Why is English the international language?
The fact that English is now the main international language is indisputable. In all aspects of international life – trade, science, diplomacy, education and travel – the common language is English and has been for decades. There are two main reasons why English is the current lingua franca; political history and economics.
First, one of the main reasons why English is the international language in the world today is the fact that Britain was the global superpower in the nineteenth century and
America is the global superpower in the twentieth and twenty-first. For example, these two
English-speaking countries were the most important countries in terms of the military and trade. By conquering and colonising so much of the world, their customs, culture and way of life became common in those parts of the world. This is why so many ex-British colonies now have English as the national language, with many of their people speaking English as a first language.
Second, a further reason for the spread and of English is economics. By being the global political and military superpower, these two countries also became the leading trading nations and many countries and territories needed to learn English in order to trade with them. The USA is currently a major trading partner with almost every other country on the planet due to the size of the consumer economy. This explains why in many countries,
English is a compulsory subject in all levels at school.
In conclusion, we can see that the factors of political history and finance are the most important reasons why English is the current global language. It remains to be seen whether English will continue to be the global language of the twentieth century or whether it will be replaced by Chinese, Arabic or another language.

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