The British Empire and its legacies

Any study of Global English must take account of the scope and nature of British imperialism. The world-wide dissemination of British 'civilisation' in the form of art, language, law, religion, sport, social mores, values and consumer goods, over a period of some 500 years, continues to attract considerable scholarly attention and debate. The very word 'empire', once a proud symbol of world-wide British community, has become synonymous with 'domination', 'exploitation' and 'manipulation'. At the same time, a growing chorus of so-called 'imperial apologists' insists that Britain's imperial past gives greater cause for national pride than shame.