English as a second language is spoken by billions of people in the world. According to a study on the Adults Participation in English as a Second language Classes that was done by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement in the U.S. Department of Education, “in 1990, there were about 25.5 million adults age 18 and older who spoke a language other than English at home, up from 17.9 million a decade earlier, according to Census data.” If this is what it was like in the 1990s, how do you think it is now since many countries’ economies are related to the English world?
According to Jennifer Claerr’s article from Associated Content News website, “English appears to becoming a lingua franca (a language used by non-native speakers)”. She also wrote: “Since English is so widely spoken, many non-native speakers have found that they have been required to learn it to stay in business.” Another statement that Jennifer wrote which supports my claim was: “English has approximately 370 million native speakers, born in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries. However, it has been estimated that there are over a billion non-native speakers of English.”
A study that was made by the Institute of International Education shows that the number of international students in the United States in the year 2007/2008 academic year was 623,805. And that number increased seven percent from the previous year. Also according to this study, the enrolments from the Middle East, and especially from Saudi Arabia, has increased 37% in the 2007/2008 academic year, which will lead me to attach that to my own experience as a Saudi Arabian student in the United States.
Many foreigners choose to study English according to the study that was done by the U.S. Department of Education. The participants enrolled in the ESL courses for different several reasons; 42% of them did because it was as a part of a college program, 29% said they did because they wanted to improve their communication skills, 14% did because of social reasons, and the remaining 15% said they took the classes for job-related reasons to improve basic skills or to meet requirements for a diploma or some other certificates.
Youth students come to the United States from everywhere to do their bachelors degree, their masters degree, their doctorate degree, or for internships and jobs. The United States is a huge country that English is the main spoken language in it, besides the other languages we hear in the public places by foreigners. Many countries depend on the United States economy, and what I learned from my research is that that is because the American economy has been strong, except for these couple of years; English has become very popular and common in many different countries, and the second language in many of them, such as Saudi Arabia.
Why I chose to study the English language and why I chose to do my bachelors degree in English? Well, that had lots of reasons which made me make this decision. I graduated from high school in 2005. I had wanted to join the Saudi National Guards since I was in high school, because they pay well and because I have cousins who still work there and they had recommended it all the time to me. Unfortunately, I was rejected due to my weight at that time (around 100 kilos). Because of that rejection, I felt down and did not want to do anything after high school. When you dream of something and wait for it, you pass by without getting in it, you will most possibly give up. However, you can always get through when there is hope and family’s support.
I found my father next to me all the time providing me with all I want whenever I needed his help. He has worked at King Saud University for about 25 years as the head of the Technology Department. His advice was that I enrol in that university and that I should continue studying since I graduated from high school with 93%. And I did enrol in that university and went for Business Administration as my major. King Saud University is a public university, and public universities in Saudi Arabia are for free. Instead of you paying them, they pay you a monthly salary as a student. I enrolled in it for a year, and then I asked my father if I could go to the United States and study English for the summer. My father approved my request since he has always encouraged me and my brothers and sisters to learn it. He asked me which state I wanted to go to, so I took my uncles advice in that decision because they all graduated from universities in Minnesota and they own their businesses in Saudi Arabia and in other countries.
I came to Minnesota in June of 2006 and I was worried, nervous and excited at the same time for the new experience that I was going to get through. Since I did not make friends quick at that time, I was very into sports. I lost 20 kilos in about 3 months, made friends, and I enjoyed learning the American life since I lived with an American family until I decided to do bachelors so then I moved in the dormitory. Before the end of the summer, I talked with my father and I told him that I wanted to stay longer. So I dropped the semester after that summer and continued learning English. I only knew a few words before I came to the United States, such as hi, bye, thanks, you are welcome, excuse me, and sorry. Fortunately, my quick learning made me enjoy living here until February of 2007. My grandfather, from my father’s side, died in a car accident. A few days after, my grandmother, from my mother’s side, she got in a coma and died two days after. I gave up and wanted to go back because I was very attached to them, and now I do not have grandparents anymore.
I went back to King Saud University, just because my father basically forced me to do so. I did not do that well and did not like my life at all. Furthermore, I decided a few months later to go study abroad again. I realized how wonderful it is to live abroad and learn new things and have responsibilities when living by myself, speaking a different language, and learning a new culture. So, I came back to Minnesota in January of 2008 and continued my English program, and I enrolled in Saint Cloud University in the fall semester of 2008 as in International Business major.
English as a second language to me is a new life, an everyday experience, a new culture, and new thoughts; however, it is hard when using the English language in expressing emotions. Being bilingual has developed my self confidence, and has helped me involve myself in the American culture and the Saudi Arabian one as well. It is also a new development for my future job. I chose the international Business major because it is an excellent one when the student speaks more than a language, according to my advisor. Even when I went back to Saudi Arabia in 2007, I used English a lot. Usually English is pretty much used all the time in restaurants, high quality stores, banks, and in many other businesses where the employees are foreigners. Every time I was around my friends, I see how interested they are to know how I learned English and how fin it was for me. Also with girls, when I tell them that I studied abroad and they listen to my English, they tell me it is a “turn on”!
