English as a global "lingua fanca" of commerce
“English has become the language on which the sun never sets” (Crystal 75). Every day, somewhere in the world, if the sun is shining then English is being spoken. English is spoken by more than 300 million people. It is the official language of 44 countries and is known by about 1/3 of the human population. The English language is significant because it is the world’s language of trade and commerce. On a world stage, English is the language of Money. Money talks-and the language that it is shouting is English (Crystal 83). Throughout history; before English was what it is today; sailors, explorers and merchants had versions of Pidgin English. This English was used to trade with foreigners. In 1780 John Adams made a profound prediction about the English language. “English is destined to be in the next and succeeding centuries more generally the language of the world…because of increasing populations in America and the universal connection with all nations” (qtd. in Crystal 74). The need for commerce and global economics has continued to employ English as a global language. The beginnings of the English Language were a movement. English arrived in England from Northern Europe, it then moved to the British Isles. In 1066, the Norman Invasion spread English speakers from England into Scotland. As drastic as these events were, they proved to be localized. The English language began to spread worldwide with the increase of exploration. As English travelers visited distant regions, they transplanted their language and acquired loan words from others (Bailey 126). In 1607, the first permanent settlement was established in North America. Jamestown became English’s first major step toward becoming a global language (Crystal 31). Over a single century, the English language grew in vocabulary, geography and its number of speakers increased. The lingua franca of the Mediterranean in medieval times persisted into the age of exploration into the larger seas (Bailey 127).
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