Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Can English remain the 'world's favourite' language?
Why do so many people try to learn English? While less than 400 million people speak the language as their mother tongue, over a billion people are estimated to use English in one way or another. Is that because they adore Shakespeare’s works or Hollywood movies, or need it for their businesses?
Though English has been a language often used between people who speak different languages as a matter of convenience, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they like to use the language. As American businesses, media and higher education had become so influential, American English became the de-facto language among international communities. In fact, you’ll most likely to hear CNN-style American English in English news channels in any country but in the U.K. Also, nearly a million foreign students are studying in the U.S. Of course, they learn things in American English.
But when technologies, such as voice recognition and translation become more convenient and fluent, will people bother spending time on learning a foreign language?
By the way, why don’t Americans call their language American?
Enjoy reading and learn how an English author thinks of his own language.
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