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Why is the English language important?
Please explain through the history of English.
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M.P. Ossa (/people/herappleness) | College Teacher | (Level 1) Distinguished Educator

Posted on January 18, 2010 at 1:07 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500092)

I want to also add the position of London as an operational, cultural, nancial,

and defensive post ever since its creation as a city. Once the newly-called
English were in operation, London became a center of commerce. Through
London, as a port in front of the River Thames, loads of diverse cultural groups
came in and out to make business.The location was prime for trade and
exchange,and (as a linguist I can almost ascertain)that the process created its
own unique lexicon.
Furthermore, as England expanded as an empire, it brought with it the lexicon
of commerce, as well as the cultural gains that London (itself an entire
personage far removed from England as a whole) brought with it.
It is not surprising, then, that English became such a powerful language due
to the potential of connection that England's capital brought with it, and the
inuence it exercised in the nearby countries.

James Kelley (/people/jk180) | College Teacher | (Level 1) Educator

Posted on January 9, 2010 at 4:22 PM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500091)

The previous posts all correctly point out that English is the lingua franca
today, but I don'tsee where theyhave addressed how the history of the
English language has lead it to become the lingua franca. I'll try my hand at
this,but I don't have my usual resources on hand, so I'll have to work from
memory. (I recommend the book The Story of English, based on the TV series
in the link below. For a more exhaustive linguistic approach, see for example,
the outer history section of the textbook by C.M. Millward.)
English was a relatively unimportant language (or, more precisely, a set of
dialects) around 450 AD, when a set of Germanic tribes (mostly the Angles,
Saxons, and Jutes) moved from their homelands in what is now northern
Germany and Denmark to what is now England. Old English was widely spoken
on the island in the centuries that followed, lost status when the Frenchspeaking Normans conquered England, and slowly regained status in the late
Middle English period. At this point, still, English was just one of many
languages. It was generally less respected than Latin among scientists and
theologians, for example.
It was not until the period of Early Modern English, a period also known as the
Age of Discovery (c. 1500-1800 AD) that English really beganto gain status.
England began to establish colonies around the world and exported its
language and governing systems so that it could import what it wanted, e.g.
spices and rare woods and, for a while, slaves. The Early Modern English
period witnessed the rst time that English was spoken around the world, but
still it was not nearly as widely distributed as it is today.
Today English is widely taught around the world as a second language. (The
number of native speakers of English is not very large at all, compared to
Spanish or Chinese, it's worth noting.) Theemergenceof the United States as
a global power after WWII (incl. the strong economy and the enduring military
presence of American soldiers in many countries around the world) took the
globalization of English one step further. Still, British English is still widely
taught as the prestige form in classrooms around the world.
There's a lot more to say, of course. If you ask for more (e.g. by 'message'), I'll
gladly do what I can to help.

readerofbooks (/people/readerofbooks) | College Teacher | (Level 2) Educator Emeritus

Posted on January 9, 2010 at 3:29 PM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500090)

English is an important language, because it is the linga franca of the world.

Since there are so many languages of the world and on account of this, there
can be communication problems, it is important to have a language that most
people know. This happens to be English. For example, children in many
countries of the world learn English. So, it is very possible to be in any major
city in the world and probably get by with English. This is an amazing point!
Now things will change drastically outside of cities. Finally, English may not be
the linga franca in the future, but for now it is. For this reason, it is important
to learn English.

Ashley Kannan (/people/akannan) | Middle School Teacher | (Level 3) Distinguished

Educator
Posted on January 9, 2010 at 7:19 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500089)

I think that the English language is so vitally important because it is spoken in

so many parts of the world. Businesses, educational domains, academic
domains, and even realms that deal with security all use English as a language
of communication. In a practical sense, one could survive without English, but
with the globalized nature of the world and commerce, knowledge of English is
quite essential. In terms of the appreciation of language and literature,
knowledge of English is extremely important in understanding some of the
best writings oered. This is not to say that other languages do not possess
the same amount of introspection and talent. Far from it. Yet, the knowledge
of English could help to open many professional and literary doors.

pohnpei397 (/people/pohnpei397) | College Teacher | (Level 3) Distinguished Educator

Posted on January 9, 2010 at 7:04 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500088)

This is somewhat of an unclear question...

