English as a global language I think I would have very little
I think I would have very little disagreement to the statement that English is a global language. The massive growth in the economies such as the USA or the influence of the ever growing European union has had a massive effect on the languages spoken today by the worlds' population.
Linguists today estimate that there are roughly between five and six thousand different languages in the world. Many of these are obviously unknown and not very frequently used. English is estimated to be the third most natively spoken language in the world behind mandarin Chinese and Hindi, but this does not tell the whole truth about English in the world today. As communication and internet grows at an accelerated rate everyday more and more people are talking and communicating. As such English has been chosen as the unofficial language of the global internet phenomenon. Figures show that of today's internet users, an astonishing thirty percent speak or communicate through English, a massive ten percent more than any other language!
The internet is not the only place that you can find this growth in English. It is currently estimated that one billion people are in the process of learning English!! This is far greater than any other language in the world. It is true that most business people from different countries have to use English in dealing with their English speaking customers, suppliers or even bosses, but also people from different countries who don't speak each others language, communicate through the medium of English. In this way English has become a global and perhaps the most important language in the world today.
From my own point of view I wish to draw on my own personal experience of the English language. My home town is Cork, Ireland. The second largest city in a country which has an economic boom and whose primary language is English. As a result, this economic boom and the massive creation of jobs and possibilities coupled with the opening of Irish borders to the rest of the E.U. , has in turn created a ripple effect through the various different communities within the city. There is a massive Polish, Spanish, Italian and indeed European population in Cork all living together and communicating through English. In 2005 Cork was named European Capital of culture due to this massive diversity and another fantastic example of how English is becoming a global language.
Through this experience of different cultures and massive influx of different nationalities, all struggling as they slowly learn to speak English and work and participate in an English speaking society such as Cork, I have developed a determination to help in any way that I can. In the end I have chosen to teach English as a foreign language to any one who wishes to learn and I believe as long as there any more people like myself or the people at TEFL then English will be forever a global language.
Sources: C.S.O.- central statistics office Ireland Esl database World internet usage statistics 'The future of the English language''British council.
