english has become the main language of

[the five views of English] acknowledge the utilitarian functions of English teaching, and yet place these in a wider cultural and imaginative framework' (ibid, p.22). He notes that English might encompass: 'Language use, language study, literature, drama and media education' and that it 'ranges from the Toronto has been called the most multicultural city in the world, where more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken. Languages other than English often spoken at home in Ontario include Chinese, Italian, German, Polish, Spanish, Punjabi, Ukrainian and Portuguese. Demographics, education and labour. The median age for Ontarians is about 40 Regardless of the many languages one is fortunate to be fluent in, English takes its place as one of the world's predominant forms of communication with its influences extending over as much as +2 billion people globally. Quirks and inconsistencies aside, the history surrounding its monumental rise is both a fascinating and rich one, and while we The evolution of spoken English began from the fifth century, with waves of attack and eventual occupation by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians. They spoke the same West Germanic tongue but with different dialects. Their intermingling created a new Germanic language; now referred to as Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. The Beat Generation. In American in the 1950s, a new cultural and literary movement staked its claim on the nation's consciousness. The Beat Generation was never a large movement in terms of sheer numbers, but in influence and cultural status they were more visible than any other competing aesthetic. The years immediately after the Second Wo Kann Ich Einen Reichen Mann Kennenlernen. Five hundred years ago, between five and seven million people spoke English, almost all of them living in the British Isles. Now, anywhere up to billion people around the world speak English, it’s no wonder why so many students choose to study English abroad! How did this happen? The growth of English has nothing to do with the structure of the language, or any inherent qualities, and everything to do with politics. The British Empire After developing for almost a millennium on the British Isles, English was taken around the world by the sailors, soldiers, pilgrims, traders and missionaries of the British Empire. By the time anything resembling a language policy was introduced, English had already reached all corners of the globe. For example, English-speaking puritans were not the only Europeans to arrive in North America Spanish, French, Dutch and German were also widely spoken. All of the languages were reinforced by waves of immigration from Europe in the following centuries. But in the process of designing a “United” States, the USA’s founders knew the importance of language for national identity. English was the majority language and had to be encouraged. As recently as the start of the 20th Century, several states banned the teaching of foreign languages in private schools and homes. The Supreme Court only struck down restrictions on private language education in 1923. Even today, English is not the official language of the USA, but there is no question that it is the dominant language in practice. And it wasn’t just America that said “hello” to English. At one point in the early twentieth century, the British Empire expanded across almost a quarter of the world’s surface, not including the USA. According to a popular saying, “the sun never set on the British Empire”. Nowadays, the sun has set on the empire, but English remains an important language in every single former colony. Gone but not forgotten In most of the British Empire, the main goal was trade so fewer Britons actually settled. This explains why English did not come to dominate colonies in Asia and Africa, where it was the language of business, administration and education, but not the language of the people. To this day, English has a key administrative role in these former colonies. For a long time, access to English meant access to education, whether in the mission schools in Africa or the first universities in India. This created an English-speaking elite in some of the world’s most populous countries, and elites are good at self-preservation. Post-independence, many countries became officially multilingual for the first time, but the various groups needed a language for communication with each other and with other nations. Again, that was English. English is now the dominant or official language in 75 territories a direct legacy of the British Empire. In countries where large settler colonies were formed, such as Australia, Canada and the USA, native languages and cultures have been pushed to near-extinction by the presence of English. It was not the first language of European colonialism; Portuguese and Dutch left the continent earlier. And, as recently as the 19th century, English wasn’t the world’s lingua franca as the term suggests, French was the number one language of international communication. So something must have happened more recently to give the language its unique international status. Without the rise of the USA in the 20th Century, the world’s language landscape would look very different. Two world wars and the rise of the USA While Europe was rebuilding in the years after 1945, the USA boomed. American businesses picked up where the British East India Company had left off centuries before, taking English around the world as a language of trade. The influence of American business, combined with the tradition of English left around the world by the British Empire, have made English the number one language of international trade in the 21st Century. All of the world’s top business schools now teach in English. English is now the most spoken foreign language in 19 of the 25 EU Member States where it is not an official language. The 6 states where English is not number one also show the importance of politics in language policy Russian is the most spoken foreign language in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; Croatian the most commonly spoken in Slovenia; and Czech the most spoken in Slovakia. But the cultural legacy of the post-war decades is also very important to the growth of English as a world language. As well as sending money across the Atlantic, the USA provided the soundtrack through rock and roll, jazz and, later, disco and hip hop. Hollywood movies became global sensations and American television