Languages Killing Languages: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Media Portrayal of the Struggle between English and Arabic

The English language has grown to become international, but at the same time, many indigenous languages have become endangered and extinct. Recognizing these trends, scholars have begun recording and cataloging endangered languages. Though Arabic is not considered to be an endangered language, the physical and cultural presence and influence of the West in the Middle East, makes the issue pertinent and popular media has addressed it as well. Articles and speeches addressing the trend of the globalizing English language and the endangerment and extinction of indigenous languages have joined the discussion. 65 arguments from popular media sources against the globalization of English or for the increased usage of Arabic are the samples of this rhetorical analysis. This is significant to understand the spectrum between the positive and negative impacts of English as a global language. Findings showed that certain themes around this issue are present. The sampled media sources include various forms of diction, various language associations, and various attributions of blame. These findings are useful to show the number of ways that this issue can be framed and shed light on the influence that media may have on the opinions of the public on English as a global language