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The Importance of the English

Language in Today's World
Updated on July 12, 2015

Zeeshan Naved

Why Learn English?

English was originally the language of England, but through the historical efforts of the British
Empire it has become the primary or secondary language of many former British colonies such
as the United States, Canada, Australia, and India. Currently, English is the primary language of
not only countries actively touched by British imperialism, but also many business and cultural
spheres dominated by those countries. It is the language of Hollywood and the language of
international banking and business. As such, it is a useful and even necessary language to know.

English is the International Common Tongue

There are several factors that make the English language essential to communication in our
current time. First of all, it is the most common foreign language. This means that two people
who come from different countries (for example, a Mexican and a Swede) usually use English as
a common language to communicate. That’s why everyone needs to learn the language in order
to get in touch on an international level. Speaking it will help you communicate with people
from countries all over the world, not just English-speaking ones.
Source

Education
English is also essential to the field of education. In many countries, children are taught and
encouraged to learn English as a second language. Even in countries where it is not an official
language, such as the Netherlands or Sweden, we will find many syllabi in science and
engineering are written in English. Because it is the dominant language in the sciences, most of
the research and studies you find in any given scientific field will be written in it as well. At the
university level, students in many countries study almost all their subjects in English in order to
make the material more accessible to international students.

List of Countries by English Speaking

Population
(click column header to sort results)

% English Total English

Country
Speakers Speakers
United States 94.2 298,444,149
India 10.35 125,226,449
Pakistan 49 92,316,049
Nigeria 53 82,941,000
 % English Total English
Country
Speakers Speakers
United Kingdom 97.74 63,962,000
Philippines 56.63 57,292,884
Germany 64 51,584,000
Bangladesh 18 29,398,158
Canada 85.63 28,360,240
Egypt 35 28,101,325
France 39 25,500,000
Italy 34 20,300,000
Ghana 66.67 18,000,000
Australia 97.03 17,357,833
Thailand 27.16 17,121,187
South Africa 31 16,424,417
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population

The Internet and Press

On the Internet, the majority of websites are written and created in English. Even sites in other
languages often give you the option to translate the site. It's the primary language of the press:
more newspapers and books are written in English than in any other language, and no matter
where in the world you are, you will find some of these books and newspapers available. In fact,
because it is so dominant in international communication, you will find more information
regarding nearly every subject if you can speak this language.

Resources Make Learning English Easy

Although many people think that it is very difficult and confusing, English is actually the easiest
language of the world to learn because there are so many resources available. As soon as you
decide you want to learn, there are thousands of resources on the Internet and in bookstores. I'm
not just talking about lessons and grammar books. You can supplement traditional learning
materials with children's TV shows and books. I suggest watching as much TV as you can, in
English with English subtitles, and you will pick up conversational English in no time.
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Travel and Business

With good understanding and communication in English, you can travel around the globe.
Because it is the international language for foreigners, it's easy to get assistance and help in every
part of world. You can test it by online travel. Any travel booking site you can find will have
English as a booking option.
English skills will also help you in any business venture you choose to follow. If you visit some
offices, companies, governmental organizations, or even math or engineering companies, you
will see the importance of English. Any big company will hire their professional staff after
getting to know whether the people they are hiring are good at English or not. Companies who
want to function at an international level only consider their staff well educated if they are good
English speakers, writers, and readers.

The Language of Hollywood

Everyone knows that Hollywood is in the United States, and that the biggest television and music
industries in the world are based there. As I mentioned above, TV and movies are a great way to
practice your English once you start learning. What's more, knowing English opens up thousands
of movies, television shows, and games for your enjoyment. If you want to one day work in the
entertainment industry, English is even more essential.
Those who are still unaware of the importance of English should start learning it, as a time will
come when everything will be understood, spoken and written in English. In a lot of ways, that
time is already here. Go ahead, watch some media, and get an idea of the language. You won't be
disappointed.
Standard English is the English we use in grammar books and has nothing to do with
accent (how we say something). Standard English is the grammar used by Americans,
Canadians, Australians, British, Indians, Caribbeans etc.
Non-Standard English is what most of us use and is all about the place we grew up in.
It's about cultural identity, history and pride.
Non-Standard English varieties = Cockney (London), American dialects, Australian,
Geordie (Newcastle), West Country, East Midlands, West Midlands, Brummy
(Birmingham), Scouse (Liverpool), Scottish, Creole, Jamaican etc, etc.
Don't let anyone tell you your accent and English is not proper. Standard English only
became the prestige 'dialect' in the 18th Century because of the power base in London
Varieties of The English Language

