There is no better comparison for the English language other than the World Wide Web itself. Taking into consideration no geographical or social boundaries, it conquered both the Northern and the Southern hemispheres and built its international statute through the means of a powerful imperialism.
The use of English managed to bring under the same linguistic umbrella a great diversity of people, each of them contributing a piece of their cultural frame of mind to the English cauldron. In its turn, the cultural influence that the English language had upon the conqured populations was of a remarkable impact and acted as an injection that introduced its cultural and linguistic substances into the ones of the colonized people, whose power was not that vigorous and influential.
Consequently, thousands of people were forced to part with their mother tongues, which were implicitly or explicitly oppressed (often to extinction) by the British expansion. In its rise and in its attempt to become an international power, the British Empire (and, more recently, the economic empire of the USA) brought about a series of important losses in the linguistic field. Many Aboriginal languages died together with the native people that were massacred. This is the case of the U.S.A. and Australia, where the process of assimilation was a forced one, as the new settlers sought rather for expanding than for sharing experiences...
Confronted with unfamiliar settings, the colonists often found themselves unable to produce proper denominations of the flora, fauna and other "realia" they came in touch with. The flexibility of the English language helped them get out of linguistic blockages by improvising or taking profit of the generosity of double duty words, which act both as nouns and as verbs. The English language also borrowed new elements without hesitation, or adapted itself to the new linguistic, natural and cultural situations. The freedom that an English speaker has when combining words is superior to that of a non-English speaker. The lack of inflections makes it easy for new lexical items to integrate into the structure of English. The richness of its vocabulary (six hundred and fifteen thousand words numbered by the compilers of the revised Oxford English Dictionary, without taking into consideration the technical and scientific terms) includes a great amount of synonyms and distinctions that an English speaker can draw.
In the last decades, the English language seems to have become some sort of a passport towards the multicultural world. Nowadays, no other language can equal the importance of English. Just as David Crystal stated, the English language repeatedly found itself in the right place at the right time. (Crystal, English as a Global Language, U.K., 1997, 110-11). During the period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it stood for the language of the most powerful colonial nation, represented by Great Britain. The next centuries found it as the language of the world's financial centre - U.S.A.. Consequently, the industrial and technological boom turned English into the linguistic leader in these domains. The necessity of realizing weighty alliances made the English language indispensable. Moreover, the countries that were part of the colonies and that started to proclaim their independence had no other clear choice than English as an official language. There were cases when countries of non-English occupation shifted to English as a preferable language after independence had been gained. (A relevant example for this case is represented by Algeria, where French was the language of domination.)
There are some theorists concerned with the fragmentation of the English language. No matter how deep they go to underline the linguistic differences between the varieties of English, these prophetic assertions skip the fact that difficulties in understanding appear especially between the speakers of two different circles. Even so, such differences can be avoided and even diminished when speaking more slowly. Moreover, the continuous use of standard written English persists in the system of the written press, textbooks or other printed papers, preventing major variation in the English-speaking countries.
Unconsciously, many people embrace the English language due to the fact that it ensures them a better life. This explanation stays at the basis of such impressive waves of immigrants who became entirely assimilated by foreign societies that provided them with the means that their mother countries had not been able to ensure. We live in a period when a global language can take a lot of profit from our lack of linguistic awareness. We are unconsciously led towards a massive globalization where almost anyone wears jeans, drinks Coke, listens to MTV, surfs on the Internet and mumbles an O.K. whenever finding the opportunity.
I think that unlike the former powerful civilizations that imposed their language on the colonized people due to a resistant economy and policy, the Anglophonic Empire did not limit to its colonial occupation. On the contrary, it persists in so many ways of conquering and controlling the world, which one cannot even imagine. Actually, each of us enters its system each time we turn on the computer. The software industry is a very interesting way of mass manipulation, and the fact that it was born and developed in the English language proves again what I mentioned above as being said by David Crystal. The network of the English language will not refrain from conquering and gaining more territories, until reaching a uniform globalization. As many of the optimist theories show, the influence that the English language displays at an international level concerning almost any domain seems to be only at the beginning, and the proportion that it has taken lately will transform it into an instrument for global government and manipulation.
Short Dictionary of English Borrowings
Bayou (noun, French origin) - a great amount of water that flows slowly; along its course there are a lot of plants and animals living.
Beech (noun) - a term borrowed by the Americans from the Europeans to denominate a type of tree just because it resembled to the original one; its colour can vary from brown-reddish to pinkish cream.
Bonanza (noun, Spanish origin) - a situation when people get lucky, rich or successful out of the blue.
Boomerang (noun, Australian origin) - some sort of a weapon made up of a curved stick which is used for hunting by the Australian Aborigines.
Butte (noun, French origin) - an isolated hill with steep sides that can be found in arid origins.
Caboose (noun, Dutch origin) - the part of the train represented by the guard's van.
Cache (noun, French origin) - an amount of objects like weapons which had been hidden.
Caribou (noun, French origin) - a brown North American animal which has long thin legs and horns.
Chipmunk (noun, North American origin) - a furry and small animal that can be found both in Asia and North America, characterized by a long tail and darker coloured stripes on its back.
Chowder (noun, French origin) - a dish represented by a thick soup containing fish, milk or cream and vegetables.
Chutzpa (noun, Yiddish origin) - the quality of being audacious.
