Global Dominance of the English Language

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Global Dominance of the English Language In the year 2014, the language that is most spoken around the world is English. There are currently 1.5 billion people that speak English as their first language, second language or as a foreign language. The English language has had a great impact on the world as a whole. English is still the dominant language that is spoken throughout the world. Although the language has evolved over time and changed in many ways it has still stuck around and became a language that was spread throughout the world. This paper will go into detail how English was established as a dominant language and the history of the language spreading. I will also explain why the increase of the language is a positive and negative development. The history of the English language first arrived in England in the fifth century from northern Europe. The language first was spread in the British Isles. It became a stronghold for the Celtic language. The English language started to be on the rise after the 1066 Norman invasion when William the Conqueror took over. It would take over 300 years for the English language to become a global language. David Crystal states in his book that “A language becomes an international language for one chief reason: the political power of its people-especially their military power” (Crystal 7). Although it would take 300 years the language would travel fast and spread throughout the different continents. There were many who helped spread the English language. The British is where the English language originated and were it was first spoken. This is the reason why the British are key factors in the history of the English language. The language mainly spread because of the invasions and takeov... ... middle of paper ... ...inant and is used by billions of people throughout the world. The reason it would be a negative development is because “When even the largest English speaking language nation, the USA, turns out to have only about 20 percent of the world’s English speakers, it is plain that no one can claim sole ownership” (Crystal 130). In most recent years studies have shown that English has had been around for 3,000 years. It had preceded Latin as the dominant language. I believe that English will be the dominant language for a very long time. I believe that because English has not only become a global language, but a language that has helped the world. English has made the communications with different nations easier and that opens trades and much more between countries. The English has made its mark on history and has showed why it is here to stay and be the dominant language.

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