The fact that English is modern world- main international language, is beyond doubt. English has the status of an official language in 58 countries of the world, and is used in 101 countries.
Exists 2 objective reasons why English has become an international language: historical heritage and economy.
#1 Historical heritage
One of the main reasons why English became so widespread was the dominance of Great Britain in the 19th century, and America (USA) took over and has been a superpower since the 20th century.
These two countries were the most developed in terms of military forces and trade. By conquering most of the world, England has spread its traditions, culture and way of life to all parts of the world. For this reason, many of today's ex-British colonies English language is official.
#2 Economy
Another reason is the economy. Today Great Britain and the United States of America are the world's financial centers where the business life of large companies and international financial organizations is concentrated.
For example, one of the world's largest financial institutions is the London Stock Exchange. It accounts for about 50 percent of international stock trading; Companies from 60 countries were admitted to exchange trading. Since English is used for interaction, the wide internationality of the exchange is a significant factor in its distribution.
#3 Information
It is known that most communication sources and media publish their materials in English. Created in English over 60% all information on the Internet: movies, books, series, music and much more.
For Europeans, discussions about the globalization of the English language and securing its status as an international one are by no means empty talk. Many questions still remain open. Is modern English really the optimal means for communication between people of different nationalities? Or is it becoming a threat to the diversity of national cultures and languages? Are there other ways (languages) of communication in the global community?
This topic is also relevant for Russia, which is also trying to feel like a part of an integrated world, and it is very important whether we will find Russia with this world. mutual language.
Interestingly, the term "global" in relation to the English language is used only in English! This fact only emphasizes the uniqueness of the English language. But it does not mean that it should be the same for all. Note that global, or international, English is quite different from British English. It turns out that he is not official language no European country. At the same time, ironically, international English has isolated the British in Europe, they seem to have fallen out of the general European context. Most English people, because they speak the most universal language, rarely feel like, much less need to, learn any European language. But it is multilingualism and cultural diversity that is the quintessence of both Europe and Russia...
The need for a single language comes from the depths of centuries. Can you remember tower of babel or the relatively recent attempts to create a common language for Esperanto. As history has shown, both were doomed to failure.
It makes no sense to discuss the concept of "global English" without first understanding the diversity that a simpler phrase carries. There are three types of English in the world.
English as native
First of all, English, like any other language, reflects the culture and thinking of the people for whom it is native. British, Americans, Canadians, Australians, etc. - they all speak their dialects of English. English, on the one hand, unites them, and the local dialect, on the other hand, distinguishes them from each other. Thus, English, like French, Portuguese and Spanish, is not homogeneous. These four languages were taken from Europe to other parts of the world during the colonial conquests and were destined to change in a different geographical, historical and cultural environment. The contradiction was laid back then: this common language, as it were, unites English-speaking people on different continents, and at the same time, its variations create a barrier between them.
English as a non-native
This category includes local variations of English in countries where it is native to a small number of the privileged population, is considered a second official language or used to communicate with foreigners. None of the countries using these variations is European: they are India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Philippines, Nigeria, Uganda, etc.
Former colonies used the language of the colonizers, transforming it into their own. In these countries, English has many national features and borrowings from local languages. For example, in the Philippines, the adjective imeldific is used. It is based on the name of the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, which means it is excessive ostentation or bad taste. In Malaysia, "half past six" (half past six) means not only the time of day, but also a derogatory remark about someone or something useless. The onomatopoeic word "tuk-tuk" (tuk-tuk) was invented by Thais for local motorcycle taxis.
Global English
As for “international English”, one can only wonder and wonder why, contrary to the modern historical, political and economic context in Europe, it has become a universal language, which is called lingua franca. Its dominance is so strong that even the ever-reluctant France was forced to admit that English could no longer be considered a foreign language.
Story
The answer, as always, lies in history. The English language was taken by English emigrants to North America and other parts of the world. In addition, England spread its language in all the conquered countries, the former colonies of the British Empire. Figuratively speaking, England stretched a cultural and linguistic bridge across the ocean, connecting the continents.
But the United States was created not only by emigrants from Great Britain. People from all over Europe and from other countries reached out to this country. The new nation needed a unifying element that would help overcome national and linguistic differences. This role was fulfilled by the English language.
American English
But despite this, the native languages of emigrants were able to transform the original English, making it more flexible and open to change. This new language, commonly referred to as "American English", crossed the Atlantic and returned to Europe in the 20th century, mostly after the Second World War.
The language acquired this new look during the 150-year history of incessant emigration to the United States. Today, American English is the language of economic, military and political superpower.
