Does science need a global language? : English and the future of research / Scott L. Montgomery ; with a foreword by David Crystal.

9780226535036 hardcover alkaline paper
0226535037 hardcover alkaline paper

Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2013.

English

xiii, 226 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Q226 .M658 2013

501/.4

"A new era in the scientific community has arrived, and it is an era of multinationalism and cooperative reach. Globalization, the Internet, and digital technology all play a role in making this new era possible, but something more fundamental is also at work. In all scientific endeavors lies an ancient drive for sharing ideas and knowledge. Communication serves as the driving force behind turning brilliant ideas into world-changing realities. Yet, only one language serves as the scientific mother tongue--English. Is this a good thing? In Does Science Need a Global Language?, Scott L. Montgomery seeks to answer this question by investigating the phenomenon of global English in science, how and why it came about, the forms in which it appears, what advantages and disadvantages it brings, and what its future might be. He also examines the consequences of a global tongue, interviewing scientists who have struggled to work in a language not their own and looking at emerging nations, where research is still at a relatively early stage and English is not yet firmly established. Throughout the book, Montgomery includes insights from a broad range of perspectives in linguistics, history, education, geopolitics, and more. Each chapter includes revealing anecdotes from the front-line experiences of today's scientists. Montgomery explores topics such as student mobility, publication trends, world Englishes, language endangerment, and second-language learning, among many others. What he uncovers will challenge readers to rethink their assumptions about the development of contemporary science, as well as its future."--book jacket.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-213) and index.

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