EU may drop English as official language
English dominates among the three working languages of the EU (French and German), partly as a result of the various enlargements the bloc has undergone.
The English language may be one of the casualties of Brexit as it emerged that no state other than the United Kingdom has registered it as a primary language among the 28 countries within the European Union.
“The Irish have notified Gaelic, and the Maltese have notified Maltese, so you have only the United Kingdom notifying English”.
The prospect of Britain leaving the European Union could potentially increase pressure on EPSO, the EU’s recruitment agency, to drop English as one of the three required languages.
But, the U.K.is not the only country to use English, as Ireland and Malta both use the language.
When Jean-Claude Juncker, the multilingual Luxembourger who leads the European commission, stands up to give a speech to the European parliament on Wednesday, he is widely expected to use French and German – but not English.
France has never digested its linguistic defeat and imposed French as an equal working language, although the number of speakers is shrinking among Brussels officials.
English might remain a working language, even if it were no longer an official one, Hubner said, adding that keeping it an official language would require agreement by all member states.
“The forces that have made English so powerful are more cultural than governmental”, writes Keating. It also remains the most dominant language in Europe for its civil servants as well. Because they’ve been watching American television and movies their entire lives.
But overbearing European Union bureaucracy means English could be phased out anyway. It is a global phenomenon.
“So while it might seem a odd situation for a post-Brexit EU to continue using English as its main language, I can’t see it going any other way. I think most of (the French) wanted us to stay in”.
“The English language no longer has any legitimacy in Brussels”, tweeted the far-right mayor of the southern town of Beziers, Robert Menard.
However an European Union chief promised English will be maintained as a working language in the 27-nation bloc.
“We have a series of member states that speak English, and English is the world language which we all accept”, said German EU commissioner Gunther Oettinger, before joking that if Scotland was to join separately, it could apply for English as their primary language.