World English

English in the world

Multiple Choice

ABBA were from...

• The United States

• Switzerland

• Sweden

• The United Kingdom

So... why did they sing in English?

English is the most spoken language

18% percent of the population are English speakers

1. English: 1.5 billion speakers

2. Mandarin: 1.1 billion speakers

3. Hindi: 602 million speakers

4. Spanish: 548 million speakers

Mention some English accents

Also, English is the language of the air (Aviation English) and of the sea (Seaspeak)

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More accents

English at school

English is studied by scholars by all over the world. In 138 countries, English is a mandatory subject in the teaching curriculum. That is 70% of the countries of the world! In the rest, there are chances to study it as a complementary subject.

But this hasn't been always like that...

English is nowadays the lingua franca. However, it was French the main lenguage spoken in Europe by diplomats, merchants, aristocrats for centuries... That's why it's called lingua franca (the language spoken by the Franks).

William the Conqueror, duke of Normandy, became the King of England in 1066. He brought into the country the French spoken in France by the time.

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French in the English language

When did that change?

The situation after the World Wars

The power of economics and war shifted towards the British Empire in the 19th century and the US in the 20th century. They became the ruling powers during these centuries. Also, the US export and imposes their culture, provoking a greater interest by the rest of the world.

Why so many accents?

Two main reasons:

The lack of an academy (unlike other countries or communities of speakers, French and Spanish, for example).

English as a primary language, as an official language and as a foreign language.

Multiple Choice

There are 1.5 billion English speakers in the world. That represents...

• 28%

• 18%

• 12%

• 21%

Multiple Choice

Aviation English is the language of the air, and the language of the sea is...

• Boat English

• Marine English

• Boat Speak

• Seaspeak

Multiple Choice

English is mandatory in teaching for ... of the countries of the world.

• 60%

• 65%

• 70%

• 90%

Multiple Choice

Lingua franca means the language spoken by...

• the Romans

• the Greeks

• the Franks

• the Goths

Multiple Choice

Who became the king of England in 1066?

• William the Conqueror

• William Wallace

• Charles III

• Henry VIII