Speaking English all over the world

Communication is the basis of our societies.

For ages, people around the world have tried to open up to other countries for different purposes like conquering, trading, globe trotting or just getting more knowledge about other cultures which come from the other hemisphere. But the differences in languages and cultures can sometimes mean an obstacle for those who want to get in contact with their fellow friends. That is the reason why some people have been working to introduce gently a sole language to make communication between people from different countries easier.

One of the first attempts was the creation of a language whose basis rested on a mix of many Roman (or Latin) languages which was called Esperanto. The aim of this creation was to introduce it as a new international language which would be taught all over the world to facilitate the contact between human beings.

Unfortunately, it wasn't successful and was forgotten very quickly. Perhaps this was because it didn'y have any roots, any culture and any rules like normal languages do. So, the resarchers had to trust in the ease of human beings to adapt to new cultures they want to communicate with. And I suppose that is how English has gradually become the language known as Lingua Franca.

Still, even though English is nowadays the language used in business and trade, I don't think it will become the sole language spoken everywhere. In fact, if we observe countries which use English as a first language like the UK, the USA, Australia, etc. we realise that there are some discrepancies within the same language! So, imagine the result if we had to be forced to speak English in every country...we would have thousands of varieties of English and the problem would remain the same!

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis says that we are conditioned by the culture and the language we have been brought in. Depending on the culture, we can have different ways of approaching the same situation. That is why people won't ever speak English as a first language..It is not only a reason of will but also and overall a matter of culture.