and sensitive to cultural differences” (Noe , p. 476). It would not make sense to teach someone about a new culture but omit the specifics of their language merely because it falls under “English.” If someone is joining a company as a manager then it is even more crucial to understand their employees’ language. In order to influence the team, one needs to speak their language.

[@WitchMedusa]

Indian English is just flat out wrong & it sounds dumb. All cultures should follow standard protocols for grammar & spelling. It makes sense for those standards to originate where English comes from. As an American I think we need a standard form of english which should be British English.

[@omkar1275]

Yeah and why don't you learn the original British English with all the cultural difference bs you want them to learn about indian english. English is and will always be a British language. No matter how many indians speaks english. And even if i am a indian i would support British english over indian english.

[@TheMassacreOfTheBanuQurayzahQu]

​@@WitchMedusa Nah. British English sounds dumber than Indian English.

[@margheritadicaterino6526]

Simply the best linguist. And show man as well.

[@zzzzzzzzzz3567]

I learned a lot from this video.

[@maues14]

Amazing talk!

[@kosmopolitanna]

Linguistic accomodation or as Mr.Crystal mentioned accomodating your accents with the other person we like is another term for mirroring, isn't it? Anyway what has been discussed there it is spot on indeed. This idea of Mcdonalds fostering the present Continuous in daily speech is especially intriguing.

[@alex_2020]

People like David Crystal make English the great language it is today!

[@alexkincaid3860]

MSM 566 - This was a very fascinating video when we think of it from the perspective of HR management and the ability to diversify, and understand the importance of diversity within business. David Crystal clearly thinks the world is gravitating towards an English based global language, and the data would support that. As he points out, regardless of whether there is ever an established universal language there will always be different dialects, different accents, and different cultural interpretations of language. Culture is very important to people, and being bale to show off that culture through language resonates, and is imbedded in our way of life. I believe, regardless of a universal language, it is incredibly important for those of us who work globally, or even nationally, to understand different language and different culture. This shows respect to colleagues, and additionally it will lead to more effective forms of communication. If we can't understand and appreciate different language or culture, colleagues won't feel valued, and ultimately communication as cooperation will not be as effective.

[@kagebunny]

I’m totally agree with the idea of David Crystal.You know,it’s quite sad to hear that a lot of languages are disappearing or mixing right now...Of course,English is not going to be lost because it’s a global language,but I’m talking about accent,about British English.Today there is a small part of people,who speaks British English without any additions from American English or Indian and so on.Yes, I understand why this is happening( its happening because of little easiness of American,Indian,Irish English.For example, it’s quite better to us to learn American accent,moreover in schools and universities we learning only American English(if it’s not a special school)) but I think that we should pay more attention to the British accent.I do not argue that it is quite difficult and the study of this language makes us anxious and puzzled,but in my opinion it's worth it, because we learn languages not only for themselves to be more successful and admire themselves, but also to preserve the culture!

[@professorofsprituality]

I could listen to him for centuries.

[@lukecavill2556]

OK，Lestat

[@wypimentel]

For a moment I thought I had a great concentration and attention power, but, actually, it's David Crystal's power to hold people's attention.

[@julianmorales6738]

very interesting analysis

[@monsterelrobino1036]

This video is really intresting because we learn about the reasons why they are différent English varieties. And I personally think that are should add even more new words un dictionaries . But It depend on word's deffinition and how spread the word is.

[@julesfaure1765]

I agree with you !

[@claradupuis5302]

@@julesfaure1765 me too

[@salvadoran_uwu]

This same statement was made when I was a 10 year-boy some years ago, and look at me now, I speak English since 3 years ago.

[@captaron]

Australia accepts both American and British English spelling fyi. There are a lot of older people who don’t like the American spelling but it seems more precise and consistent to me.

[@Fashion_People360]

What an orator!

[@MrMagbrant]

Oh my god I love his voice

[@abdullahk8691]

Very clever individual. I have read some of his books

[@Ragusubedi]

I am understanding you. I am loving it? Future will be amalgam of many sociolects.

[@rosminazuchri9090]

my name is Rosmina Zuchri. I from Indonesia. yes I want to whatching your youtube. thanks

[@ebonylover539]

South African English sounds distinctive as well. Strongly impacted by the British impire.

