The Appeal of English
The appeal of English around the world is quite mystifying, yet there it is - the language of Technology, the language of Law, the language of Celebrity! Even if English is not the only international language used by the United Nations, it is certainly one of the prominent ones.
Maybe it is because America speaks English, I thought, and this may be a major appeal. It turns out that assumption is correct - 231,122,908 English speakers there. Then there's the European Union with 256,876,220, enough reason to see why it is so popular.
These are the numerical reasons why it is so appealing; but why does one choose to learn a language? Think about why you chose to learn any language other than your mother tongue. Most people learn a language to learn about a culture, and when a language spans so many cultures, albeit from a colonial past, it adds to its appeal. Local writers enrich the language, making it at once both global and local, painting pictures of their cultures, emotions and thoughts weaving it into a tapestry, rich in form and hues, as to make it easy for a person from any part of the globe to relate with.
There are few languages that come close to English in this regard and it is probably one of the strongest reasons why this language is so entrancing!
The appeal of English around the world is quite mystifying, yet there it is - the language of Technology, the language of Law, the language of Celebrity! Even if English is not the only international language used by the United Nations, it is certainly one of the prominent ones.
Maybe it is because America speaks English, I thought, and this may be a major appeal. It turns out that assumption is correct - 231,122,908 English speakers there. Then there's the European Union with 256,876,220, enough reason to see why it is so popular.
These are the numerical reasons why it is so appealing; but why does one choose to learn a language? Think about why you chose to learn any language other than your mother tongue. Most people learn a language to learn about a culture, and when a language spans so many cultures, albeit from a colonial past, it adds to its appeal. Local writers enrich the language, making it at once both global and local, painting pictures of their cultures, emotions and thoughts weaving it into a tapestry, rich in form and hues, as to make it easy for a person from any part of the globe to relate with.
There are few languages that come close to English in this regard and it is probably one of the strongest reasons why this language is so entrancing!
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