English = Power

“One language to rule them all, One language to find them, One language to bring them all and in the darkness bind them”

Not exactly in the words of J.R.R Tolkien, this is what English could be thought as. Granted, it did not bind anyone to darkness (or is hat relative?) and did not involve any hobbits. English has had its hand in ruling over different people, it has been shackles to some as well as liberation to others. English has a power: The power to take control.

India was conquered by the English. By using English as a tool, they made everyone in India learn to speak it. Soon enough everyone could communicate through English and there was no longer a language barrier among the Indian people. Little did they know that while it could be wielded to control the people, it could also unite the people to fight back. Gandhi published his pamphlet disagreeing with the government so that everyone could understand it.

English also had its effect with the slave trade. The people in charge of plantations spoke it and therefore created an impact on the African people they brought. Soon enough the languages were intermingling and communication began to flow between the two worlds. This is how Black American English got its roots. From a mix of western African language and the English of those who brought them here.

It is also interesting to see how language can decide a whole classes fate. How just by hearing how someone speaks you can determine what social circle they are a part of. In Australia those that spoke the slang and tried to make the language modern were considered of the low class. Then those who spoke standard English or queens English were from the aristocracy. If you think about it even today in Colombia a person from Rosales does not speak the same way as a person who lives in Ciudad Bolivar.