series became cultural reference points. American culture was everywhere, radiating confidence and success; just the things for a world that had been ravaged by war. It wasn’t just American music that brought English into the world’s discotheques and homes. British bands including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pink Floyd, the Police or Led Zeppelin ensured that Britannia ruled the airwaves, if not the waves. The hippy movement came from San Francisco and London. Music festivals including the Isle of Wight and Woodstock became iconic for a whole generation, whether English speakers or not. This “soft power” continues today… English is “cool” Advertisers pride themselves on riding the cultural zeitgeist; creating consumer desire through making products sexy. One of the ways they do this is through using English words. Check out Der Spiegel’s German examples, French ones, and La Repubblica’s Italian ones. Many examples of English in advertising come from multinational companies, who wish to keep their message consistent across markets, but some examples are local firms looking for that elusive element of glamour that English can bring. Of course, this happens in English too haute couture and Eau de Toilette sound much sexier untranslated. Bands release their work in English to reach the largest possible audience. Film-makers too. This invisible pressure to produce creative works in English adds to the cultural momentum the language developed in the second half of the Twentieth Century. The style-conscious language of extreme sports is English snowboarders ollie, fakie and rodeo whether they are Canadian, Swiss or Japanese. The word “cool” itself has been assimilated into various languages. Science & Technology The global power of the USA coincided with the birth of popular computing, and English is the language of the technological revolution and the internet. Consider a keyboard for example; they are designed for Latin characters, so speakers of Asian languages particularly use complicated techniques to enter words. What happens inside the devices is also dominated by English. The USA remains the most innovative technological nation and, because of the language policy of the nation’s founders, English is the dominant language. Pull not push Apart from the efforts of some early colonisers, hundreds of years ago, the success of English has more to do with “pull” than “push”. People in British colonies who wanted an education would receive that education in English. Artists who want to reach the largest audience for their work can do that in English. If you want to trade internationally, you will need to speak English. And you don’t have to speak English to have a successful career, but it certainly helps. Will English remain number one? Some people suggest that English has become ubiquitous because it is “easy to learn” or especially flexible, but a glance backwards suggests that this is irrelevant. Despite a devilishly complex case system, Latin was Europe’s most influential language for over a thousand years and its descendents are still going strong. People learned Latin then for the same reasons they learn English now to get ahead in life and have access to knowledge. Yet now Latin is only spoken by priests and scholars. Languages and borders change over time, but English is likely to remain the world’s number one language during our lifetimes. If you are learning English right now, chances are it’s probably something to do with getting your degree, advancing in your career, or maybe for personal reasons like having an English-speaking partner. Nowadays it seems like everyone is learning English, and it is becoming the world’s most widely spoken language. It is used in business and trade all over the world, and in places like Europe, it is spoken widely outside of business. But why? What makes English the magic catch-all language that everyone wants to speak fluently? How did it become so important and widespread? The answer lies not just in the history of the language, but politics, culture and technology! Here are 5 Reasons Why English Has Become Today’s Global Language 1 The British Empire. The first, and most obvious reason that English became widespread in the first place is because of the British Empire. Before colonizing around a quarter of the planet !, Britons were the only ones speaking English, and the language was confined to the British Isles. But once they started doing trade with places like Asia and Africa, colonizing and settling around the globe, the language naturally spread. However, it was mainly used in administration and business dealings—locals were still speaking their native languages for the most part. But when it came to getting an education, that was done in English. So English then became an elitist language of sorts, spoken by those who were educated in literature, philosophy and poetry, much like French was back when it was the most widely spoken language. So how did English take over French as the most spoken language? Well there’s more to the story than the Brits. 2 Post-war USA. The world after the first two world wars was a vulnerable and changing one. American businesses were booming and started doing trade all over the world, much like Great Britain had done in the previous century. This bolstered the use of English as the language of global trade. But at the same time, American culture was being exported heavily through music and film. The advent of jazz, rock n’ roll and other popular music from both the USA and UK infiltrated the culture of people everywhere, making English more than just the language of business, but the language of entertainment for the masses. Hollywood was also booming with popular films exported worldwide, and then in the 1960’s the counter-culture movement arrived with social change and the hippie movement sweeping across the USA and Europe. Which brings us to the next point 3 The coolness factor. English is used across the world to signify a certain lifestyle or culture linked to American-style success or entertainment, or sometimes to signify a certain British quality. Advertisers use it all over the world in multi-national markets to sell their products in this way. But, it is also the most common language used in the film and music industry. Big-budget movies and everyone’s favorite classic films are mostly produced in English. In music, if a band wants to become popular or famous, they will produce their work in English as well. Maybe it’s because English will reach a wider audience, or maybe because English is taken more seriously as an element of good pop music. And then there are sports—American-invented sports today like BMX and skateboarding, and even basketball, have an entire vocabulary in English, and many of the best athletes in those fields are English-speaking—even if they have been recruited from abroad! 