English as an International Language

There are lots of languages in the world and some of them fall into the category of international languages or languages of wider communication, such as French, English, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Arabic. All these languages are the official languages of the United Nations. Among all these languages English is rightly considered to be the international language of the world, though English has assumed the function of the ‘world language’ quite recently. It was only in the 1930 that the British Foreign Office stopped using French for all its official memoranda.

Nowadays it is estimated that besides 300 millions native speakers, there are 300 millions who use English as the second language and 100 millions use it as a foreign language. It is listed as the official or co-official language of over 45 countries and is spoken extensively in other countries where it has no official status. A very marked rise is evident in the use of English for occupation purposes: English is the international language of the air, and failure to use it efficiently can endanger passenger safety.

English is the language of banking and industry: many international firms, based in non-English countries conduct their entire operations throughout the world in English. Two thirds of all scientific papers are written in English. Over 70% of all mail is written and addressed in English. Most international tourism is conducted in English. There aren’t any linguistic reasons why English might be the world language, because to anyone learning English it’s neither more simple nor more complex than any other language. English is easy to master to some extent, because it has a simple system of declension.

Some linguists divide the use of English into three circles. The inner circle is the traditional base of English and includes countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, the USA and former colonies: Australia, New Zealand and some others. English is the native language or mother tongue of most people in these countries. In the outer circle are those countries where English has official or historical importance. This means most of the Commonwealth (the former British Empire), including high-populated countries such as India and Nigeria and others under the American sphere of influence, such as the Philippines.

Here English may serve as a language for mutual understanding between ethnic language groups. Higher education, the legislature and judiciary, national commerce and so on may all be carried out predominantly in English. And the expanding circle refers to those countries where English has no official role, but nevertheless is important for certain functions, notably international business. This use of English includes most of the rest of the world. In conclusion I would like to say that the knowledge of the English language nowadays is important for career. It increases your salary by 30%.

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English as an International Language. (2016, Jul 16). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/english-as-an-international-language/

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