English in the World

Bilingual educators in the United States give a high priority to learning English. This is an incontrovertible need. Differences arise only on whether it is necessary to coerce children to give up their native languages in order to learn English. In recent decades, the press has reported on a creeping fear that English in the United States is somehow threatened. Nothing could be further from reality. The emphasis on the teaching and learning of English is well justified, however, when we consider the importance of that language, not only in the United States but around the world. Curiously, some of the fiercest proponents of English may not know the extent to which English predominates in the world. When asked to name the countries in which English is spoken as the national language, many college students name the United States, Canada, the British Isles, and Australia. Some might even include New Zealand or some of the islands of the Caribbean. Most Americans are surprised to learn that there are quite a few countries in which English predominates and is even considered the national language. The Oxford Dictionary Online notes the following:

http://Oxford.com also reports that the 75 countries in which English is commonly spoken have a combined population of approximately 2 billion people. Accordingly, Oxford explains that approximately 1 in 4 people in the world speaks English with a modicum [Page 265]of fluency. In his book English as a Global Language, David Crystal maintains there are 1,500 million speakers of English worldwide.

English is the second most spoken language in the world. Only the combined varieties of Chinese, taken together, have more speakers. In addition to being the de facto national language of more than a dozen countries, English is the top language used in aviation, commerce, tourism, higher education, international law, the Internet, and the media.

Some observers liken the spread of English to the growth of our galaxy. It emerged from the explosive origins and growth of the United States. As the new nation gained power and prestige, so did its language. When the United States became the sole superpower in the world, English became the language of choice for many purposes. Do other languages threaten the hegemony of English around the world? Hardly: China has no fewer than five languages, and many people do not understand each other's language. Spanish runs third in the world. It is not commonly associated with a world power and for that reason alone is not a threat to English.

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