73. global english: blessing or curse?
The Rise of English won a prestigious award in 2023. In the episode, Rosemary shares why it meant so much to her.
What if the answer to that question is “both”?
In this episode, Professor Rosemary Salomone brings a linguist’s curiosity and a lawyer’s measured assessment to this question in her conversation with Steve. Rosemary is both linguist and lawyer, and just as significant, writer.
THE RISE OF ENGLISH AND THE ROLE OF BILINGUALISM
She and Steve are discussing her most recent book, The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language. It is a thoughtful examination of the divergent roles that English plays in different parts of the world. She takes Steve on an armchair tour through parts of Europe, India, and Africa to learn of the impacts that English is currently having as well as the consequences that arise. Not surprisingly, some are unintended.
Bilingualism plays a role in all this, and in ways that may surprise you.
AN ACCOMPLISHED BILINGUAL
Rosemary is herself bilingual, speaking French, Italian, and Spanish with varying levels of competency. She studied all three in school, but her familiarity with Italian goes beyond the classroom—as you’ll discover in Episode 73.
Rosemary (third from left), with Italy’s 2023 Premio Cesare Pavese award for nonfiction for The Rise of English, at the awards ceremony.
HEAR THE STORY
Listen on Apple Podcasts here: America the Bilingual by Steve Leveen; on Spotify; or wherever you tune in to your podcasts.
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Please share this episode where you socialize, or be a reviewer on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You’ll be part of a blossoming bilingual America, where English unites us and our other languages strengthen us.
CREDITS
Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.
Music credits, in sequence: John Bartmann, “West in Africa”; Koi-discovery, “Beer-Blues”; Holizna, “Only in the Milky Way”; Wax Lyricist, “Big Green”; Soft and Furious, “You’re Magic”; Soft and Furious, “Game On”; Koi-discovery, “Spike Protein”; Soft and Furious, “You’re Magic”; He Can Jog, “Prelude (Two Hour Delay, Dane County)”; Soft and Furious, “When the Blood Driving the Self”; Maarten Schellekens, “Free Classical Theme.”
We welcome your comments on this episode page and on Facebook.
You can book Steve for many different audiences
First, know that she has one of those glorious English accents (or what all of us who are not English would call an accent), which makes her a natural for the audio book narration that she does. Although U.S. born, Caroline grew up in England and studied literature at the University of Warwick (fyi for American ears: that second “w” is silent).
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