Since I have come to the United States, I have faced many situations where I have thought they were interesting, and others that I have thought they were somewhat offensive. “Negative attitudes toward recent immigrants and their languages is not a new issue in the United States” (pp74) according to Howard Smith and Paul Heckman in the book “Meeting the Challenge of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Education”. I remember one time I was waiting for the bus and sitting next to an old man. He asked me where I was from and then he asked me how much Oil I own! I laughed and thought it was interesting to know what Americans thought of us.
Saying my name to Americans they immediately know that I am Muslim, and unfortunately many of them do not differentiate between religion and terrorism. This type of people do not really know that our government and theirs are both tracking the Al-Qaida and against terrorism. I find these situations offensive. I am a normal person studying abroad to gain a new language, learn a new culture, and have a better experience. And they should put their selves in my situation and see how it would be like. Last year, I made a presentation about Saudi Arabia in the dormitory residence where I lived, and I was asked some questions that were meant to be embarrassing and offensive but I responded in a smart way that made them embarrassed for trying to embarrass me.
On the other hand, I have met people that were educated enough that they knew how to treat me whether in friendship or/and in short chit-chats. I always show people that yes Islam is the religion I believe in, yes I am a Middle Eastern, no I am not a terrorist, and no I do not care what you believe in. I always show people that I am here seeking a better education, a better experience, and an environment full of fun and joy. I live with Americans now, my roommate from last year, and other American guys that I have made friends with. They have always respected me and treated me as a person who they feel normal with, and as if I was not from a different country.
Expressing my emotions in English is not as how it is in Arabic. It is a very difficult thing to do when facing situations that are related to culture, religion, etc. I do feel comfortable speaking English when with friends, but I most of the time feel nervous speaking it in classes and in assignments that are graded, even though most of the instructors are pretty understanding and helpful.
In conclusion, even though English does not have the largest number of people speaking it, it is a language that has been global for many centuries. English has become a global language due to the U.S’s dominating on the media and on the economy, according to my research. In the past twenty years or so, the American economy status was somehow dominating. However, these recent years, America has lost a lot, and I believe that English will not be universal anymore someday. One of my cousins is an Economics scientist, and he advised me to major in either the Japanese language translation or the Chinese one as for my bachelors, because he thinks that one of these countries will control the world’s business in ten years or so. And he told me that in 2005 right after I graduated from high school.
Many people that I know ask me what I would have done if I did not choose to study the English language and doing my bachelors in it. It is true that I wanted to join the Saudi National Guards, but I would have tried to find an office job instead since that was not going to be my destiny. Unfortunately, jobs in Saudi Arabia are hard to find; unless you have “connections” with people. In other words, my father knows a lot of princes from the royal family, business men, and he is a good friend with them. Once I graduate and look for a job through him, he will definitely find me tons. But that is not what my father’s rules are; he has always told us that if we needed jobs, we will need to find the ones we really qualify for and deserve, and this makes sense to me. I want a job that I can use my English language in, a job that makes me gain new experiences, and of course a well-paid one.
As a business major graduate, with a couple of computer courses certificates, and with good English skills, I believe I will find many fields to be in once I go back to Saudi Arabia. However, I am not planning on going back unless I do not find jobs either in America or in Europe. If I find a job here and I do not enjoy it or if I begin to feel homesick, that will be at least as an internship which will very much help me find many different jobs in Saudi Arabia. Having a business major will help me to be able to find jobs in banks, investment companies, commercial company, stock market, and also in government jobs as in management and such.
I hope that the knowledge that I have gained in English will increase instead of decreasing as long as I am alive. I will always work hard on that to keep up with getting used to speaking and writing in English. Even though it is very hard when experiencing the emotions in a different language and culture, I hope this matter will no longer be in my life and that I get rid of it forever. And I will also tell my children in the future how wonderful this experience has been for me hoping that they will want to do it and learn more in their lives.
Bibliography:
- “Adult participation in ESL Classes.” The National Centre For Education Statistics. Vol 98-036. 1998. Print.
- Kubato, Ryuko. “INTRODUCTION.” Globalization and Language Teaching. E.D. David Block and Deborah Cameron. London and New York; Routledge, 2002. Print.
- Garcia, Eugene. ET AL. “THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR: THE NEXT GENERATION.” Meeting the Challenges of Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in Early Childhood Education. E.D. Howard Smith and Paul Heckman. Arizona. 1995. Print.
- Claerr, Jennifer. "How English Became a Global Language." Associated Content News. (2007). Web. 9 Dec 2009.
- Gardner, Deborah. "INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ON U.S. CAMPUSES AT ALL-TIME HIGH." New York: Institute of International Education, 2008. Web.
