English as a Work Language Why is English everywhere? Why not Chinese, Russian, German or even Norwegian? To understand the role of English as a global work language, we have to step back in time and study the timeline below. This illustrates how the language spread to almost every single corner of the world and thus became the most widely spoken language, the lingua franca of the world.
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Preaction How would your life be different if you did not know any English? Discuss in groups.
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All kinds of Englishes The language circle illustrates how English comes in many forms. The native speakers in the inner circle are now outnumbered by non-native speakers. In the outer circle English is an official language in 98 countries and states alongside one or more other languages. In the expanding circle it has no historical or official role, but is used as a foreign language or lingua franca, like in Norway. Thus, it is natural that English will come in many different varieties.
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There is not just one correct way to speak English. Most people do not speak standard British or American English; within these countries there are great differences in how people speak. As English spreads, people adapt it to make it their own.
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IMPORTANT TERMS ● mother tongue / first language / native language ● second language ● foreign language ● official language ● lingua franca ● bilingual ● multilingual
15th–16th Century: Political and Military Power
16th–17th Century: The Power of Science
19th Century: Economic Power
British Empire ʦ brought English worldwide ʦ made English international
Industrial Revolution → English as the language of twothirds of inventions → New manufacturing processes
USA and UK financial markets of the world → English as the language of the two → greatest economic centers of the world
Communicate
