Why did English become an international language?

They are a far cry from the “my tailor is rich” casually told at school by our grandparents in the days of L'Anglais sans effort and the Assimil method. In the age of globalization and global internet, Mastery of English is almost essential to keep up with the news, but on a daily basis in our professional life. But what explains why the English language dominates these days, especially compared to French?

What other international languages ​​existed before English?

English is not the only language that dominated the world at a certain time in history: These dominant languages ​​are also referred to as “vehicular languages” or lingua franca. During the continental dominance of the Roman Empire, but during the Renaissance, thinkers, writers and personalities of the first rank distinguished themselves by using Latin to the detriment of local languages. Like French. If the British Empire has always been a commercial, military and colonial power, in the history of the world, for a long time, French was preferred over English among the nobility and aristocracy around the world. Traces of this Francophilia remain today, especially in a more extravagant discipline like fencing, where French is still the official language.

Why is English so important in the global and modern world?

English's hegemony comes less from the United Kingdom's diplomatic and economic emphasis than from one of its most famous colonies, the United States. [In1945attheendofWorldWarIIEnglishbecameaninternationallanguage[1945ஆம்ஆண்டுஇரண்டாம்உலகப்போரின்முடிவில்ஆங்கிலம்ஒருசர்வதேசமொழியாகஎங்கும்பரவியது, this time American intervention was instrumental in marking the end of the conflict. While the great European powers were rebuilding, America settled into its territory and brought its cultural appeal internationally. Hollywood filmsMusical trends, jazz or disco, had their share of influence, while English quickly established itself as the main language of international trade, the language of diplomacy (it was first written in French and English after the Treaty of Versailles of 1919) and the business sector.

Is English the most spoken language in the world?

However, English's global dominance was not permanent. Of course, English remains the most spoken language in the world – in 2023, it will be the official language of 1.348 billion people on Earth – but it is under threat from increasingly used languages ​​such as Mandarin Chinese (1.120 billion practitioners), Hindi, etc. (over 600 million), Spanish (543 million) or Arabic (274 million). In comparison, French It now ranks seventh in the world with 267 million practitioners, behind Bengal (268 million).. Beyond demographics, the political evolution of major institutions has in recent years called English into question as the dominant international language. For example, within the membership of the European Union, Brexit in 2020 has led to a reconsideration of the place of English as the default language of diplomatic exchanges.

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