Abstract—Language, intertwined with power and interests, is not an objective and transparent medium. American English, both in its creation period and in the process of its external dissemination, has been accompanied by power factors. The creation of American English is a result of the North American people revolting against the British colonial rule and pursuing the cultural independence with language as a weapon. After the American War of Independence, relying on strong economic, political and military strength, coupled with advanced technology and means of communication, American English has achieved great success in the United States and abroad, presenting powerful language hegemony. The dissemination of language depends on the exercise of power and the language dissemination also serves the exercise of power. The proper treatment of American English, the objective understanding of the nature of language dissemination, and the appropriate protection of national languages are the common responsibility and obligation of the whole human community
Index Terms—Power, soft power, American English, dissemination.
Zhang Bingtian is with the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, P. R. China (e-mail: bingtianzhang@sues.edu.cn).
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Cite: Zhang Bingtian, "Language and Power: An Insight into American English Dissemination," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 672-675, 2017.