BF2S Forums Why Does the English Language Dominate?

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:

Because English was the language of the dominating world power?

That and the fact that most business and all airline language is in English. English is to language as the Metric system is to measurement

acEofspadEs6313 wrote:

Because English was the language of the dominating world power?

Something I found.

The first, and major, reason is that English became the main language of science and technology at about the turn of the century. At that time it was possible that German might have taken the lead, taking over from English and French but, by this time, the Americans were already beginning to forge ahead as the major industrial nation and thus, as a consequence, the progenitor of most scientific papers and technological know-how.
The second reason is a consequence of the first in that English is now not only the language of science and technology but also of all the cultural and managerial offshoots that occurred during the remainder of the twentieth century, such as the media, telecommunications, multinational corporations, international freight and air transport, and international tourism, banking, politics and sports.

Most spoken language worldwide:
The result of all this is that the global status of English has nothing to do with the number of people who speak it as a native language -- a mere 300 million -- but of the other billion who speak English as a second language and of a further billion or more who are likely to do so well within a generation.

Do you think other mind learning English?

Last edited by blademaster (2007-03-17 01:19:42)

We ouldshe all eakspe igpe atinle. That would make it easier.

Imperial colonialism, industrial progression, and luck of the draw. English is also quite an adaptable language.

Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2007-03-17 05:31:23)

It's a hold over from the brittish empire which sought to spread everything english to the world (including stop signs). Americans just benifit from the many colonies British have created over the centuries. You may think it was American business but it's just a hold over from the Brittish Empire.

As such there are french words and a heavy influence on current 'english' from centuries before the Brittish empire that are so ingrained in the English language, you would be suprised they are actually French.

Actually speaking of language "LANGUAGE" is originally french, as is century, dominate and so many other words you say daily.

So you speak french.

Last edited by JaggedPanther (2007-03-17 13:52:57)

JaggedPanther wrote:

Tetrino wrote:

English is a very colourful language when compared to other languages. However, the most widely used language in the world is actually Mandarin. Ni hao ma!

QFT, some teachers/ profs fool entire classes with the question of 'why does english dominate so much' only to reveal it was a trick question.

In our eyes it looks like it dominates since the tourism industry is heavy in english.

If you are just speaking in terms of raw numbers butttttt...

English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945 and is considered by many to be on its way to becoming the world's first universal language.[2]

In terms of second languages English is at the top also.

Because English is so widely spoken, it has often been referred to as a "global language", the lingua franca of the modern era. While English is not an official language in many countries, it is currently the language most often taught as a second language around the world. Some linguists believe that it is no longer the exclusive cultural sign of "native English speakers", but is rather a language that is absorbing aspects of cultures worldwide as it continues to grow. It is, by international treaty, the official language for aerial and maritime communications, as well as one of the official languages of the European Union, the United Nations, and most international athletic organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.

Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world. English is also the most commonly used language in the sciences. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries.

Last edited by Kmarion (2007-03-17 14:01:32)

Reason: British naval superiority over the past 1000 years. QED.

Turquoise wrote:

Yep, Britain "colonized" (oppressed) a lot of the world about a hundred or so years ago.

If you can believe it though, French was once the language of diplomacy for similar reasons before that....

I think French is the smoothest to the ear. I used to listen too my grandparents when I was younger (that is all they spoke). You could tell a girl you just sharted in your pants and she would fall into your arms (Providing she didn't know what you were saying..lol)

Last edited by Kmarion (2007-03-17 15:19:23)

Kmarion wrote:

Turquoise wrote:

Yep, Britain "colonized" (oppressed) a lot of the world about a hundred or so years ago.

If you can believe it though, French was once the language of diplomacy for similar reasons before that....

I think French is the smoothest to the ear. I used to listen too my grandparents when I was younger (that is all they spoke). You could tell a girl you just sharted in your pants and she would fall into your arms (Providing she didn't know what you were saying..lol)

Interesting...  I should learn French then... 

Turquoise wrote:

ATG wrote:

Pernicious544 wrote:

That and the fact that most business and all airline language is in English. English is to language as the Metric system is to measurement

Excellent point. It may also be the most nuanced language. People tend to favor options.

I have a friend who's learning Mandarin Chinese.  As far as I can tell, Chinese is the most nuanced (and ridiculously complicated) language.

Granted, English is probably one of the most nuanced Western languages.

They have their own alphabet. It's not like learning another Latin based language.

If the Spanish armada hadn`t been sunk by the British in 15 hundred and something the preferred 2nd language would have been different i guess ...... who knows, maybe arabic will be what we all speak in 200 years !

Masques wrote:

Because it makes oh so much sense grammatically.

thats where your wrong