Over time, American influence only increased. The globalization of commerce, the economy, and the spread of the American way of life - what is called "Americanization" - has contributed to the globalization of American English. In other languages, borrowings from American began to appear.
For example, the word "business" (business) is originally associated with intense activity and a specific approach to time, it reflects precisely the American reality. It is believed that the word "business" comes from the word "employment" (busyness) and has a positive connotation. The specificity of American English gave rise to a new name for it: the French linguist Claude Ajezh called American English "a convenient language" (americain de commodite). One can agree with his very witty assertion that "a world economic power is as predestined to promote its language as it is to conquer markets for the sale of its products, and these two facts are closely related: the spread of its language opens the way for the export of its products." It is even easier to agree that "of all the languages on the planet, English is the most flexible and most responsive to changing realities, and it is the first to reflect these new realities."
Following global markets and a global network of entertainment and travel comes global communication in an international language.
E-mail and the Internet are used all over the world today, and this is undoubtedly very convenient, fast and effective remedy communication. People in different countries are forced to adapt to the language and features of electronic means of communication, which were created, of course, under the English language. To communicate in another language, they have to resort to various technical tricks. For example, superscript characters accepted in different European languages cannot be used in most e-mail programs, the same applies to non-Latin alphabets (Russian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, etc.).
All these communication innovations divide people, leaving behind those who do not understand English.
Based on materials Institute of Information and Management Technologies
Today, in the world, several languages are most widely spoken - they are spoken in many countries and over vast territories. This is German, French, Spanish, Arabic and even Russian. However, only English among them takes the first place in distribution. It is a native or foreign language for a huge number of people on the planet. And there are several reasons for this.
Historical past
At all times, the conquering countries, conquering other cities and states, tried to instill in them their culture and language. So it was during the Roman Empire, which spread Latin to the entire coast of the conquered Mediterranean. The same thing happened in the era of British supremacy at sea. Spreading its influence further and further - from Malta and Egypt to the countries of America, Australia, New Zealand, Sudan, India - from the 17th century, Great Britain imposed its own rules on the conquered territories. So around the world, dozens of states arose whose native language was English.
In many of them, it later turned into a state one, this happened mainly in those territories that the British conquered from local savages, for example, in the USA, New Zealand, and Australia. In the same places where statehood had already been formed, or another country took an active role in the conquests, there were several official languages - this happened in India and Canada. Now Great Britain is no longer considered the main colonial country, however, its historical and cultural heritage still lives in previously conquered states.
Globalization and economic power
The world is on the verge of globalization, distances are shortened by fast transport, borders are becoming more open, people have the opportunity to travel around the world, do business in different countries to engage in world trade. All countries are somehow connected with each other, so they need a common means of communication - a single language. In the conditions of developing globalization, English is recognized as the most convenient language as an ideal one.
Its spread is also helped by the fact that, since the 19th century, the United States has taken up the policy of Great Britain in the economic and political aspect, and today they are conducting a rather tough conquest of the economic market and strengthening political influence in other countries. The language of the strongest country, as a rule, becomes the language of universal communication.
Ease of communication
English is the mother tongue of over 400 million people and a foreign language of over 1 billion people on the planet. The number of English learners is constantly growing. In addition, this particular language is relatively simple, which makes it convenient for quick learning and, of course, this also contributes to its mass distribution. To date, only the British themselves allow themselves not to actively study foreign language at school or university, because everyone around knows English. For the inhabitants of other countries, such neglect is not typical - they begin to learn languages from the very beginning. younger age, sometimes with kindergarten and first grade school.
The fact that English in the modern world is the main international language is beyond doubt. However, not everyone knows why this is so. After all, the formation of English as an international language is rooted in the distant past.
Historical background
The rise of the English language began in the 17th century, when Britain became a conquering country and the largest colonizer in the world. Since the British flotilla was one of the strongest in the world, sea routes completely surrendered to the British. Earth North America, Asia, India and Africa were under the control of England. It was at that moment that the language of Great Britain began to turn into an international one.
The imperialism of the British crown lasted for more than three centuries, during which England developed into a scientifically, culturally and technologically advanced nation. In addition, England sought to develop in economic terms. The creation of strong trade ties led to the fact that the language of a more successful country relegated local dialects to the background. Even when former colonies became independent, many of them made English their official language. There were reasons for that. First of all, the languages of the colonies did not always have necessary words for successful trading. In addition, during the existence under the control of the British crown locals accustomed to the new language, knew it well and willingly used it in speech. It can be reasonably argued that English should have become the second official language in Asia and Africa as well. The fact is that the British moved to these countries less often and did not bring their traditions, lifestyle and, of course, language with them. It was used in these regions to promote economic ties with Britain, but did not become a common language for the locals. 