Coleslaw (noun, Dutch origin) - a type of salad that is made of raw cabbage and which often contains carrots; it can be dressed with mayonnaise or with vinegar.
Corroboree (noun, Australian origin) an Aborigine ritual of meeting which manifests through tribal dancing.
Dim sum (noun, Chinese origin) - a collection of smaller dishes used for snacks in China.
Falafel (noun, Middle East origin) - fried balls consisting of vegetables.
Gonif (noun, Yiddish origin) - a term used for abuse, representing a thief or a person who is not honest.
Gopher (noun, French origin) - a small furry animal which lives in Central and North America in holes that it digs himself.
Goy (noun, Jewish origin) - different from Jews; not Jew.
Gyros (noun, Greek origin) - a speciality consisting of roasted lamb on a vertical rotisserie, served with onion, tomato and pita.
Haka (noun, New Zealand's origin) - some sort of a ceremonial dance of Maori population, accompanied by shouts.
Hemlock (noun) - a very poisonous plant whose name was borrowed by the Americans from the Europeans after having found this type of plant in America, too.
Hickory (noun, North American origin) - a tree which grows in North America and which produces nuts; also the wood of this tree, which is very hard.
Hoodlum (noun, German origin) - a youngster showing disrespect for law.
Kauri (noun, Australian origin) - some sort of a tree from Australia and New Zealand renowned for its timber.
Kosher (adjective, Jewish origin) - accepted or allowed by the Jewish norms; it occurs especially in the gastronomic field.
Kurrajong (noun, Australian origin) a general name used to d3nominate the family of several trees in Australia.
Languine (noun, Italian origin) - pasta; a term that in Italian means little tongues.
Levee (noun, French origin) - some sort of a dig represented by a wall built alongside a river.
Mazuma (noun, Yidish origin) - money.
Moccasin (noun, Native American origin) - a sort of shoe with a flat heel which is very soft due to the fact that is made of leather.
Moose (noun, North American origin) - one of the largest members from the deer family which has enormous antlers; the European term for this animal is elk.
Mulga (noun, Australian origin) - some sort of a plant which can be found in Australia, but also in America.
Nan (noun, Indian origin) - a bread baked in a clay container.
Nebbish (noun, Yddish origin) - a very shy person who does not have the audacity of making plans or engaging in discussions.
Opossum (noun, Australian and North American origin) - a furry animal with a long tail which carries the babies inside a pouch.
Oriole (noun) - a term used to denominate any type of colourful bird from the family of New World orioles.
Papoose (noun, American origin) - a bag used for carrying babies on one's back.
Pemmican (noun, Native American origin) - pounded meat that was mixed with fat pressed into cans; this method was later borrowed by the American army.
Phooey (interjection, German origin) - a sound made when one is annoyed or disturbed by something.
Pow-wow (noun, Native American origin) - a traditional custom and ceremony of meeting for the Native Americans.
Quandong (noun, Australian origin) - a fruit with a high content of Vitamin C.
Raccoon (noun, American origin) - an animal which lives mainly in Central and North America; it has a black and white face and a long tail.
Saganaki (noun, Greek origin) - some sort of cheese roasted in hot oil; it represents a Greek specialty.
Samosa (noun, Indian origin) - a triangular pancake filled with meat that is served as a snack in India.
Schlemiel (noun, Jewish origin) - a person who is neither smart nor lucky and who mistakes very often.
Schlep (verb, Jewish origin) - to carry slowly something which is heavy.
Schlock (noun, Jewish origin) - cheap objects or things of low quality.
Shtik (noun, Yddish origin) - only a piece or a little bit of something.
Skunk (noun, North American origin) - a small animal which lives in North America; it has black and white stripes and produces an unpleasant smell when attacked.
Souvlaki (noun, Greek origin) - Greek specialty made up of lamb, onion and green pepper roasted on a stick.
Spiel (noun, German origin) - some sort of a speech that is not appreciated due to the fact that it does not sound sincere.
Stampede (verb, Spanish origin) - the action when a mass of animals of people start to run at once due to the fact that they are frightened by something.
Tamarack (noun, Native American origin) the bark of a tree which has medicinal properties, being a good diuretic and laxative.
Teepee (noun, Native American origin) - a tent built by the Native Americans; it has the shape of a cone and it is covered with canvas or, more often, with animal hides.
Teriyaki (noun, Japanese origin) - a sauce used for fish and meat; it has a sweet and salty flavour.
Tomahawk (noun, Native American origin) - a small axe that was used as a weapon by the Native Americans in the past.
Totem (noun, Native American origin) - an element with spiritual significance which can be interpreted by an animal, plant, or any other object; it has a religious importance for the Native Americans.
Tutu (noun, Australian origin) - a shrub with feeble branches and edible fruit.
Vamoose (verb, Spanish origin) - run away, to leave quickly.
Wallaby (noun, Australian origin) - some sort of a small kangaroo, which is very coloured sometimes.
Wampum (noun, Native American origin) - a sort of money used by the Native Americans in the past; it stood for some beads or shells on strings.
Waratah (noun, Australian origin) - a large shrub with narrow leaves and red flowers.
Wigwam (noun, Native American origin) - some sort of a tent used by the Native Americans as their homes in the past.
Zucchini (noun, Italian origin) - courgette, a long vegetable with dark peel.