British English

British English is the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or,
more broadly, throughout the British Isles. Slight regional variations exist in formal,
written English in the United Kingdom.

English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects
brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what is now northwest
Germany and the northern Netherlands. The resident population at this time was
generally speaking Common Brittonic—the insular variety of continental Celtic, which
was influenced by the Roman occupation. This group of languages (Welsh, Cornish,
Cumbric) cohabited alongside English into the modern period, but due to their
remoteness from the Germanic languages, influence on English was notably limited.

American English

American English sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of
varieties of the English language native to the United States and widely adopted in
Canada. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and is the
common language used by the federal government, considered the de facto language
of the country because of its widespread use. English has been given official status by
32 of the 50 state governments.

Australian English

Australian English is a major variety of the English language, used throughout Australia.
Although English has no official statusklll in the constitution, Australian English is the
country’s national and de facto official language as it is the first language of the majority
of the population.

Australian English began to diverge from British English after the founding of the Colony
of New South Wales in 1788 and was recognized as being different from British English
by 1820. It arose from the intermingling of early settlers from a great variety of mutually
intelligible dialectal regions of the British Isles and quickly developed into a distinct
variety of English.;;;;;;

Canadian English
Canadian English is the set of varieties of the English language native to Canada.
According to the 2011 census, English was the first language of approximately 19
million Canadians (57% of the population) the remainder of the population were native
speakers of Canadian French (22%) or other languages (allophones, 21%).

The term “Canadian English” is first attested in a speech by the Reverend A. Constable
Geikie in an address to the Canadian Institute in 1857. Canadian English is the product
of five waves of immigration and settlement over a period of more than two centuries.
The first large wave of permanent English-speaking settlement in Canada, and
linguistically the most important, was the influx of loyalists fleeing the American
Revolution, chiefly from the Mid-Atlantic States – as such, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia.
Canadian English is believed by some scholars to have derived from northern American
English.

Indian English

English language public instruction began in India in the 1830s during the rule of the
East India Company (India was then, and is today, one of the most linguistically diverse
regions of the world). In 1835, English replaced Persian as the official language of the
Company. Lord Macaulay played a major role in introducing English and western
concepts to education in India. He supported the replacement of Persian by English as
the official language, the use of English as the medium of instruction in all schools, and
the training of English-speaking Indians as teachers.

The view of the English language among many Indians has gone from associating it
with colonialism to associating it with economic progress, and English continues to be
an official language of India, albeit with an Indian twist, popularly known as Indian
English.

Philippine English

Philippine English is any variety of English (similar and related to American English)
native to the Philippines, including those used by the media and the vast majority of
educated Filipinos. English is taught in schools as one of the two official languages of
the country, the other being Filipino (Tagalog).

Philippine English has evolved tremendously from where it began decades ago. Some
decades before English was officially introduced, if not arguably forced, to the
Philippines, the archipelagic nation has been subject to Spanish rule and thus Spanish
was the language of power and influence. However, in 1898, when the Spanish gave
the United States control of the nation, the English language, although initially not
favored, became widely used in a matter of years, which was catalyzed by the coming
of American teachers.
Ugandan English

Ugandan English, or Uglish (pronounced you-glish), is the dialect of English spoken in

Uganda. As with similar dialects spoken elsewhere, Ugandan English has developed a
strong local flavor. The speech patterns of Ugandan languages strongly influence
spoken English. Uganda has a large variety of indigenous languages, and someone
familiar with Uganda can readily identify the native language of a person speaking
English. Ugandan speakers will alter foreign words to make them sound more euphonic.