英语专业论文范文(8)
In addition to that, Creole forms of French, Spanish and Portuguese were developing. Thus varieties of English representing different political and cultural colors appeared in the Caribbean area.
3.3.3Spread of English to Asia
As to South Asia, the spread of English to India is a typical example. There are three dates in history prove to be very important in the long process of history in India. The first date was December 31, 1600, when the British East Indian Company was established with a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I. This company was not simply a business company in its general meaning, but a trading monopoly which represents Great Britain politically to some extent. With its increase of economic power, the East Indian Company played a very important role in British colonization of India and other nations in South Asia. The second date was February 2, 1835, when the famous Minute of Lord Macaulay was passed, which recommended the use of English in India’s education system. The third date of decision was December 16, 1967, when the Indian Lok Sabha adopted the Official Languages Act, which legalized the use of English, in addition to Hindi, for all official purposes of the Union, for Parliament, and for communications between the Union and the states. These three dates also represented the three different roles of English in India. In the first stage, English was simply used in the areas related to British trade, missionary, and politico-military activities in India. The second stage revealed the use of English in education and the last stage legalized English as an official language. It is interesting to notice that English has not been legalized in India in the time of colonization, but after independence in 1947 from the third stage. Similar stories can be heard in many other colonizes of Asia, in which English is universally used as the medium of international communication throughout the area.
English first came to South-east Asia at the end of the 18th century through the voyages of English sailors, and then by the London Missionary Society. The British Empire established many centers for the purpose of missionary work and commerce. English has come to be established throughout the region as the medium of law and administration. Besides the above-mentioned places, Hong Kong Island is also an important district where English has a special role. Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842 by the Treaty of Nanjing, at the end of the first Opium War. The New Territories, which form the largest part of colony, were leased from China in 1898 for ninety-nine years. English and Chinese have joint official status in Hong Kong. English in Singapore is an official language. A bilingual system was introduced in Singapore in the 1950s, with English use as a unifying medium alongside with Chinese, and some other countries. It has a prominent status in government, the legal system, education and the media. However, in Malaysia, English is more a foreign language than a second one. Its use is restricted to international rather than intra-national purposes. English in the Philippines has an interesting mixture of American and British characteristics. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, the US gained sovereignty over the Philippines, thus enforcing the influence of American English there.
