The Future of the English Language in the European Union. Proposal for a Conference on Euro-English

Anne Parry 
Founder member of the Valpolicella branch of the Movimento Federalista Europeo

The UK has left the European Union, yet English remains one of the working languages along with French and German. The idea of imposing a different language rather than accepting the status quo where English is the main language is unlikely to work for reasons I will explore below. In this article I would like to look at how European citizens may now take ownership of the language and develop their own version of Euro-English, with the help of linguists, teachers and students from all member states, and the Conference on the future of Europe (COFE) online platform.

British, American or Euro-English?

English is now recognised as a global language with many different varieties, as described in David Crystal’s seminal work English as a Global Language among others. But only two varieties have achieved world-wide recognition, due to the publication of authoritative dictionaries and grammars of the language in the 18^th century. Anyone writing formal English today has to decide whether to choose British or American English, particularly when considering spelling choices (colour or color, centre or center).

At the time of the American Constitutional Convention in 1787, Noah Webster was a pioneering scholar, lexicographer and teacher. He realised that the English dictionaries available in the US were inadequate to describe the period of constitutional change and set about his life’s work writing his American dictionary of the English Language. In the Preface to this work, Webster explains:

‘Language is the expression of ideas; and if the people of one country cannot preserve an identity of ideas, they cannot retain an identity of language. ….. But the principal differences between the people of this country and of all others, arise from different forms of government, different laws, institutions and customs…..

No person in this country will be satisfied with the English definitions of the words congress, senate and assembly, court, &c. for although these are words used in England, yet they are applied in this country to express ideas which they do not express in that country.’

The Merriam-Webster dictionary is now recognised as the authoritative resource for current American English usage.

I would like to suggest that there are parallels between the period when America broke away from British rule in the 18^th century, and set up its Constitutional Convention to form an independent federal government, and the present-day situation in Europe, where the EU is also in a constituent phase, requiring federal changes in the way it is run if it is to face up to the challenges of the future. A collaborative exercise in defining Euro-English may reinforce that sense of European identity which is a necessary addition to national identity if we are to escape the siren call of national populism.

Why is English the main language in European institutions?

English, like Portuguese, French, Spanish and Dutch, initially became a global language because of empire. As Europeans colonised all corners of the world, they took their languages with them and English became established as the language of communication and administration in India, South Africa, Australia, the United States, to name just a few. Nowadays English is spoken by about 1.5 billion people world-wide, of whom over a billion use English as a second language, with fewer than 400 million speaking it as their first language.

After the Second World War, the post-imperial European states reached out to each other and created a common space which later developed into the EU, where countries worked together towards an ‘ever closer union’. Initially, Dutch, French, German and Italian were identified as the working languages in the EEC, but when the UK joined in 1973, English became an official language, and gradually became more dominant as its influence increased.

The use of English increased with the accession of Sweden, Finland and Austria in 1995.  After the fall of the Berlin Wall, countries which had turned away from Russia looked towards western democracies, in particular the UK and the USA, for their future and that of their children. In Poland and other countries English replaced Russian as the second language taught in schools, and when the EU opened its doors to countries from eastern Europe in 2004 and 2007, the role of English was reinforced as it was simply the most commonly used shared language.

Euro-English and European identity

Language is a key part of our identity, it defines who we are and enshrines our culture and world view, but it is also a tool for the creation of a shared world view. Where a language is imposed against the will of the people and is associated with power and oppression, it may cause resentment, but where it is the language of choice of a community it can create a sense of belonging. I suggest that by addressing and taking ownership of Euro-English in the EU, European citizens will be able to consolidate their shared identity while establishing a new European variety of the English language needed to mirror the culture and institutions of our Union.

While the UK was a member of the EU, it was natural that the English used in the institutions would be the British rather than the American variety of the language, but since Brexit, the EU no longer needs to depend on its ex-member state.  There has been much resentment towards the British and the use of the English language in the EU, and it is reasonable to suspect that this derives not from an inherent dislike of the language itself but from past imperial rivalries, and more recently from the often Eurosceptic attitude to the Union displayed by the British government and members of the administration, by British MEPs, including Nigel Farage, the former UKIP leader accused among other things of inciting racial hatred with his Brexit propaganda, and by journalists such as Boris Johnson, who made a successful career of denigrating the EU before he became Prime Minister. It is difficult to forget the numerous times that Britain requested, expected and obtained opt-outs and rebates, refusing to take part in the Schengen project, the Euro and other shared projects.  It is now time for the EU to move on from Brexit and to celebrate and consolidate its role in the world. I believe that rather than abandoning English as the main language of communication, a re-evaluation of Euro-English may be a helpful tool to accomplish this. A description of the language variety built up with the help of the citizens, in particular the younger members of the Union, could become an integral part of a new-found European sense of unity.

A common language for Europe?

There has been extensive debate about which language should be used in EU institutions. But languages are eco-systems that develop and change naturally in contexts where people interact with each other, and it is hard to persuade people to speak to each other in a language with which they are not familiar when they share a language which allows them to communicate efficiently. What are the alternatives to English?

