why is english our international language?

Question

if u were to ask, what should be our international language?

Answer 1

English is the current lingua franca of international business and air traffic control, and has displaced French as the lingua franca of diplomacy since World War II. It arguably was advanced by the role of English-speaking countries, in particular the United States, in the aftermath of the war.

The modern trend to use English outside of English-speaking countries has a number of sources. Ultimately, the use of English in a variety of locations across the globe is a consequence of the reach of the British Empire. But the establishment of English as an international lingua franca after World War II was mostly a result of the spread of English via cultural and technological exports from the United States. English is also regarded by some as the global lingua franca owing to the economic hegemony of most of the developed Western nations in world financial and business institutions. The de facto status of English as the lingua franca in these countries has carried over globally as a result.

A landmark recognition of the dominance of English in Europe came in 1995 when, on the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, English joined French and German as one of the working languages of the European Union. Many Europeans outside of the EU have also adopted English as their current lingua franca. For example, English serves as a lingua franca in Switzerland, which has four official languages (German, French, Italian, plus Romansch, spoken by a relatively small minority). High German is also spoken by many Swiss citizens, but the relatively high foreign-born population (21% of residents) ensures the dominance of English.

Answer 2

The answer goes back to Harrison and his Maritime watches.
Harrison invented/innovated a method of ascertaining a ship's position by the use of a sophisticated watch. As a result the long running tussle between Paris (France) and London (England) about where Longitude should be came to an end. Charts of the Oceans tended to be then written in English and thereby became a trading language. Remember that the French Empire was also quite large as was the Spanish and they could have become the major International languages as is demonstrated by the fact that French is still the language of Diplomacy.
As to what should be the International TRADING Language, why change something if it's working?

Answer 3

Any discussion of language in an international setting ought to include Esperanto. The mere mention of the word often seems to evoke the most vociferous emotional reactions from people, both for and against, but it's easy to verify by observation that the language is well suited to international communication.

It's considerably easier to learn than national languages are -- many students report that they reach a level in six months or so that it took them several years to reach in English, French, or other languages.

Its spelling and pronunciation are regular. Sure, different nationalities might find one or two of the sounds a bit difficult, but it's still far easier to pronounce than English.

For some reason, lots of people seem to think it's a joke language, or a dead language, or some wacky project from that 60s that never took off, or.... What I'm saying is that misconceptions about Esperanto abound, and I'd definitely suggest reading up on it or observing it in action before posting a hasty reply.

Answer 4

Actually French is the "official" international language...the language of diplomacy.

English is the "official" language of aviation.

The United States does not have an official language. I would discuss why so many people use English as a second or business language, but it would necessitate talking about the influence of Great Britain and the United States and how an enormous percentage of the world's population is eager to "get on the bandwagon." This would of course result in another YA participant flurry of USA-bashing.

I think people should be free to speak whichever language they wish to speak.

Answer 5

that's a good question. i think a lot of it is that american's are the ones who travel to lots of different countries where they don't know the language so in order to benefit the most from tourists business owners learn english (i don't mean that in a negative way, i know it could come across that way). i also think a lot of it has to do with the us military being stationed all over the world. we're currently stationed in germany. then there is the fact that in the past america was the country to do business with as it was the most profitable - and in a way we still are, we have one of the largest consumer populations. not to mention that england also has a lot of political power. any anglo language is supposedly close to english also, so it is easier for those languages to learn (i'm not so sure on that one - i am certainly not picking up german as easily as i did spanish - but that is something that is said). there are many other reasons i'm sure, but i do think that these are probably the biggest factors in english being the unofficial international language.

as for changing it, why? not to sound arrogant, but if most people already know it why make them learn yet another language, after all most of the people who know english will still have to know it for consumer and military reasons.

Answer 6

Nowadays, it's the language of international business, largely due to American business expansion, i.e. globalization. That pretty much says it all.
Actually, only the basics of English are easy to learn. It has a complex system of modal verbs and the phrasal verbs are extremely difficult to learn.
Ideally, a very neutral, invented language should be our international language but that idea, Esperanto, has already failed..

Answer 7

It's the international language because it's one of the easiest languages in pronounciation, writing and making sentences!

A friend of mine who is from Comoros learned English in 6 months. I understood what he was saying only in 6 months!

- In English there are ONLY 26 letters
- English letters are the easiest to pronounce (easier than French and Arabic for example).
- Languages like French and Arabic have different sets of verbs for feminine and Masculine. Nouns are feminine or masculine as well.
- It's easier for Non English speakers to learn English than for English speakers to learn Mandarin I'd say esp. writing mandarin!

English is ok but If I was to choose the international language may be it would be Spanish! The funny thing is I don't know Spanish I just find it sexy!

Answer 8

Because English is universal or widely used language.

Answer 9

I suppose it is because the last two international powers to rule the world of commerce and science were English speaking countries (the UK from the beginning of the 18th century until the middle of the 20th century and from then on the USA)

Answer 10

British empire spread the language. It is thus the most widespread language in the world