Which language has the most native
speakers in the world? English? No.
It's Chinese. But English is the official language in 58 sovereign
states. And even in countries where it is not actually the
official language, like the United States, the primary language spoken
is still English. For many other
countries English is the official second language. It's the
first language
spoken by around 400 million people in the world. How
English spread around the globe may
be controversial, but it is
a fact of life. When people with
different languages come together, they commonly use English to
communicate. This makes English a very useful lingua
franca. The main reasons that anyone would consider
learning English are:
• Economic:
English is presently the main language of
business. If you want to enter the global workforce, English
will
open doors for you. In this digital
age, when so much business is
conducted on the worldwide web,
it's advantageous to know
English. About 50% of
internet traffic is in English.
• Academic: Many
international students want to go to
the top universities, colleges, and business schools, in the United
States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia. The primary language
of instruction is, of course,
English.
• Social: The entertainment produced by that
great
American export, the Hollywood film industry, is mostly in
English. Learn it and you won't have to read the subtitles...as
much.
Think about this: although learning English is challenging, it does
have a simple alphabet, unlike some other languages. Learning English
can help you grow as a person as you learn about the values, habits and
way of life of all the many people who speak English. Why is
studying English important to you?
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