4 Technology. At the same time that the USA was becoming the world’s business superpower, the internet was also invented in the USA. This created an entire lexicon for computers and technology that was invented in English. Computer keyboards are suited for writing languages using the Latin alphabet, and the hardware for all our smart technology uses English words that have become commonly used around the world, as there was no other alternative in place when the technology spread like fire to the corners of the Earth. The world of science is also dominated by English for much the same reason historically, universities publishing important research were doing so in English, and as a scientist today, any serious publication must be done in English. With science and technology playing such a big role in our lives today, English won’t be going anywhere soon. 5 The snowball effect. Now that English is so widespread across the internet, on the radio, in schools and in the business world, it is hard to escape. It is well known that in order to get a good job in today’s global market, speaking English is becoming a requirement more often than not. That’s why students and more adults than ever are taking private lessons, taking language immersion holidays and studying English to become as fluent as they can. It is not a guarantee of success, but it certainly does help! Some people cite other reasons for the popularity of the English language, such as that it is “easy to learn” or that is evolves with our changing times. Some people long for the days when every country spoke their own language, and English was an eccentricity for language experts. But one thing is fairly certain English will continue to grow as the world’s dominant language. But for how long? ***** Are you learning English for work or pleasure? Have you noticed an increase in the use of English in your country? We love to hear your comments! *much of the information in this article originally appeared here, in the ESL Languages Blog. The term "English" is derived from Anglisc, the speech of the Angles—one of the three Germanic tribes that invaded England during the fifth century. The English language is the primary language of several countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and many of its former colonies, and the United States, and the second language in a number of multilingual countries, including India, Singapore, and the Philippines. It's an official language in several African countries as well, such as Liberia, Nigeria, and South Africa, but is spoken worldwide in more than 100. It's learned around the world by children in school as a foreign language and often becomes a common denominator between people of different nationalities when they meet while traveling, doing business, or in other contexts. According to Christine Kenneally in her book "The First Word," "Today there are about 6,000 languages in the world, and half of the world's population speaks only 10 of them. English is the single most dominant of these 10. British colonialism initiated the spread of English across the globe; it has been spoken nearly everywhere and has become even more prevalent since World War II, with the global reach of American power." The influence of the English language has also spread globally through American pop culture, music, movies, advertising, and TV shows. Spoken Worldwide A third of the world's population speaks English as a first or secondary language, over 2 billion people. Tony Reilly noted an earlier estimate in "English Changes Lives" in Britain's The Sunday Times, "There are now estimated to be billion English speakers globally 375 million who speak English as their first language, 375 million as a second language and 750 million who speak English as a foreign language." He continued "The elites of Egypt, Syria and Lebanon have dumped French in favour of English. India has reversed its former campaign against the language of its colonial rulers, and millions of Indian parents are now enrolling their children in English-language schools—in recognition of the importance of English for social mobility. Since 2005, India has had the world’s largest English-speaking population, with far many more people using the language than before independence. Rwanda, in a move dictated as much by regional economics as post-genocide politics, has decreed a wholesale switch to English as its medium of instruction. And China is about to launch a colossal programme to tackle one of the few remaining obstacles to its breakneck economic expansion a paucity of English-speakers. "English has official or special status in at least 75 countries with a combined population of two billion people. It is estimated that one out of four people worldwide speak English with some degree of competence." When English Was First Spoken English derived from a Proto-Indo-European language spoken by nomads wandering Europe about 5,000 years ago. German also came from this language. English is conventionally divided into three major historical periods Old English, Middle English, and Modern English. Old English was brought to the British Isles by Germanic peoples the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles, starting in 449. With the establishment of centers of learning in Winchester, histories being written, and the translation of important Latin texts into West Saxon's dialect in 800s, the dialect spoken there became the official "Old English." Adopted words came from Scandinavian languages. Evolution of the English Language In the Norman conquest in 1066, the Norman French dialect which was French with a Germanic influence arrived in Britain. The center of learning gradually moved from Winchester to London, so Old English no longer dominated. Norman French, spoken by the aristocracy, and Old English, spoken by the common people, intermingled over time to become Middle English. By the 1200s, about 10,000 French words had been incorporated into English. Some words served as replacements for the English words, and others coexisted with slightly changed meanings. Spellings changed as people with the Norman French background wrote down the English words as they sounded. Other changes include