English going with the English?

To a point of nausea we have been reading reports on the impending Brexit, the process, the repercussions and the very bitter divorce. There is no “amicable splitting” here. The “uncoupling” will be painful.

The biggest casualty in this split, over and the above the financial and human implications, it is now surfacing that the English language could suffer big time. Those who have travelled to Europe, might have encountered difficulties where not everyone converses in English; in fact in countryside and far flung places, English is rarely spoken apart from the “tourist” spots and hotels.

In the 28 member European Union, when it was formed, UK had registered English as its primary language – none of the other 27 countries had English as their main language. And what is emerging now is that if UK leaves, so does the English language. Regulations would have to be changed to retain the language, requiring a unanimous vote from the 27 remaining states.

Currently the EU uses 24 languages –any rule, legal documents or notifications are released in all 24 languages. If English leaves with the UK, then we all would need to translate documents of the EU into English. Maybe, if Scotland does split and remains in the EU, then English will make a comeback!

Despite such stories doing the rounds, it seems unlikely that a global organization like EU would do away with English.