The Terminal Language Analysis

“A language is the ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication”
That is the definition a quick google search will be able to provide us with. It sounds fairly simple, but how easy is it really to communicate with other people? Especially when neither one of you speaks nor share a common language? In the following essay I am going to reflect upon the role that the English language plays in our society today, and what the consequences of not mastering English might be.

In the movie “The Terminal” produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, we meet the traveler Viktor Navorski (played by Tom Hanks). Krakozhia is a fictional country created for the film. Viktor arrives at J.F.K International Airport, only to find that his passport

Germanic-speaking people like the Saxons, Angles and Frisians all came to the British Isles to claim territory, and therefore also influenced the language situation. As the Germanic tribes invaded and settled in Southern Britain, English began to evolve into the lingua franca it is today. The very first Viking raids took place in England in the late 8th century, more specifically at Lindisfarne in 793. Some of the Vikings came from Norway and Sweden, but the majorities who arrived and settled in Britain were in fact Danish. Even though the Danish rule didn’t last too long, this period left a lasting impact on the language. One of the biggest sources of loanwords to what we refer to as Old English, were words introduced by the Scandinavian Viking invasions. It has been said that the Vikings brought roughly 2000 words into the English

Most of the articles online revolving science or health is written in English. To put it frankly, understanding English gives you nearly unlimited access to all kinds of knowledge. Being able to use English in researches, by example, gives you a huge advantage. English plays an important role in taking part of different cultures of the world as well. As seen in “The Terminal”, many incidents occurred as a result of the main character Viktor not being able to communicate or make himself understood in English. The Director of the airport had a habit of looking down at Viktor for not having the essential knowledge of the native language of the US. Even though many cultures will think highly of anyone attempting to speak their native language, it seems as if that is not always the case in native English speaking countries. Perhaps they are so used to being able to communicate with everyone by now, that they are taken by surprise whenever they come across a person who in fact can’t speak a single word of