the loss of gender for nouns, some word forms called inflections, the silent "e," and the coalescing of a more constrained word order. Chaucer wrote in Middle English in the late 1300s. Latin church, courts, French, and English were widely used in Britain at the time, though English still had many regional dialects that caused some confusion. Structural and grammatical changes happened as well. Charles Barber points out in "The English Language A Historical Introduction" "One of the major syntactic changes in the English language since Anglo-Saxon times has been the disappearance of the S[ubject]-O[bject]-V[erb] and V[erb]-S[ubject]-O[bject] types of word-order, and the establishment of the S[ubject]-V[erb]-O[bject] type as normal. The S-O-V type disappeared in the early Middle Ages, and the V-S-O type was rare after the middle of the seventeenth century. V-S word-order does indeed still exist in English as a less common variant, as in 'Down the road came a whole crowd of children,' but the full V-S-O type hardly occurs today." Usage of Modern English Many scholars consider the early Modern English period to have begun about 1500. During the Renaissance, English incorporated many words from Latin via French, from classical Latin not just church Latin, and Greek. The King James Bible 1611 and works of William Shakespeare are considered in Modern English. A major evolution in the language, ending the "early" subportion of the Modern English period, was when the pronunciation of long vowels changed. It's called the Great Vowel Shift and is considered to have happened from the 1400s through the 1750s or so. For example, a Middle English long high vowel such as e eventually changed to a Modern English long i, and a Middle English long oo evolved into a Modern English ou sound. Long mid- and low-vowels changed as well, such as a long a evolving to a Modern English long e and an ah sound changing to the long a sound. So to clarify, the term "Modern" English refers more to the relative stasis of its pronunciation, grammar, and spelling than it has anything to do with current vocabulary or slang, which is always changing. Today's English English is ever adopting new words from other languages 350 languages, according to David Crystal in "English as a Global Language". About three-quarters of its words come from Greek and Latin, but, as Ammon Shea points out in "Bad English A History of Linguistic Aggravation," "it is certainly not a Romance language, it is a Germanic one. Evidence of this may be found in the fact that it is quite easy to create a sentence without words of Latin origin, but pretty much impossible to make one that has no words from Old English." With so many sources behind its evolution, English is malleable, with words also being invented regularly as well. Robert Burchfield, in "The English Language," calls the language "a fleet of juggernaut trucks that goes on regardless. No form of linguistic engineering and no amount of linguistic legislation will prevent the myriads of change that lie ahead." Additions to the Dictionary After a certain amount of usage, dictionary editors decide whether a new word has enough staying power to add it to the dictionary. Merriam-Webster notes that its editors spend an hour or two daily reading a cross-section of material looking for new words, new meanings to old words, new forms, new spellings, and the like. The words are logged into a database with their context for documentation and further analysis. Before being added to the dictionary, a new word or change to an existing word must have a considerable amount of use over time in a variety of types of publications and/or media widespread use, not just in jargon. The Oxford English Dictionary has a similar process for its 250 lexicographers and editors who are continually researching and updating language information. Varieties of English Just as the United States has regional dialects and there are differences in pronunciation and words in British and American English, the language has local varieties around the world African-American Vernacular English, American, British, Canadian, Caribbean, Chicano, Chinese, Euro-English, Hinglish, Indian, Irish, Nigerian, Nonstandard English, Pakistani, Scottish, Singapore, Standard American, Standard British, Standard English, and Zimbabwean. In today’s world, English is the most spoken language. We think of it as a symbol of global communication and how we are all connected to one another, but there are many different reasons why English became so this blog post, we’re going to take a look at the history of the English language and how it has become the global language that it is Language The History!We can trace the origins of the English language back to around 450 AD when the Angles and Saxons invaded Britain. These Germanic tribes brought their own language with them, which eventually evolved into what we now call Old English was a very different language from Modern English - it was more like Dutch or German and would be almost unrecognizable to us today. However, it did lay the foundation for the language that we speak today. Over the centuries, the English language has been influenced by a number of other languages, including Latin, French, Dutch, and more. These influences have helped to shape English into the rich and varied vocabulary that it is of the most significant periods in the history of the English language was the Renaissance, which took place between the 14th and 17th centuries. This was a time of outstanding artistic and intellectual achievement and saw a revival in the study of classical languages such as Latin and Greek. At this time, many new words were borrowed from Latin and Greek and began to be used in English. This helped to form the basis of Modern English language continued to evolve over the centuries, and by the 18th century, it had become the dominant language of the world. This was primarily due to the British Empire, which at its height covered a quarter of the globe. As a result of the British Empire, English became the language of commerce, science, and politics and was adopted by many other countries as their official language. Today, English is spoken by around billion people around the world, making it the most widely-spoken language in the English Became The Global Language?There are a number of reasons why English became the global language. Let’s go through a few of them now1. The British EmpireAs we mentioned above, one of the main reasons for the English’s global dominance was the British Empire. At