Language Planning for International Scientific Communication: An Overview of Questions and Potential Solutions

Abstract

This paper proposes a range of improvements to international science communication. It pictures the contemporary language situation in international scientific communication as well as its recent history with the rise of English as its most notable feature and offers explanations for this development. It discusses in which sciences languages other than English still play an international role and analyses problems and advantages which different scientists encounter as a consequence of the preferred language choices in today’s scientific communication. Problems appear severe for the scientists of recently declined international languages, while for Anglophones and for small language communities advantages predominate. The paper also discusses whether the reduction to one single international language of science may have downsides for scientific progress altogether but arrives at a contrary conclusion as long as other languages continue to function as additional languages of science on the national level. Suggestions for language planning comprise, among others, a campaign for raising awareness among Anglophones of the difficulties faced by non-Anglophones using correct English and the idea of a gradual change in the norms of the international language of science, which should, in the long run, even give rise to a new language (‘Globalish’) with a pluricentric structure.