The English language is important to people in many parts of the world
because it is their native language. But I doubt that's what you mean.
The English language is important in the world today because of the dominant
position of the United States in an increasingly globalized world. Because it is
important for many countries to do business with the United States, it is
helpful for the people of those countries to learn English.
Since this has been true for most of the period since World War II, many
people around the world have learned the language. Since they have, it has
become a way that, for example, a French person may speak to a Japanese.

English has become the lingua franca of international business.

I don't know if that's what you mean, though. Please let us know.

charu-selotkar (/people/charu-selotkar) | High School Teacher | (Level 1) eNoter

Posted on October 6, 2014 at 10:53 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-665579)

Language is the only way by which we can express our emotions,

thoughts, desires ideas, feelings etc.English is that language which is
spoken by many people.English is an International language. when
ever we want to know what is happening on the other side of the world
we get the news in English only.The literature around the world was
written in many languages and can be understand by those people
only, but if it is translated in english without disturbing its charm, many
people (90 countries) can enjoy the avour of literature.
english has changed its forms many times earlier it was old english ,
then middle english then early english and now modern english.
mostly traders use latin language then dramas and poems were
written then the english was used as an ocial language and now
english occupied the whole world and became a global language. so it
is very important to know the english language .

thewanderlust878 (/people/thewanderlust878) | Student, College Freshman | TA | (Level

3) Salutatorian
Posted on December 8, 2014 at 4:32 PM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-668781)

The English language is important for many dierent reasons. One being that
it is now considered one of the most widely spoken and understood languages
in the world. Of course, the English language isn't the most important one, I
believe that all languages are equally important, but nonetheless it is still very
important. You can learn many things from any language, and English is no
dierent. It is possible to learn a great deal from everyone who speaks it,
which is why it is important.
Hope this helps!

zumba96 (/people/zumba96) | Student, Grade 11 | (Level 3) Valedictorian

Posted on April 30, 2014 at 2:52 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-important-

please-explain-392663#answer-654356)

First of all you can many things from literature. Whether it is a poem or a story,
most times a moral or a lesson can be found from it where we can learn and
expand our horizons. Also, some classics not will help you expand your
vocabulary but also understand the importance of books

user9959216 (/people/user9959216) | Student, Undergraduate | (Level 3) eNoter

Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:13 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500094)

After Mandarin, English is spoken by more people than any other language,
and is the native language of more than 350 million people. More people speak
English than those who speak the Arabic and French languages combined.
Moreover, English is the international language of diplomacy, business,
science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, UN & NATO
armed forces, engineering, tourism, Hollywood lms and arguably the best
pop and rock music in the world.
English has plenty of words to choose from. In fact, an English speaker is
oered the biggest vocabulary of any language with a choice of 500,000 to
1,000,000 words (including technical and scientic terms).
But dont panic, most English speakers do very well with a vocabulary of
around 20,000 words.
English can be fun too. For instance, the music of such stars as Elvis Presley,
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Madonna has encouraged fans
to speak the language of their idols, whilst others have enrolled in English
classes to improve their understanding of the dialogue in lms and TV shows.
Finally, if you are studying English at school, college or university, remember
that getting an A grade in English is almost worthless, in terms of
communication, if you cannot speak the language. Spoken English is used in
the best careers, the best universities, and is increasingly being used at job
interviews. So like it or not, English is a very important language to learn how
to speak.

user9914799 (/people/user9914799) | eNotes Newbie

Posted on August 27, 2015 at 5:24 AM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-692157)

English play very important role in our life or many ways to success in our
future because we can use it to communicate with other peoples around the
world.

tuhinzia (/people/tuhinzia) | Student, Undergraduate | (Level 1) Salutatorian

Posted on September 26, 2013 at 12:23 PM (/homework-help/why-english-languageimportant-please-explain-392663#answer-637478)

I LIKE ENGLISH PEOPLE THEIR ATTITUDE, WAYS OF LIFE(especially England).

THAT IS WHY I NEED TO LEARN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ALTHOUGH IT IS SIMPLY
TOUGH FOR ME TO ACQUIRE COURRECT PRONUNCIATION.

just-s (/people/just-s) | Elementary School Teacher | (Level 1) Valedictorian

Posted on May 18, 2012 at 1:33 PM (/homework-help/why-english-language-importantplease-explain-392663#answer-500093)

it is a common language generally spoken by many. and also a native

language
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