[@fish4156]

SO FANTASTIC

[@alexandermolina6198]

MSM 566. This was an interesting video. I always wondered why English is the dominant language around the world. It now makes sense as I believe it has to do with power. Back in the old days, the powerful regimes spoke English. Does regions morphed into the powerhouses of today involving nations from the European Union and the United States. As David Crystal pointed out, countries then began wanting to talk to each other. A universal language was born. From an HR perspective, every employee needs to be on the same page. They need to speak a universal language per say. While customs and culture may differ amongst team members, the importance of speaking the same language will be primary. However, when different accents, different cultures all meet in a conglomerate meeting, the English language will eventually adapt to that newer trend.

[@emilysullivan6710]

I find this video to be very interesting. I did not realize how much language changes over many years. It is weird to think that the universal language could be very different. Its strange because even now a lot of the English language comes from the latin roots. So if there is another language is it going to be stemming from the English language. Will certain slang be transferred over or will English be left behind completely.

[@Jai-et4cg]

Im "loving" the discussion here.

[@PaulBillingtonFW]

I have noticed many Americans missing a noun phrase after prepositions, e.g. "Are you coming with." I have now heard this on British TV.

[@janetrobertson5981]

Very interesting! Succinct. Love the accents!

[@cyberspacecadette777]

Spanish is widely spoken in the US. I speak Spanish and English to my three year old neighbor.

[@dennis771]

cyberspacecadette In western US mostly & after 4th generation it will probably be gone if there's a border wall, 35 states makes english official language & public school are thought predominantly in english. Like the Italian and German 100 years ago.

[@aprilrosebagtasos04]

David Crystal is a great speaker and linguist

[@lululu_8]

Brilliant!

[@countessclara]

Yes, I agree!! He speaks clearly as a crystal as it is his surname!!! Thanks professor Crystal for ypur intelligibility!!!

[@yueqingwang2836]

where can i find the full text?!!! love it !!

[@researchwork2528]

What a man, he is❤❤ Love from Pakistan❤🎉

[@esdraspinto6301]

this guy rocks!

[@eldahkrab]

That Is a perfect example how and why a language grammar and vocabulary change litteraly a language Is always envolving.

[@estherbee4433]

He is fantastic at doing accents.

[@DmitrySidelnikov]

Interesting. Thanks :)

[@rajeshanand1250]

Crystal clear dear David Crystal..!

[@iuliacoclenci95]

He is Amazing

[@kawings]

We Malaysians use Malaysian English. A very unique form of sentence arrangement with the influence from Malay Chinese and Indian and yet we still call this as English. It is just that the Brits or other english speaking countries would not be able to understand it.

[@saysaysuperable3815]

David Crystal is a great British Linguist! ✊

[@infinitafenix3153]

It seems the cameraman likes the brunette in green... :) Love this talks

[@naheenisapoet69]

IKRR

[@bpmix4306]

you can say he makes things.... Crystal clear

[@xeji4348]

Latin, French, Portuguese, Russian All languages that were lingua francas in their own respected areas, and non of them believed that one day their language will stopped being commonly used. Mandarin probably won't become a lingua franca, since it's actually the opposite way (chinese learning English), but other languages in countries that are having population booms light rise up to become a lingua franca in some regions

[@m.b.nagaraj7666]

English is global language because of its accepting character words from other languages Loan Words

[@dhammikadhammika7032]

very interesting

[@user-im7ud7ck5l]

This video is very informative for me. The video said that American would dominate all other languages. This is expected, but my native language is Russian and I would like it to dominate in the future, therefore this information hurts me. We really can not understand people from different countries because of pronunciation. We can perfectly understand each other on the Internet but not at all understand our foreign interlocutor in life. If the knowledge of the language is not good enough then we can use elementary errors such as the wrong articles or times. Such errors greatly distort the understanding of the main idea of ​​the interlocutor. But in my opinion, the most important part in understanding is pronunciation, because it significantly improves understanding. But I was very disorientated that Arabic is global language ( Svintsova Diana)

[@user-bj7qg9gz7m]

Why you were disoriented about Arabic as a global language?

[@user-im7ud7ck5l]

I really liked the speech of David Crystal who spoke about different accents. He also spoke of English as a global language that is developing every day and will soon become known to all people and this is very delightful . In addition, he said that soon the American accent will dominate the British. Speaking about grammar, it is different everywhere and I think that it is very sad because it can really confuse people . It was also a shock to me that David Crystal knows a lot of languages ​​and it deserves respect!

[@Carecovski1]

Even though with no subtitles, and I can understand ev'rything he speaks. In the FCE exam, we come across that horrible listening anyone can understand. That's my protest.