The rise of a superpower
Just at this time, America took over the baton and began its transformation into a superpower with the official English language. But the British were not the only ones who decided to conquer New World, and in the United States of America many dialects and dialects were spoken. Therefore, at the beginning of the twentieth century, the problem of unity of all citizens of the country arose. America needed a symbol to unite the people living in it. It's funny, but German almost became the official language of the states. French and Hebrew were also offered. But during the final vote, the English won by one vote!
From that moment on, a not too delicate policy of crowding out other languages began to operate in the United States. Legal documents and teaching in schools were conducted exclusively in English. This practice has borne fruit. Otherwise, French or German could very well become the official language of the United States, as well as the international language of the world.
After the war, many countries were concerned about the revival of the economy, culture, social and other spheres of life. The states, although they suffered in World War II, were not as severe as other countries. They continued their development in diplomatic, military and economic terms. America chose the beaten track and followed the English path. Businessmen began to deliver goods to other countries, and a common language was needed to carry out transactions, which again turned out to be English. Why English again? America was a stronger and more influential country, so it could impose its choice.
Modern tendencies
It is important that today America continues to hold the leading position. The country has made great efforts to promote mother tongue, and the fact that the states invented the Internet and the computer played an important role. Today, most of the funds mass media publishes notes in English. On it you can find more than 60% of the materials on the network: movies, series, news, books, and so on.
The popularity of English is also associated with the fact that it is the language of business. Today England and the USA are the largest financial centers where the business life of many organizations is concentrated. For example, the London Stock Exchange accounts for about half of all stock trading, which involves firms from sixty countries. Due to the fact that English is used for work and communication, the multiculturalism of the exchange is considered an essential element in its promotion.
Thus, we can safely say that the English language has become international for historical and economic reasons. It is not clear whether this language will be as popular in the future, but the fact that today it has an official status in almost 60 states of the world, and is used in more than 100 countries, clearly indicates its leading position.
Two trends can be distinguished in the modern world linguistic order. The first is related to the efforts of the elites of nation-states to maintain a monopoly on the national language, since it is the language that is still perceived as the strongest marker of statehood and national identity. The second trend is in conflict with the first and concerns the unprecedented spread of English as the language of international communication. These two opposite trends have their roots in different eras. However, today hardly anyone can deny that postmodernism has already radically changed the world linguistic order of the modern era, and global English is a political and cultural reality XXI century.
On the wave of globalization and development modern technologies English subjugated the world in a way that no other language in the history of mankind has been able to do. Experts say that almost one and a half billion people belong to the English-speaking world. English today is spoken three times more than those for whom it is non-native. The largest English-speaking country - the United States of America - is about 20% of the English-speaking population of the planet. English is already today the second language for citizens of the European Union with a population of almost 500 million.
In favor of affirming English as global language many factors played. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. it was the language of a huge colonial state - Great Britain. The last was destined in the XVIII-XIX centuries. thanks to the industrial revolution to become the most developed country in the world and, together with the whole Western Europe give rise to a process that will determine the development of mankind over the next centuries - global modernization. Because it is based on the scientific revolution, English has become a vehicle for accessing and disseminating knowledge. The well-known researcher of global English, David Crystal, argues that if you summarize everything that was done by British and American scientists, it becomes obvious that in the period from 1750 to 1900, more than half of all significant scientific and technical works were written in English.
The spread of English in the modern era was facilitated by the strength of another super-powerful world player - America. For her, after the defeat of Germany in 1918, the path to economic domination was opened. In 1898, Bismarck, when asked by journalists what he considered the decisive factor in world development, said: "The fact that North Americans speak English."
Language becomes a means of international communication when its special role is recognized by all countries. The reformatting of the world order after the First and then the Second World Wars led to the creation of new international organizations and alliances. This created an unprecedented demand for a world lingua franca. Lingua franca is the name for a language used as a means of business and cultural communication by people who speak different languages. Many eras in human history are characterized by the presence of their own lingua franca. This is Greek and Latin in the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, Spanish in the Spanish Empire, etc. In the 20th century, English gradually replaced French as the language of international diplomacy. For the first time, official status was granted to English by the League of Nations. Its importance was further enhanced by the creation of the United Nations in 1945.
