Why English has become a global language?

    It is well known to us that English is the language of political negotiations,international businesses, science, medicines etc. It is the official language of more than seventy five countries.It is necessary for the passengers and the pilots of international flights to speak English. The language is spoken by nearly 1.5 billion people around the world. You must be wondering why the language has become international? Why is it used to connect people across the borders?  

 

Here are some of the reasons:

1) WARS:

As I mentioned in the previous post, French was made the language of Britain in 1066 by the Norman invaders. However, after that, a hundred year war took place between the French and the English.After the war, English language became dominant in England again. Britain and the US won World War 1. This victory brought in the influence of English language around the world. After winning World War 2, the US became the richest nation as they produced supplies for the war. United nations was formed after world war 2 and the English became the official language.

2) COLONIZATION:

The British empire began to establish overseas in 16th century. They had large colonies in North America, the Indian subcontinent, much of the Caribbean and Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, natives in the colonized areas had to learn English.

3) LITERATURE:

In 17th century, the great English poet William Shakespeare's literature became popular around the world which introduced many new phrases into English language.

4) SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS:

The great scientists like Sir Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin gave their significant contribution to the field of science. They published their theories and research in English.That is why English became the leading language in the science field.

5) ENTERTAINMENT:

US started exporting entertainment in the form of films, music, TV shows etc. To better understand these forms of entertainment, people started learning English.

6) INTERNET:

As internet was invented in the English speaking country i.e. USA, the English language became the language of internet.Most of the texts accessed through the internet are in English. 

So, these are SOME of the reasons why English became the globally accepted language.

The history of English language

    English is a West Germanic language that originated with the arrival of three German tribes to Britain.Those three tribes were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. They conquered Britain during 5th century from when the evolution of English language began. At that time, the native people of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But, most of them were driven north and west into lands we now refer to as Scotland, Ireland and Wales.The Angles came from "Englaland" and their language was called "Englisc" from which the words "England" and "English" were derived. 

The history of English is mainly divided into three periods 

• Old English(or Anglo-Saxon )
• Middle English
• Modern English

Old English

Old English was the earliest form of the English Language. It was spoken from 5th century to the late 11th century. It is also called as Anglo-Saxon as it was spoken by the Angles and the Saxons. Old English did not sound like today's English. However, most of the commonly used words in today's English have Old English roots. Following picture indicates a sample of Old English.

Middle English

In 1066,William the Conqueror invaded and conquered England. He was the Duke of Normandy(a part of modern France).The new conquerors of England(called the Normans) brought with them a kind of French. Therefore, French became the language of the Royal Court and the ruling. In the 14th century, English became dominant in Britain again. But this time,over 10,000 French words were adapted in English and about 75% of these are still in use.This language is called Middle English. It was spoken until the late 15th century. Middle English is also known as the language of the great poet Chaucer. Following picture indicates a sample of Middle English language.

Modern English

Modern English is the form of English language spoken since "The Great Vowel Shift" in England(The Great Vowel Shift was a series of changes in the pronunciation of English language that took place primarily between 1400 to 1700). Modern English is divided into the Early Modern English and the Late Modern English.

 i) Early Modern English

The span of Early Modern English extends from 1500 until 1800. This period is called Renaissance(the period in Europe when there was a surge of interest in and production of art and literature). During this period,a number of Greek and Latin words incorporated in English. Spelling and grammar of the language became more fixed.

ii) Late Modern English

The Late Modern English period started in 1800.The main difference between the Early Modern English and the Late Modern English is Vocabulary. Late Modern English has many more new words.There are two reasons why Late Modern English has large vocabulary. First, the industrial revolution and discovery of new technologies, which created need for new words to describe new discoveries.Second, the rise of British empire which introduced the English Language to the world. That is why the language accommodated many new foreign words within it's vocabulary.