Monthly Archive for August, 2008

English is a truly global language crossing many international boundaries. In fact, the English language is so popular; it is spoken in more than a hundred countries and has more than a million words. English has an inherent simplicity and flexibility allowing it to be learnt quickly, cementing English as a global language. As a great example, take the case of Indai. Hindi is the most widely spoken language, yet most people correspond in English. India plays host to many English speaking contact centres and 53% of Nigerians also speak English. English, as a global language, is very popular indeed, but why?

English began its development in Great Britain and was spread across the globe through the Commonwealth nations. It became so influential across the Commonwealth that countries adopted English above and beyond their own languages. Back to the case of India; with more than 22,000 languages and dialects it is perhaps clear why English became so popular and unifying. However, Hindi, being the most widely spoken language in India, never became the national language. Linguistic experts point out that the speed and depth with which the English language became so popular globally is unbelievable.