English language as benign lingua franca (original) (raw)
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA
Over the past few decades, English has accomplished to become a world language, used by one billion people as a native, second or foreign language. Seventy countries recognise it as their official or semi-official language, whilst it plays a significant role in 20 others. It is one of the official languages of 85% of all international organizations, e.g.
History of the English Language
The history of the English language really started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, crossed the North Sea from what today is Denmark and northern Germany. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language. But most of the Celtic speakers were pushed west and north by the invaders -mainly into what is now Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The Angles came from "Englaland" [sic] and their language was called "Englisc" -from which the words "England" and "English" are derived.
Variationstypologie, 2004
Siemund, Peter (2004) 'English', in: Thorsten Roelcke (ed.) Variationstypologie. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1-29.
English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic invaders and/or settlers from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Netherlands. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Britain. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually became predominant.
English dominating the world as a global language
In this era of globalization English is the most influential language all over the world. It has achieved its prestigious status of being an international language because of its multifarious importance especially in the field of global communication and its pregnant role of making the world closer to each and everyone. As global communication expands throughout the world, so does the need for a global language. A language that is recognized and understood by people everywhere in the world is considered a global language. In many parts of the world English language has been established. It is the mother tongue of the people of England, United States of America, Australia and some other countries. It is the world's second largest native language, the official or semi-official language in more than 70 countries, and English-speaking countries are responsible for about 40% of world's total GNP (Gross National Product).
Chapter 1: The spread of english in the world 1 English as a global language
In the year of 2013 English Language Day celebrates 'English the Global Language'. A language that was the tongue of three tribes 1,500 years ago is today the language of nearly two billion people. It has three-times more non-native speakers than native speakers. No other language comes close to matching that, and it is that that makes English global. It is the modern lingua franca, the language used by the Russians to talk to the Nigerians, the Germans to talk to the Spanish, the Chinese to talk to the Brazilians.