its height, the British Empire was the largest empire in history and covered a quarter of the globe. English became the language of commerce, science, and politics as a result of the British Empire, and it was adopted as the official language of many other countries. This aided in the globalization of English, allowing it to become the worldwide language that it is The InternetThe internet has also played a significant role in the spread of English. With more and more people using the internet to communicate and do business, English has become the language of the internet. This has helped to make English even more widespread and has made it easier for people from all over the world to communicate with each American CultureAmerican culture is also a major reason why English is the global language. American films, TV shows, music, and books are hugely popular worldwide and have helped make English the international language of choice. In addition, American English is considered to be the standard for English pronunciation and grammar, so many people learn English mainly from American Easier Than Various Other LanguagesOne of the main reasons English has become the global language is that it is relatively easy to learn. English has a simple grammar system and a small number of irregular verbs, which makes it much easier to learn than other languages such as French or Spanish. This has helped to make English the most popular language for learning and has contributed to its status as the global English is the Language of BusinessEnglish is the global language because it is the language of business. English is the official language of many international organizations, such as the United Nations, NATO, and the European Union. In addition, most international business transactions are conducted in English, so it is essential for anyone doing business internationally to be able to speak English is the Language of EducationAnother reason for English’s global dominance is that it is the language of education. English is the language of instruction in schools and universities in many countries. This helps to spread English around the world and ensures that more and more people are able to speak the GlobalizationFinally, we can’t underestimate the role of globalization in making English the global language. In a globalized world, more and more people are learning English to communicate with others and do business. This has helped to make English the most widely-spoken language in the world and has cemented its position as the global language of there you have it! These are just a few of the reasons why English became the global language. It’s a complex issue, and there are undoubtedly many other factors that have contributed to its success. But whatever the reasons, it’s clear that English is here to stay! English as a global languagePeople often talk about English as a global language or lingua franca. With more than 350 million people around the world speaking English as a first language and more than 430 million speaking it as a second language, there are English speakers in most countries around the world. Why is English so popular, though? And why has it become a global language?People often call English the international language of business, and it’s increasingly true as international trade expands every year, bringing new countries into contact. Many of the best MBA programs are taught in English, so speaking it well can put you in a position to get the best training and credentials. Most multinational companies require a certain degree of English proficiency from potential employees so in order to get a position with a top company, more and people are learning your ambitions lie in science or medicine, you can’t neglect English either. Much of the technical terminology is based on English words, and if you want to learn about the latest developments and discoveries from around the world, you’ll read about them in journals and research reports published in English, no matter whether the scientists who wrote them are from China or Norway. And, of course, with good conversational English, you’ll be able to network and make important contacts at conferences and also opens doors in the academic world. Of course, if the best program in your field is in an English-speaking country, English will give you the opportunity to study with the top scholars. Western universities are attracting more and more visiting scholars, students and professors from all around the world, and their common working language is English. As well as studying and teaching, attending international conferences and publishing in foreign journals are some of the key steps to success in academia. In order to speak at these conferences or publish in these journals, excellent English is essential. Improve your English grammar, vocabulary and more with EF English Live Journalists and writers around the world are finding a good command of English to be an increasingly useful skill. Even if you’re writing your articles and doing interviews in your own language, with good English you can get background material from international wire services and papers and magazines from around the world. You can interview foreign businessmen, diplomats and maybe even get sent to cover overseas stories. Good English skills mean that you are not reliant on translators and can work faster and more accurately with English information you want a career in travel, English is absolutely essential. As the international language of aviation, pilots and cabin crew all need to speak English. Even if you’re not up in the air, speaking English accurately will ensure you are able to communicate with clients and suppliers all over the what’s stopping you from learning this global language? With all the English resources available on the internet and so many other English speakers around the world to practice with, there’s never been a better time to start learning English. Pick up a book, learn a few words, or even start a course today and take your first steps towards becoming one of nearly 800 million English speakers in the related How to maximize your English learning WilWil is a writer, teacher, learning technologist and keen language learner. He’s taught English in classrooms and online for nearly 10 years, trained teachers in using classroom and web technology, and written e-learning materials for several major websites. He speaks four languages and is currently looking for another one to start learning.

english has become the main language of