10 Ways English is Now the Lingua Franca

English is the global language, but what does that really mean?

Angela Brumett PhD | Parlay Vacay Special Series for Springboard | Exclusive offers for Springboard

Currently, at about 335 million, English still doesn't claim the most native speakers.

However, with over 1.5 billion total--including second-language--speakers, English recently surpassed Mandarin as the most used language in the world. How that happened is quite controversial but fascinating and is a worthy subject for a different article.

It's a fact that English is now the "global language," but what does that look like?

English is Now the Lingua Franca

First, what does "lingua franca" mean? "Lingua franca" or "French tongue" was (historically) used to refer to French as the most common means of communication, especially official communication and published materials, around the world. The French language maintained this status for centuries.

Nowadays, the term "lingua franca" simply means any language used between parties who don't speak the same native languages. English is a lingua franca in more places than ever before and in more categories than any other language.

Currently, English is both the most spoken and studied second language in 55 countries.

People living where English is not an official or one of the most common languages still work very hard to learn it because it is one key to success.

The ongoing prioritizing of English world-wide reinforces its lingua Franca status.

English's new #1 position is incredible but easy to understand. What, maybe, isn't as clear is how that dominance plays out.

Here are TEN important ways English has taken world-wide precedence over other languages and some of the reasons why it is most likely to remain the global language into the foreseeable future. They are also ten of the many answers to this single simple question: Why learn English?

1. English is the most “powerful” or influential language.

In 2016, Kai Chan published what is called the “Power Language Index” which resulted from the system data-driven analysis of 20 factors including various measurements of a language’s practical use, reach, and sphere of influence. According to the results, English is not only the overall most powerful language, it’s more than twice as powerful as its closest rivals.

2. English is the language of research.

Overall, 75% of scientific papers and research findings are published in or translated into English. In many fields, it’s over 90%. To allow the details of important discoveries to reach the widest audience, publication in English is a must.

3. English is the language of computing.

The current top 10 computer programming languages in the world are English-based. This fact alone makes upcoming computer programming languages more likely to be English-based.

4. English is the language of the internet.

Slightly more than half of the world’s online content is in English, making it the most used language on the internet.

5. English is the language of translation.

Content in other languages on the internet are auto-translated into English more than into any other language. Indirectly, this also makes English translations of works more sellable--world-wide.

6. More English terms remain as-is.

Today, more "new" terms in English are integrated into other languages without being translated into those languages. Modifications of English terms to fit into other languages have occurred even longer, but what is becoming more common practice is that English terms are adopted wholly.

7. English is the language of work.

In this age of international hires, English, more than any other, is the official corporate or “at work” language in global companies-- even at sites located in, for example, Sweden or China. Microsoft in Beijing is an interesting example. Some others who have mandated English as the common corporate language include Airbus, Daimler-Chrysler, Fast Retailing, Honda, Nokia, Renault, Samsung, SAP, and Technicolor.

8. English is the language of international business.

Most international trade is at least partly managed via financial centers in Great Britain and the United States, making English the most common language in global commerce.

9. English is considered the most "official" in diplomacy.

English is not only one of the six languages of the United Nations, it’s the official language of 67 different countries and 27 non-sovereign entities. Official languages are treated as supreme in a nation’s diplomacy, and English is given this status more than any other language. That makes English the official language in more governments than any other language.

10. English will (likely) always be the easiest for the world to learn and use for several key reasons.

Now, this doesn’t mean English is easy: no way! The quantity of vowel sounds, pronunciation and spelling exceptions, and phrasal verbs make it a pain in the a$$ sometimes.

However, the fact that the English language uses a comparatively limited alphabet and is related more closely to other major European languages will likely keep English far ahead of Mandarin as the global language of the future.

English's lack of accented syllables, fewer marked cases, and comparatively simple verb conjugations will likely prevent any other European language from surpassing it. Also, it really helps that learning just 1000 words is enough to read over 90% of English text.

With so much more information available in English-only or in English translations, English is the most reinforced second language.

What are YOUR thoughts?

English came to be the global language via so many different channels, some of them deeply controversial, such as wars and various forms of imperialism. However, today, could English evolve to become our shared tool for equity, world peace, and unification in mutually concerning matters such as taking care of our planet? Or is the linguistic dominance of English--sometimes at a deep cost to other languages--potentially causing more irreversible harm than any perpetual good?

See you here next week! Thanks for reading.

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