As World War II came to an end in the mid 1940s with the result that the Allies would prevail, America and Britain began plans for the post-war reconstruction of Europe and for what would become the basis of the Northern development discourse. The planning, deliberation and implementation of such a post-war development network was steeped in English language and thought. Major institutions of the architecture for reconstruction and development formulated at that time – e.g., the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (now the World Bank) – communicated their programmes and goals almost exclusively in English, and continue to do so. Indeed, as the concept of “development” has formed and progressed in the North over the last 70 years, a specialized variant of English has propagated the literature, the practice and the discourse. Certain development practitioners have scrutinized this, especially in formal discussions and forums held over the last several years. This study continues that scrutiny on the effect that this specialized use of language could have on the shaping of the post-2015 global sustainable development agenda.