[@tannerfalafel2264]

Who’s here for AICE Lang A

[@pentakadi]

Arigatou sensei 😋

[@ancientgamer694]

I wonder if English 2nd language speakers will influence English phonology as well. For example the /θ/ or 'th' sound, all the non-native English speakers I've encountered said that they struggled with it at first. Which makes sense, because outside of English it's a very rare sound. Perhaps because of this it will merge with either /t/, /f/ or /s/.

[@thisispiccachad]

Bravo! 😊

[@CZPC]

Probably atleast until it merges with another language or morphs into something else entirely. A few reasons (in my eyes) 1) Chinese (the main competition) is far too complicated for most people to learn. 2) English already incorporated multiple different languages into itself with many words. 3) Existing documentation. Obviously this is a big one, just the act of changing the status quo is a massive endeavor. 4) It uses a more common alphabet as opposed to Asian styled writing which is something else entirely. 5) China probably won't beat the US in terms of global influence in the next few decades as originally predicted due to some disastrous policies hurting it's rapidly aging population. Spanish vs English on the other hand is a much harder discussion. But it's ultimately the same result. Spanish doesn't have a major nation pushing it's use like China or the US. Hell there's gonna be more Spanish speakers in the US than anywhere else soon depending on who you ask.

[@emiliosgregoriou8943]

All I learned : Serbian women are really attractive

[@DimitarBerberu]

So Serbian will be the world language. The business rule is: If you want to sell (yourself) to Serbian girls you have to speak their language. In Serbian: Говори српски да те бог (цео свет) разуме.

[@TheProms]

I am Albanian and I can tell you they are all very attractive. They are beautiful.

[@karamiddle6290]

1) Неустоявшаяся глобальность латинского языка 2) Изучение английский из-за его комфортности и широком применении в сфере покупок, общения, культуры и т.д 3) становление английского языка глобальным 4) Английский останется глобальным до тех пор, пока некоторые вещи не изменят свое направление 5) доминирование американского английского над британским 6) различие старого английского и нового из-за смены поколений 7) изменение английского языка(грамматики, произношения) в разных странах на свой лад

[@neilnachum1]

La lingvo Esperanto estas la preferata internacia lingvo, kaj jam ofertas pli da amikecon ol eblas per la angla.

[@danm4502]

Google doesn't agree with you... Google translate gives this: "Language English is the preferred international language"

[@DimitarBerberu]

Google translate: The Esperanto language is the preferred international language, and already offers more friendship than is possible with the English. English is catching-up to Esperanto?

[@dennis771]

Dimitar Berberu What's Esperanto?

[@dennis771]

Dimitar Berberu Heads up language can't be linga franca beacuse its friendlier or easy to learn. Like he said, a super power & commerce is the reason for it

[@gorilaogorila835]

esperanto is ugly and silly.

[@dennis771]

Power drive language, people don’t learn language because it’s beautiful. They learn because the nations that speak 🗣️ it are powerful.

[@kristofferremo1309]

wow så intressant! Är bf20 här Matilda Wilson söker gärna upp er?

[@liaesttonami]

Very interesting. But, even if english is widely spoken around the world, it's still complicated to master, because of many things like pronounciation, vocabulary, idioms and more - many rules have to be learnt by heart, which is terrible when learning a language. According to me, it's important to get interested in other languages which have qualities that english doesn't have; for being a part of the next lingua franca for example.

[@raegitano6345]

Strange it's an easy language to learn by ear and communication, but getting in to the theory is the beauty. And I strongly agree with you about learning other languages.

[@TshepoNkadimeng5]

South African English is being influenced by American English as well very interesting observation I never really thought about it until now.

[@TimSmithWordSmith]

That was a delight, though I do worry about *all* of his children.

[@sohidislam7448]

It is Very important vedio in world

[@takahashidai6951]

Why does his English sound so clearly? That’s because he is used to speaking to foreign people? I wish all the native English speakers would speak like him.

[@jovian304]

Yes! We Indians are coming. Better be ready.

[@____-zv7gy]

dude, even Indians prefer speaking english than their native languages

[@jovian304]

that's what I said u dumbf$&k. I was talking about Indian English

[@blockstar6298]

Grüße gehen raus an Fr. Klein! YEET

[@euivets2892]

Lol auf Deutsch

[@xyztommixyz]

frau ewald bei mir aber halt in 2023

[@dewasatya1515]

He's genius