Do you think English is an international language?

Answer 1

English is the dominant language of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and a number of other countries. It is extensively used as a second language and as an official language in many other countries, and is the most widely taught and understood language in the world.

An estimated 300-400 million people speak English as their first language. One recent estimate is that 1.9 billion people, nearly a third of the world's population, have a basic proficiency in English [1]. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy and the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945.

English originated in England, and is a West Germanic language which developed from Old English, the language of the Anglo-Saxons. As a result of the Norman Conquest and other events in English history, it has been heavily influenced, more than any other Germanic language, by French and Latin. From England it spread to the rest of the British Isles, then to the colonies and territories of the British Empire (both outside and inside the current Commonwealth of Nations) such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others, particularly those in the Anglophone Caribbean. As a result of these historical developments English is the official language (sometimes one of several) in many countries formerly under British or American rule, such as Ghana, India, Nigeria, South Africa, and the Philippines.

Mandarin Chinese and Hindi have more native speakers, because the countries in which they are most common as first languages (China and India, respectively) have large populations; however, the geographic distribution of Mandarin and Hindi, as both first and second languages, is much more limited than that of English. English is also the most widely spoken of the Germanic languages. English was spread to many parts of the world through the expansion of the British Empire, but it did not acquire a lingua franca status in other parts of the world until the late 20th century. Following World War II the economic and cultural influence of the United States increased dramatically and English permeated other cultures, chiefly through the development of telecommunications technology. [2] Because a working knowledge of English is required in many fields and occupations, education ministries around the world mandate the teaching of English to at least a basic level (see English as an additional language).

Answer 2

Perhaps you are a bit confused about what "international language" MEANS.

It may be a matter of opinion whether English is better or worse, more or less useful, etc. But whether it is AN "international language" has NOTHING to do with what any of us hear thinks about it. It a simple question of fact.

And the answer to that question is - Yes, of course it is. It is simply a fact that English is used by many nations, and even as a means to communicate within a group when it is not a native language of ANY of them. That's all it takes to be "an international language".

(By the way, there are MANY international languages -- that is languages spoken in various nations and to communicate between groups-- such as Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian... and there have been others in the past [such as Akkadian, Aramaic, Latin]. English is certainly the MOST widely used among the nations of the world today --it is the closest thing to a "global language" right now-- but not the only one so used.)

Answer 3

Go outside the country and see. According to Wikipedia, English is "the most widely taught and understood language in the world", with nearly a third of the world's population having basic proficiency in the language. It is "the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy and the Internet."

Also, "it has often been referred to as a 'global language', the lingua franca of the modern era. While English is not an official language in many countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world."

I think that puts it pretty clearly.

Answer 4

It's widely spoken but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's an international language. Although it could be considered one to a certain degree. After all, English is spoken at all international airports between the airport and the pilots flying the planes.

Answer 5

English its not an International Language....its a local ( USA & England ) ....
The Spanish its the language more used on America ( Mexico, Spain, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, Nicaragua etc etc etc )

Answer 6

English is not the international language. It's spoken in many place, yet it's not even the most spoken language in the world. There's no such thing as international language. Every country has their own language and all of them take pride in it.

Answer 7

YES, ENGLISH IS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE.

Answer 8

Well it is spoken or taught in many countries, so I would say to some degree yes. But it does not mean that we should not study other languages.

Answer 9

Yes

Answer 10

Yes, English is spoken almost everywhere.