Some people have proposed the use of ancient or artificially developed languages, such as Latin or Esperanto. But languages develop in communities, and allow the members of these communities to build relationships and share ideas. Esperanto failed as a global language, principally because there were no native speakers and no culture behind the language, so it was known only among people who were interested in attending symposiums to discuss it. Unfortunately for enthusiasts of invented languages, they don’t seem to work.

Should French or German become the main language in the EU?

The EU has 24 official languages, but only English, French and German are considered working languages in the European Commission, whereas all 24 languages are working languages in the European Parliament.

The French have often resented the prominence of English in the EU, where it was seen as a langue véhiculaire, as opposed to French which was the real langue communautaire. In 2021, French MP Julien Aubert proposed in the Assemblée Nationale that French should become the only working language in the EU, but his proposal was not welcomed by speakers of other languages, some of whom suggested that English was the best choice, as it was now a neutral language, no longer the language of any of the larger member states, and despite the efforts of the French Presidency of the Council in 2022, English remains one of the working languages.

The German Bundestag has repeatedly called for German to receive an equal position in the Commission alongside French and English, and the use of German has increased in EU institutions, as has the number of people learning German across Europe.

French and German will no doubt be studied more in other EU countries in the future, but if either of them were to become the single working language in EU institutions, this would create a political problem similar to that of English being seen as the dominant culture, which was resolved by the UK leaving the Union.  We should not forget that the main language spoken in Ireland is English, but Ireland does not have the weight or the imperial background to create a problem like that of the UK.

The interpretation service in the European Parliament is extremely successful, as we have seen during the COFE sessions, where participants were able to speak in their own language while others could listen in their language of choice, but ultimately communication will be facilitated by the use of a shared language.

It is to be hoped that the study of languages in the future will guarantee that all EU citizens become fluent in more than two languages, but for the moment, leaving aside all other issues, it would seem sensible to continue to use Euro-English as the main language of communication in the EU.

Linguistic Imperialism in EU institutions – an example

While the UK was a member of the EU and English was the most widely used language of communication, it was natural that British citizens would play a large part in translation services.  This sometimes led to British translators laying down the law about what was or was not acceptable English, without showing appropriate sensitivity. It must have been annoying for speakers of other languages who were doing their best to communicate in a second language, to be constantly corrected, in particular by people whose commitment to the joint European project often seemed half-hearted, and was tinged with English exceptionalism. 

One document, Misused English words and expressions in EU publications, May 2016, written by Jeremy Gardner, a senior translator at the European Court of Auditors and published just before the Brexit referendum, gives a list of words which are used ‘incorrectly’ by non-native writers in EU documentation, often because they are “false friends”.  The tone of the document is arrogant and redolent of British exceptionalism. In the Preface to this edition, Gardner refutes the idea that

‘some terms are now so ingrained in EU usage (the acquis) that we have to use them even if they are wrong and, more importantly, even if our readers do not understand them. This view sees certain past texts, particularly ‘the treaties’, as being akin to some kind of holy book handed down on tablets of stone, whose very word is sacred.’

He ridicules the use of acquis, a wonderful word that summarises in 6 letters the concept of ‘the collection of common rights and obligations that constitute the body of EU law’, and he dismisses the importance of the Treaties, the very foundation of European law, rather than wondering why it is the case that British people have never heard of acquis and have no idea of the importance of the Treaties.

In an entertaining article in the New Yorker by Lauren Collins in June 2013, describing an interview with Gardner, we read that in the end he admits that:

 ‘it is sometimes less onerous to use an incorrect form when that form is more widely comprehended. “You notice that everyone makes the same mistakes,” he said. “Very often, you go native.”’

It would have been more useful if he had come to terms with Euro-English as a changing language, rather than simply suggesting there was something wrong with it. 

So what is Euro-English and how does it differ from British English? 

According to Wikipedia, Euro-English ‘is an alleged group of pidgin dialects of the English language as used in Europe, based on common mistranslations, and the technical jargon of the European Union (EU) and the native languages of its non-native English-speaking population’.

This derogatory description highlights the way Euro-English is seen from outside and perhaps also inside the EU. Instead, we need to find a way of taking pride in the use of Euro-English!  The language used in EU institutions continues to develop new terminology, and the English used by European citizens in their exchanges with other Europeans often draws on features of their mother tongues, which most teachers of English would describe as mistakes, but we may consider as features of the interlanguage in the development of Euro-English.

As in all varieties of English, we find lexical, grammatical and pronunciation differences from British English.  So, vocabulary items such as acquis, or subsidiarity, as defined in Article 5(3) of the Treaty on European Union, are concepts that all citizens of the EU should be familiar with, and are at the heart of Euro-English. There will also be new meanings of ‘false friends’, so for example in Euro-English the word transpose is often accepted as meaning ‘to incorporate a Directive into national law’, and it seems reasonable that this use of the word should be accepted as standard in the context of EU administration.

