HOW ENGLISH BECAME THE OPERATING SYSTEM OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
Abstract
This article moves beyond viewing English as a simple communication tool, analyzing it instead as a critical form of infrastructure—a de facto global standard that reduces friction, enables integration, and shapes competitive landscapes. We explore its multifaceted role in facilitating trade, structuring multinational operations, powering the digital marketplace, and defining professional pathways. The evidence suggests that fluency in English now functions as a key economic asset, determining how seamlessly countries, corporations, and individuals plug into the networks of global capitalism.
Keywords
Global English, lingua franca, international business communication, transaction costs, global value chains, digital economy, linguistic capital.
References
- Blevins, J. (2018). The Language of Global Finance: A Practical Guide. Routledge.
- Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Danet, B., & Herring, S. C. (Eds.). (2007). The Multilingual Internet: Language, Culture, and Communication Online. Oxford University Press.
- Fredriksson, R., Barner-Rasmussen, W., & Piekkari, R. (2006). The Multinational Corporation as a Multilingual Organization: The Notion of a Common Corporate Language. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 11(4), 406-423.
- Gillespie, T. (2014). The Relevance of Algorithms. In T. Gillespie, P. J. Boczkowski, & K. A. Foot (Eds.), Media Technologies: Essays on Communication, Materiality, and Society (pp. 167-194). The MIT Press.
- Neeley, T. (2012). Global Business Speaks English. Harvard Business Review, 90(5), 116-124.
- Phillipson, R. (2008). Lingua Franca or Lingua Frankensteinia? English in European Integration and Globalisation. World Englishes, 27(2), 250-267.
- Pieterse, A. (2020). Linguistic Transparency and International Capital Flows: Evidence from Mandatory IFRS Adoption. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(2), 249-272