THE GROWTH AND EXPANSION OF ENGLISH

 English is part of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European family of languages. By year 1000, the English language consisted of approximately 40 000 words. Nowadays, the number has grown to more than 500 000. If we calculate the average of words created per century, this comes to 46 000. A great number of words found in the English vocabulary was borrowed from Latin, French, Low German, and the Scandinavian languages. We also know that some periods were more fertile than others: invasions, contact with other cultures, inventions, technological progress, music, fashion are some of the factors which have helped to enrich the language.

     British colonialism in the 19th century and American capitalism and technological progress in the 20th century were undoubtely the main causes for the spread of English throughout the world.

     From around 1750 to 1950 the British Empire covered about a quarter of the globe. It was one of the most powerful empires the world has ever known. The colonies gradually freed themselves but about fifty countries chose to keep a connection with Britain by belonging to the The British Commonwealth. English is spoken all over the Commonwealth either as a native or an official language, and the British monarch is the symbolic head of the association.

     The USA has played a leading role in most domains for the last hundred years. At the end of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th, it welcomed millions of European immigrants who had fled their countries ravaged by war, poverty or famine. This labour force strenghtened American industries and development. The Hollywood film industry also attracted many foreign artists in quest of fame and fortune and the number of American films produced every year soon flooded the market. Before the Treaty of Versailles(1919), which ended the First World War between Germany and the Allies, diplomacy was conducted in French. However, President Wilson succeeded in having the treaty in English as well. Since then, English started being used in diplomacy and gradually in economic relations and the media. During the II World War, America intervened both militarily and economically to save Europe from chaos. From then onwards, the United States have consolidated their cultural, economical and technological power: inventions, rock and roll, the first man on the moon, the revolution of the Internet, the country's growing prosperity and commercial aggressiveness have contributed to the further expansion and importance of English in the world today. ( leer más)

ENGLISH AROUND THE WORLD

English is the world’s most important language. One criterion for this is the number of native speakers that it happens to have. A second criterion is the extent to which the language is geographically dispersed:  English is spoken in all continents except for South America. A third is its ‘vehicular load’: it is a lingua franca in science and scholarship and a vehicle for cultural manifestations such as music. A fourth criterion is the economic, cultural  and political influence and dominance of those who speak it as ‘their own’ language; considering the USA at this point will suffice.

    There has been an increasing demand for English, and it now occupies the role of chief foreign language in most countries. Spain has not escaped the influence exerted by the E. language over the last decades. In contemporary society the need to know and be able to use foreign languages –and especially English- whether it be for professional, social or purely personal reasons, has become a pressing one. Developments in communications, the increasing contact between countries and peoples and the integration of Spain into the European Union means that the knowledge of foreign languages, in particular English, is essential to facilitate communication between the members of this community.

    The aim of the teaching of English in secondary education is for pupils to acquire communicative competence. This implies not only the possibility of learning a new system of signs but also understanding other cultures, customs and social peculiarities, whilst at the same time encouraging interpersonal relationships. This fosters an integral education of the individual which leads to a better understanding of the language itself. (Leer más)

My first post

Este primer post servirá para daros la bienvenida a todos a este espacio en el que hablaremos de la importacia del inglés en el mundo.


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