Linguistic imperialism
Linguistic Imperialism is a phenomenon that may be subsumed under the broader rubric of cultural imperialism. Since the early 90s the term has assumed significant currency particularly in the field of English applied linguistics. Robert Phillipson's influential book 'Linguistic Imperialism' published by Oxford University Press has been largely responsible for popularising the term. Phillipson defines English linguistic imperialism as ‘the dominance asserted and maintained by the establishment and continuous reconstitution of structural and cultural inequalities between English and other languages’. His influential theory of linguistic imperialism draws mainly on Galtung's imperialism theory, Gramscian social theory and in particular Gramsci’s notion of cultural hegemony. Phillipson’s theory provides a powerful critique on the historical spread of English as an international language and how it continues to maintain its current dominance particularly in postcolonial contexts like India, Pakistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, etc but also increasingly in ‘neo-colonial’ contexts such as continental Europe.
One of the central themes of Phillipson’s theory is the series of complex hegemonic processes which continue to sustain the preeminence of English in the world today. Phillipson illustates this by deconstructing the promotional rhetoric used to promote English in particular that of the British Council. He also exposes some of the key underlying tenets of English applied linguistics and English language teaching methodology. Another very important theme in his work is what he calls ‘linguicism’, the processes by which endangered languages become extinct or lose their local eminence as a direct result of say the rising and competing prominence of English in disparate global contexts.
Defining linguistic imperialism is bound to be problematic and one's attitude towards the term will depend largely on one's personal political orientations particularly in terms of how a person relates to the increasing political, economic and military power of the English-speaking nations of the West.
The idea that linguistic imperialism is an accusatory term used by trendy leftists to account for the historical spread of English is a view often advanced by monolingual native-speakers of English who may see the current status of English as a fact worthy of celebration. Moderate proponents of English linguistic imperialism are likely to be liberal humanists who may dismiss the theory outright suggesting that English linguistic imperialism is a little more than a conspiracy theory. David Crystal and Henry Widdowson have been decribed as adopting this position. Extreme proponents of English linguistic imperialism are likely to envisage a monolingual, monocultural, and unipolar view of the world with a powerful Anglocentric centre of power. Samuel Huntington (known for his Clash of Civilisations theory and his recent vilification of the rising use of Spanish by the Hispanic community in the USA) falls into this category. Right-wing Christian groups(particularly missionaries) who see English as the language of the Bible and who would like to see a reversal of the curse of Babel are also likely to be repulsed by Phillipson’s theory (for full treatment of this position, see Pennycook). Others in this category may include White supremacists, Neocons and nostalgic colonialists like the prominent British historian, Paul Johnson.
In contrast those who see the increasing spread of English in the world as a worrying development that marginalises the status of local and regional languages as well as potentially undermining or eroding cultural values are likely to be far more receptive to Phillipson’s views. Proponents of this view may also be inclined to believe that multilingualism and cultural diversity are facts of the world that ought to be celebrated and rigorously maintained. Alastair Pennycook, Suresh Canagarajah, Adrian Holliday and Julian Edge broadly fall into this group and are often described as critical applied linguists.