You most likely communicate in English for a reason, but because it is the language of international communication. Films are made on it, popular music is written, they communicate with tourists in other countries, they hold international diplomatic meetings, and much more. The name in the international passport of any country in the world is transliterated into English.
But why exactly English? Now let’s figure it out.
Esperanto
Meanwhile, at the end of the 19th century, a Polish doctor caught fire with an ambitious idea – to invent a new language, Esperanto. It promised to be grammatically and lexically simple and as convenient as possible for learning. A minimum of rules and no exceptions to the rules, pronunciation, and accent that a native of any country can master.
He had features of other European languages: Polish, French, Italian, and a little Russian … Despite their differences, even the Greek alphabet to English was used.
There are very few artificial language speakers today. Its supporters never managed to convince the world of the expediency of creating and maintaining a new language. Why, when English suits everyone? It may be harder to learn, but at least it’s fun.
Influential countries
If we start only with the population, then English is not native to the majority. It’s more about Chinese. And English is only in third place, after Spanish.
Therefore, it is clear that the English language owes its influence to the parent countries. Great Britain in the past was the largest empire, the territories of which were on several continents. The United States today is a politically, economically, and culturally influential country.
Hollywood is the world’s largest film factory. The American and British media are recognizable and respected throughout the world. English and American artists have listened to all over the world.
Story
We have already found out why English dominates today. Now let’s rewind time to a few centuries ago and see why this happened. When did English become international, and could another language interfere with it?
Britannia
Until the Middle Ages, English was the same local language as Polish or Turkish is now. Great Britain did not immediately become a powerful state. Initially, these were weak tribes of the Celts, who used to be captured by other peoples, starting from the Roman Empire.
Latin was the international language at that time. It was convenient for scientists, diplomats, and anyone who had to communicate frequently with other people.
Latin owes much to the church. After all, it was Latin that was the language of worship in all countries. And since the most educated people at that time were priests and monks, it is natural that Latin spread further in the form of manuscripts and even in printed form after the advent of printing presses.
The Renaissance brought change. The percentage of literate people has grown significantly, and a logical question arose before the majority: why should Latin remain the language of printing if you can use the national language? In addition, the church no longer had such influence; the countries began to fight less and trade more with each other.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, England gained economic and military power. Now British ships control European trade routes, India, North America, Australia, and many African countries. The dominance of the British Empire becomes apparent. And when the question arose of which universal language to use for international trade, there was no doubt.
USA
Spanish, Dutch, French, and German had a chance to win back. During the period of great geographical discoveries, active colonization of the territory of the modern United States began. Significant territories were privatized by the Spaniards and another part by the French and the Dutch. One way or another, almost every European person had a small representation in the New World.
First, the Spanish and the British drove out the French, and today they remain only in some Canadian provinces.
With the outbreak of the American War of Independence, global changes began. France and other European countries were ready to support the revolution in order to contain England and prevent her from becoming even more powerful. And it succeeded.
First, the east coast gained independence; then, the freedom fighters moved further and further west until they reached the Spanish lands.
By that time, Mexico had also declared independence, and now the United States is not reclaiming colonial lands but the territories of its neighbor on the continent.
By the middle of the 19th century, the United States had captured the best territories. Then even British Canada got the cold north, and Mexico – the arid south.
After the world wars, which weakened Europe, the United States became even more powerful, and the primacy soon became clear.
Applications
The status of an international language is not just a formality. If you look at the areas in which it is used, you can see: English is everywhere.
Business
The largest companies, investment funds, and stock exchanges are in Great Britain and the USA.
The language of correspondence between foreign partners (even if it is Italian and Korean) is English.
Business documentation of international companies and contracts for international transactions are also in the international language.
Tourism
In any hotel or restaurant in a tourist country, whether it be Spain or Egypt, you will be served in English. In this language, guides conduct tours for foreigners; they also write footnotes on the menu and road signs in this language.
Language of mass culture
Hollywood movies, BBC news, series, New York Times articles – all of this is English.
Internet Language
About 80% of all information on the World Wide Web is written in the language of William Shakespeare. The Chinese could compete, but they have a closed Internet.
So if you want to watch PewDiePie, TED, or Vsauce on YouTube, read Trump’s or Elon Musk’s Twitter, or hang out on Facebook or Reddit, English will open up many opportunities for you.
