The Destroyer of the Culture

Language is the national identity of all countries because nations are recognized by what language they speak. Each nation has its own culture through which people can communicate with each other. But as worldwide languages, we cannot compare all languages to each other. Not all languages are important. English, French, Arabic, and Spanish are the only languages that are used by people across the world.

And among these languages there is a difference because English is more popular than the other three languages. English has spread to every corner of the globe. Today, more than a billion people speak English. It is the language of the Internet, of business, of communication…etc. And it has become the vehicle for hundreds of millions of people of all countries to connect with each other. Indeed, English is much more than a language: “It is a bridge across borders and cultures” (Source: Kurdish Globe).

It may be connected with politics, because there are two main countries in the world that speak English: The United States of America and the United Kingdom. These two countries are the superpowers of the world, so in the past, the UK invaded many countries in the world, especially in the Middle East. It affected those countries in many fields, including language. Iraq is an example of that because when the British Empire came to Iraq, English became a lesson in the programs of education. They taught English combined with Arabic and Kurdish. Before invading Iraq, the Ottoman empire sent people to UK to learn English. Also, India is a very good example. Most of the Indian people know English because it was invaded by the UK. According to Google, “Today 350 million people speak English in India and another 300 million in China.”

Also, the same thing for the United States in the contemporary world, but I do not mean invading. But the important thing to mention is having US army in some countries. Also, I can say American movies affect people because most people like American movies. These movies make people act like the characters who they like in the movies. They imitate their speaking or behavior. My roommate always watches the TV show 24. Some days he sits in front of his laptop for 10 hours just watching this TV show. He always says he would like to be Jack Bauer, the hero of the show. He repeats his speech, “Do you know what the difference between dying for something is and dying for nothing is?” He has used this expression in his essays many times.

The world’s culture has been affected by the English language because there are a lot of words in other languages that are originally English, like the word “OK” while they have this word in their own language. I’ve heard this word in English from people who speak many languages, even from illiterate people. So, definitely, English has damaged other languages because it has made people not use the words in their language. It makes them forget their native language, especially new generations.

Last year, there was a TV program on a Kurdish channel about the effects of other languages, especially English and Arabic. The guests and the audience focused on not using any words in English or Arabic, but when one of the people in the audiences asked a question, he used the word “culture” in English. One of the guests told him, “This program is about how to make people not forget their own language, but you used an English word. It means you have forgotten the Kurdish word.” This example shows us that English has a long and strong root in the farm of other cultures. These strong roots are not easy to pick out.

Also, most non-English people use English words in text messages when they want to communicate with other people, but they use the abbreviation of these words. Many times, I have used the abbreviation of some English words. Sometimes, it was just for fun, or I didn’t have time to write the complete word. Because I study English like so many others across the world. Sometimes when I speak with a friend or with my family, I use some English words. like, "no, good, evidence, don’t worry, be calm…etc." The reason of this is that I’ve been studying English for 13 years. Also, we can say the same about other students in Iraq. Or we have many Iraqi people abroad who cannot speak in Arabic or Kurdish well. Those people have affected their families, especially when they come back to their country.

About using text messages by non-English people, the reason is that those people do not have abbreviations of words in their own language. Another reason why people text is to not spend a lot of money. Sometimes, when I write a message, I try to write it in one page because if the message takes two pages, it costs more money. Texting is a good side for that reasons, but at that time it is ruining culture because as I said, it makes people forget their own language and culture.

When English spread in the world, people became familiar with western culture, and it caused many people to become fans of western culture because they didn’t agree with some rules in their culture. Those people have also affected other people in their country by bringing some rules from western culture to the country. Now using English words in newspapers and magazines is so popular. Newspapers and magazines should be first sources to protect national language because they have a really strong effect on people.

In 18th and 19th centuries, our classic poets were using 1/3 of Arabic and Persian words in their poems. And now our new poets have changed the direction to using English words in their poems. Moreover these poems are the main part of literature. So how can we say English has not damaged cultures while English words have come into literature which is the heart of culture?

In the end, I think language has the ability to spread easily among countries because people pretend that it’s essential in many fields, and it is needed in the contemporary world. And all languages cannot be spread in the world, so the languages that are spread, affect other languages and cultures. English has an important role in many countries, especially the Middle East. On the other hand, the spreading of English has had many bad sides for non-English cultures and their languages because there are many English words that are used instead of the original words in other languages. We can say English is damaging cultures. Every nation has its cultures that they should keep them because these cultures are the identities of the nations. We should learn everything, but not those things that are harmful for us first, and for our community and culture second.