As Euro-English develops, the distinction between count and non-count nouns in British English is likely to become less important and forms which would be considered incorrect, such as informations, an advice, how many luggages? may be accepted. 

In Euro-English we often find the present tense used with since, as in ‘I am here since July’ instead of the British ‘I have been here since July’. Most non-native speakers will find this version easier and it does not seem to lead to misunderstandings, so it may be considered acceptable, although it may be necessary to clarify the concept when using for, so ‘I am here for two weeks’, referring to present and future time has a different meaning from ‘I have been here for two weeks’, referring to present and past time.

Non-native speakers of English often say that native speakers are difficult to understand because they ‘eat their words’. This is because the rhythm of some versions of spoken Euro-English is becoming more like that of Romance languages, which tend to give syllables more equal weight than in British English, which often reduces unstressed vowels to schwa, so the word ‘computer’ is pronounced /kəm’pju:tə/ with two weak vowels (ə) and the stress on the second syllable.  In Euro-English many speakers will give the syllables equal weight and may stress the first syllable giving a pronunciation something like /’kompju:tɜ:r/, which will be more easily understood by people familiar with the spelling, but not with the pronunciation of weak vowels in British English.

Proposal for a Conference on Euro-English

The Constitutional Convention in the USA in Philadelphia in 1787 was attended by 55 Delegates, but ‘no women, no slaves, no Native Americans or racial minorities, no laborers’. Fortunately, the tools of democracy have made progress since then, all European citizens have the right to vote for their representatives in the European Parliament, and the Conference on the Future of Europe has given us another tool, that of participatory democracy, based on the involvement of citizens selected by sortition, and the opportunities offered by the online Conference platform, available in all the EU official languages.

I believe that a debate about language change should start at school, when children are at their most curious and inventive about language change. In an experiment organised by the New York Times, teenagers came up with interesting new words such as trendaissance, Covidloop, seath etc.  Our European school children could take part in a pan-European project to learn about how language is constantly changing, and become protagonists in the development of Euro-English. This project could be organised in a new online space, similar to the COFE platform, to be known as the Conference on Euro-English, and I suggest it may have three main sections.

Section 1 – introducing new language

During their English language lessons at school students could have fun inventing new Euro-English words that express concepts that are not covered adequately by existing English words, and present them to students of different nationalities, just as the users of the COFE platform made proposals (ideas) for political reforms.  Likes (follows) and comments could be invited from students from different countries, and the proposals with the most support could be taken forward to a Conference on Euro-English, where students would explain their new Euro-English words, with prizes for the best presentations. A committee of linguists/lexicographers from different countries could oversee the project and ensure that new words are recorded when there is sufficient agreement from peers from a majority of member states. 

Section 2 – learning the language of the institutions

In a second section of the platform, there could be an interactive glossary of terms used in EU institutions, including videos of EU officials explaining what the words mean and what role they play in the governance of the EU, and a space for discussion and suggestions.

Section 3 – our shared European history and culture

In this section, students and teachers could co-create a truly European understanding of our shared history and culture, expressed in Euro-English.  At present we have 27 national versions of the history and culture of member states, which national governments tend to guard jealously. Our students could propose and discuss in English key moments of European history and culture, sharing texts, images and videos in order to build a common understanding of our European heritage throughout the Union.

This section could include the presentation of key European figures from each country. So for example, Italian students could research and present the stories of the founding fathers and mothers of Europe, and documents such as the Ventotene Manifesto, written by prisoners who fought against fascism on the Italian island of Ventotene during the 2^nd world war.  Students could also share presentations of the Treaties which have formed the basis for the development of the union over the years, as well as the texts of famous documents such as the Schuman declaration of 1950 the speeches of David Sassoli, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, etc. These and others are all part of our shared history and culture, and should be as well known to EU citizens as the history of their own countries. This common understanding could form a basis for the construction of our united Europe, as invoked by Timothy Snyder in his message to Europe from Judenplatz in Vienna on 9 May 2019.

An annual Conference on Euro-English award ceremony

The students giving the best and most appreciated contributions to the Euro-English platform could take part in an annual Conference on Euro-English award ceremony, to celebrate our European history and culture, with participants from all member states and prizes for the best contributions. 

Conclusions

The European Union is a beacon of democracy in a world where authoritarian empires threaten our existence. In order to guarantee our future, we need a multi-lingual society with a strong identity and strong institutions. A shared language that we identify as our own will make an important contribution to this shared future. The EU encourages and funds the study of minority and endangered languages, and is required under Article 22 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union to respect linguistic diversity. But it is also important that European citizens should be able to speak together in a shared language, and now that the UK is no longer a member state, it is reasonable to continue to use English alongside other languages.  To further the cause of giving European citizens ownership of this global language, we have suggested a Conference on Euro-English, with particular importance given to the role of schools and students in adapting the language to changing circumstances and building our (linguistic) future together.