No less favorable for the emergence of the world lingua franca in the 20th century were other events and global trends. Firstly, this is the collapse of the colonial system in the late 60s, when English became the official or semi-official language of many liberated countries. Secondly, new opportunities in English appear due to globalization. National economies have become more integrated into the global economy, money and labor have become much more mobile. The process of rapprochement of peoples in the era of globalization, which began in the 19th century, was accelerated thousands of times by the explosive growth of communication and information networks, which led to the “annihilation of space”. Never before have so many countries and peoples felt the need to communicate with each other and did not want to travel so massively around the world. The increase in technological capabilities was directly proportional to the need for a global lingua franca.
If global English began with the dominance of two successful empires - British and American, now it is the language of another empire, the unconditional dominance of which extends to the entire Earth, - Internet. Without English, can you take advantage of the intellectual power it provides? Obviously not. Researchers prove that 80% of information is stored in the global network in this language, and its volume doubles every 18 months.
Today, English is the language of the global economy and the global business environment. Even if an international company is located in Sweden or France, its employees communicate in English (or a mixture of their native language with English), not to mention correspondence. Almost the same situation in science. Over 90% scientific journals, enjoying authority in the world, are printed in English.
In a globalized world, English is the language of intercultural communication, because no matter who you are - Ukrainian, Italian, Indian, Russian or German, when you get together, you will communicate in English. In many countries where there is interethnic tension, it is English that plays the role of an ethnically neutral language.
If the spread of English around the world is connected with the political and economic influence of the English-speaking nations, then today there is every reason to say that it is gradually losing its imperial status. Moreover, it ceases to be tied to native speakers and begins to exist separately from them, no longer being American and British, but more and more turning into global English as a phenomenon. It already has a name - "globish" (globish), or "standard world colloquial English" (Word Standard Spoken English).
A curious illustration of this trend, especially given the constant language wars in France, is the book Don't Speak English by French businessman Jean-Paul Marie. Speak Globish ("Don't speak English. Speak global"). Describing his meeting with partners from different parts of the world - an Englishman, a Korean and a Brazilian - he notes that, while communicating, they spoke a special dialect of English, understanding each other perfectly. The Englishman is in a difficult position. He was too sensitive to different semantic nuances, so he could hardly catch the thoughts of his partners. Those, in turn, could not understand him immediately - because of the complexity of his language. Marie notes that today a new form of English is developing, which is owned by those for whom it is the second. Globish is about 1500 words, its users should avoid humor, metaphors, abbreviations, and anything else that might cause cross-cultural confusion. They should speak slowly and in short sentences.
Native speakers are concerned that Globish as a phenomenon has another side. Because of it, refined English can be lost. AT recent times even the language of the English Queen has undergone a significant simplification. A native speaker of English must actually be proficient in two languages, including global English, in order to be able to communicate with other speakers of the world lingua franca.
Another trend is that English continues to spread around the world, fragmenting into many local dialects, called englishes - English languages. No less accurate is another name for glocal English - “glocal English” (from the combination of the words global (global) and local (local)). For example, spanglish - a kind of mix of Spanish and English - on the border of Mexico and the United States, greekish - a mixture of Greek and English in Greece. Or singlish spoken in Singapore and tanglish spoken in the Philippines. Its own dialect - European English - is also spoken in the EU. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it has a limited vocabulary and is completely devoid of idioms, so it is simple and easy to use. More than half of Europeans can communicate in English in the EU today - 51% (for comparison: in Ukraine, according to the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences, only 1.3% of the population). It is systematically distributed thanks to the language policy of the European Union: 90% of schoolchildren study it, starting from elementary school. Thus, American and British English become little more than local dialects.
The spread of English was also facilitated by changes in the world geopolitical order, in which the language was and remains a power factor. English is gradually replacing Russian in many of the territories it dominated during Soviet Union. Since language is a source of political, economic and cultural influence, the governments of most former Soviet republics, seeking to get rid of the Russian factor, are pursuing a policy of de-Russification. Other, no less important reason This is the decline of science and economics in the USSR, as a result of which Russian has ceased to serve as a way to access modern knowledge and information and cannot compete with English.
In educational policies of many countries of the world, knowledge of English is increasingly referred to as basic. To speak English means the same as being able to use a computer, mobile phone and drive a car. Notable examples are China and South Korea, where there is a belief that national development depends on English proficiency.
The spread of English could not have been without sharp political debate around this process. Opponents of the formation of the world lingua franca describe this process in such terms as "linguistic imperialism", "linguistic aggression", "dominance", "linguistic colonization", and give many arguments in their favor. Considering that language is the basic component of any sovereign state, intellectuals are trying to understand whether it is possible to save national identity, monolinguistic and monocultural in the era of globalization. And whatever the answers, it is clear that the national language policy of the postmodern era can hardly be isolationist.
