English, the Global Language
English is spoken as a native language by around 377 million people, and as a second language by around 375 million speakers in the world. Speakers of English as a second language will soon outnumber those who speak it as a first language. Around 750 million people are believed to speak English as a foreign language. English has an official or a special status in 75 countries with a total population of over 2 billion.
The domination of the English language globally is a sure thing. English is the language of international communications, business, tourism, education, science, computer technology, media and the Internet.
British colonialism in the 19th century and American capitalism and technological progress in the 20th century were undoubtedly the main causes for the spread of English throughout the world. From the fifteenth century, the British began to sail all over the world and became explorers, colonists and imperialists. They took the English language to many places. For the last hundred years, the USA has played a leading role in most parts of the world. The Hollywood film industry also attracted many foreign artists in quest of fame and fortune and the number of American films produced every year soon flooded the market.
However, the future of English as a global language will depend very largely on the political, economic, demographic and cultural trends in the world.
1. English is spoken as a second language by around 377 million people in the world.
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2. Speakers of English as a second language are more than those who speak it as a first language.
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3. It is not surprising that 70% of all information stored in the internet is in English.
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4. The spread of English throughout the world resulted from British colonialism in the 19th century and American capitalism and technological progress in the 20th century.
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5. It is definitely predicted (预见) that English will still act as a global language in the future.
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