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WotD: Sphere of influence
Earlier this year, I created a lesson about English as the lingua franca and if that may change.
The term sphere of influence came up, and now is as good a time as any to cover that here.
A sphere of influence is a geographical area over which a country or organization wields significant political, economic, or cultural influence.
This concept has been integral to international relations, shaping the dynamics between nations and regions throughout history.
The idea of a sphere of influence can be traced back to the 19th century, particularly in European imperialism and the division of territories among the great powers.
English originated as a global lingua franca in this era.
Today, the notion of a sphere of influence plays a crucial role in global affairs.
With the ongoing shifts in geopolitical power and the rise of a new world order, the world is witnessing the emergence of multiple spheres of influence.
These spheres are characterized by distinct cultural, economic, and political dynamics, often centred around influential countries or regions.
The world may be split into multiple spheres of influence, each with its own lingua franca.
This could significantly impact global communication and diplomacy.
Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and English are contenders for becoming dominant languages within their own spheres of influence.
As the worldwide balance of power shifts, these languages could gain increasing importance in international communication and diplomacy.
Creating different spheres of influence with different lingua franca raises important questions about the future of global interaction and cooperation.
Will these spheres of influence compete or find ways to coexist and collaborate?
How will the evolving dynamics affect middle powers such as Canada and Japan?
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post compares in readability to The New York Times.
It is understandable by someone with at least a 10th-grade education (age 16).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 44.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.