I guess it shouldn’t seem strange to me that English is considered the #1 language-to-know in the world, it is after all the language through which I discovered the world. I’m certainly grateful! But why English?
I’m sure it would take a quick Google Search or some rational discussion about the colonies or the strength of English speaking nations and their presence in global economies to explain it but that’s just kind of boring I think. And far too simple.
Over the years I’ve studied to some degree many different languages: French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and ASL. I’ve even dabbled in a few others like Croatian and various Italian dialects. They are all so fascinating in their own ways. The best thing about learning a language is learning about the culture that influences it. It’s the people, their history, their ways and their passions that make a language beautiful and unique and I only really understood that after learning Italian fluently and having begun to teach English. I love English. It’s complex and simple and ugly and beautiful all at once. I take great pleasure that thinking about the whys and hows that explain the creation and evolution of English in all it’s various dialects. It’s art. It’s phycology. It’s music. I feel the same about Italian but I could only really fully appreciate it after immersing myself in it. I’ve had similar fascinations with Arabic, Chinese and Japanese but the biggest challenge I’ve faced with those languages is not having enough exposure to the cultures. I need to ask questions, I want to understand the back story and that’s not always possible.
I’d love for the reason as to why English is THE language of the world (although it’s not even the most spoken language in the world!) to be that what’s behind it, it’s hows and whys are so captivating that it has inspired the world over to make it #1. I can see potential for this but there are some fierce competitors out there!
What do you think? Do you agree that English should be the #1 global language? if so, why? If not, than which language? Is it even necessary to have a global language? I look forward to hearing your thoughts! Please share them in the comments below. And remember, we don’t have to agree with each other we just have to be respectful to one another!
