English is one of the most popular second languages in the world. Every year, millions of people all around the globe learn how to speak the Anglo-Latin tongue in order to study, do business or move to a different country. There are plenty of compelling reasons to learn English as a second language. Here are just a few of them.
It is the language of business
English is the internationally recognized language of business. If you are conducting business with people from another Western country, the chances are that English will be a language common to both parties.
Global business speaks English because the world of business really began to take hold at two specific times when English was a dominant language: the late 18th Century and the early 20th Century. The former was a time when Great Britain was exporting ideas about finance through imperialism. The latter was a period where the United States emerged as a global economic superpower.
Global stock exchanges, meetings between businesses and all manner of other dealings are conducted primarily in English. If you want to get ahead in the world of business, then you are going to have to be comfortable speaking the language.
It is the language of academia
English is the most widely used language in Western academia. If you are preparing to study, you should try and get a grip on the language. Many students from non-English speaking countries take a short course in the language just before they begin their studies. Save money by taking online English courses with StraighterLine and you can work at your own pace and learn to improve your English grammar and writing composition.
Most academic conferences will be given in English no matter where they are being held. This is a problem in modern academia: people who do not speak English are at a disadvantage when it comes to presenting their work in public.
It is one of the most widely spoken languages
60 of the world’s 196 countries use English as their official language. 350 Million people grew up in a country where English was the recognized language. There are a few reasons why the language is so widespread, but one stands out from all the others: colonialism. The age of exploration and expansion led to the spread of English, Spanish, French and Portuguese throughout the world.
In the 1980s, Braj Kachru developed his highly influential theory on the spread of English throughout the world. The ‘Three Circles Model Of World Englishes’ is still regarded as the authoritative socio-linguistic model for the spread of the language. Kachru identified three concentric circles of linguistic spread – all created by differing forms of occupation, cultural imperialism and expansionism.
As the British Empire spread fiercely during the 18th Century, language and early modern capitalism became intertwined. The spread of British financial models necessitated the spreading of their language. This goes some way to explaining why English remains the dominant language in international trade. There are plenty of differing English dialects that diverge from Anglo-American traditions that have sprung up wherever the language is spoken.
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AFP
