English as a global language THE BACKGROUND English is an Anglo-Frisian language brought to southeastern Great Britain in the 5th century

AD by Germanic settlers English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy and also on the Internet. It has been one of the official languages of the United Nations since its founding in 1945 and is considered by many to be on its way to becoming the world's first universal language History The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the language's initial spread far beyond the British Isles.[3] Following World War II, the increased economic and cultural influence of the United States led to English permeating many other cultures, chiefly through development of telecommunications technology.[4] Because a working knowledge of English is required in many fields, professions, and occupations, education ministries throughout the world mandate the teaching of English to at least a basic level in an effort to increase the competitiveness of their economies. THE PRESENT SCENE Today's search for information and need for global communication have already promoted English from being the language of the American, the British, the Irish, the Australian, the New Zealand, the Canadian, the Caribbean, and the South African peoples to being the international language. It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world. While Portuguese is spoken in 4 countries by approximately 195 million people, English is spoken as a native language by nearly four hundred million people The inexpensiveness of air transportation has increased interpersonal contacts worldwide. Computer, optical fiber, and satellite technologies likewise have made possible a boom in telecommunications, bringing up the

concept of information superhighway. These two developments demonstrate how the world has evolved into a global village and how imperatively a standard language is required. In its role as a global language, English has become one of the most important academic and professional tools. The English language is recognized as undoubtedly the most important language for the increasingly mobile international community to learn. This is a fact that seems to be irreversible. English has become the official language of the business and scientific worlds. Philip B. Gove in his preface to Webster's Third New International Dictionary illustrates this point: It is now fairly clear that before the twentieth century is over every community of the world will have learned how to communicate with all the rest of humanity. In this process of intercommunication the English language has already become the most important language on earth. And David Crystal adds: As English becomes the chief means of communication between nations, it is crucial to ensure that it is taught accurately and efficiently, ... THE FUTURE It is predictable today that wealth will give way to knowledge and information in determining the shape of the future human society, and speaking the common world language will be fundamental to achieve success.