Book and Media Review pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Review of Does Science Need a Global Language? Robert E. Buntrock* Buntrock Associates, Orono, Maine 04473, United States dominance, especially German. European science tended to be more theoretical, but publications in English reflected the rise in applied science and technology in some regions. World War II was a major disruption both in scientific research and publishing and contributed to the demise of European languages and a rapid rise of English usage. Publication in Japanese and Russian began early in the 20th century and resumed after World War II, later to decline. Has English become the lingua f ranca of science just as Latin and Arabic once were? The author posits, not yet, but it soon will be. Will English be challenged, especially by Mandarin? Probably not, at least in the near to middle future, especially with the increasing trend for Chinese scientists to publish in English. Possibly of most interest to readers of this Journal are the effects on global education, both in general and specifically on science education. In much of the world where English is not the primary language, English classes are compulsory in the primary grades. Exposure to English is enhanced via global media. This is in contrast to education in the core five Englishspeaking countries where foreign language instruction is nowhere near as prevalent. Advice is given that to be effective in science one should be at least bilingual or even multilingual. English-speaking countries attract an ever-increasing number of international students and researchers and the need for effective English as a second language (ESL) instruction, in both speaking and writing, also increases. There are both plusses and minuses in having a predominant language of science. The wide variance in proficiency in nonnative speakers can produce feelings of isolation when traveling or living in countries away from home. Obvious differences in proficiency between writing and speaking a nonnative language emerge, with the former more easily accomplished. Publication for a local audience is best done in the local language and these publications need not be supplanted by English. However, English has become the most effective publication language for a global audience. Any language has variant forms and the question arises which forms are publishable. Scientific publishing has migrated extensively from professional societies toward for-profit publishing houses and because of the for-profit mission, the incentive for journal editors to insist on standard English has increased. Some relaxation in these policies is recommended in order to facilitate effective dissemination of scientific information by nonnative speakers. The trend toward English as the lingua f ranca of science has been very rapid, almost as spectacular as the rise in Arabic centuries ago. In my own case, in over 55 years the need for proficiency to read chemistry publications in German and French has diminished to almost zero. The advantages of
Does Science Need a Global Language?, by Scott L. Montgomery. University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL, 2013. 226 + xiii pp. ISBN 978-0226535036 (5 hardcover). $22.50.
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he languages of science are important to dissemination of results and always have been, including in this period of increased globalization. The language of chemistry is especially important. On the basis of an extensive series of interviews with a wide variety of scientists, the author of Does Science Need a Global Language? provides a foundation for the answer to the title question.
Cover image provided by University of Chicago Press and reproduced with permission.
The global trend toward English has permeated the media, including publications of all kinds, advertising, broadcasting, athletics, popular music, television, movies, and education. Data are presented on the numbers of speakers of the top ten languages, number of native speakers, the countries represented, and the number of nonnative speakers, as well as current trends in numbers. Mandarin is in first place for native speakers and English in third place, but English has far and away the largest number of nonnative speakers. (Native speakers of English mostly come from Great Britain, the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.) The rapid rise of English as a global medium for science is also part of the trend. The first books on the title topic began appearing in the 1990s when authors and publishers such as Eugene Garfield, via his publishing house ISI and his editorials in Current Contents,1 were addressing the rise and importance of English as the publication language of science. The history of languages of science is recounted with Latin and Arabic being previous dominant languages of science. Galileo began the trend toward use of a local language by writing in Italian rather than Latin. Other European languages then came in to © XXXX American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed4008099 | J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
Book and Media Review
English as scientific lingua f ranca include education and collaboration in research on an international basis. Is the answer to the title question ever given? After much evidence to the positive, the answer, given in the last section, is yes. Because both educators and researchers at all levels encounter increasing levels of globalization, this book is highly recommended for all.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected].
REFERENCES
(1) Current Contents Connect Web page. http://thomsonreuters. com/current-contents-connect/ (accessed Nov 2013).
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