Over the centuries, global communication has expanded across the world as well as the need to have a universal language, which refers to a language that can be recognized and understood by people across the world (Stig, 2015). In most regions of the world, English has been introduced and used as the national language. Apparently, English is used in different forms for instance in international media platforms such as the CNN. The English language is dominant in various realms such as culture, international business, and politics. In fact, it must be noted that English is the most widely used language in the history of humankind. The following essay seeks to show why English is a global language under all considerations.
Overview: English Language
Apparently, by considering all factors, English is a universal language (Stig, 2015). Currently, English is being spoken as a formal language in more than seventy countries across the world, whereby the English-speaking countries such as Britain account for over forty percent of the total GNP in the world. In fact, studies have shown that for one to compete globally, especially in international business, knowledge of the English language is critical. It is clear that there is a need to come up with one language that can be communicated in almost every part of this world to make this world more prosperous and become even more global, (Stig, 2015). It would be critical to note that communication plays an instrumental role in ensuring that people not only understand each other but also cooperate effectively in cultural, social, economic and political spheres of human survival.
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One of the most potential languages to be the global language is English. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, English was considered as the primary language due to the fact that Britain was the leading colonial nation as well as the leader in the industrial revolution (Stig, 2015). In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, English became the language of the world superpower, the United States. In fact, most experts have argued that the English language has become a global language due to the simultaneous rise of the technological and military superpower of the United States as well as the receding power of the British Empire which made many countries in the world to desire and choose to learn the American English. There have been different reasons associated with the rise of English language in the world (Nguyen, 2008). However, most experts agree that the rise is related to the fact that the emergence of the United States as the world super power, influenced the integration of this language in many world systems, at national, regional and international levels.
English as the Most Widely Used Language
However, it must be noted that a number of critics disagree with the fact that English is the principal language in the world even though it is evident that the language is used than any other globally. Statistics show that the language is used fluently as a foreign language by more than 150 million people. In addition, English has for years been used as the primary language for controlling air traffic as well as the dominant language used by scientists, publishers, and on the internet. Admittedly, under postcolonial world, English is as well applied outside domestic areas whereby the discussions of the relationship between Anglo Culture and English have been seen as repulsive (Stig, 2015). Finally, English has been critical in business transactions whereby over eighty-four percent of global firms prefer English as a foreign language.
Conclusion
The utilization and application of English in different spheres of the society across the world has made the language be one of the most advanced globally. Based on the above brief analysis, it is clear that English is a global language.
References
Nguyen, T. (2008). English - A global language. Hanoi University Press. Journal of Science,
Foreign Languages 24 (2008) 260-266.
Stig, H. (2015). How the Media Contribute to the Spread of English. The Globalization of
Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.