Why English Is the World's Most Important Language

Introduction

English is the world's most important language. The importance of English lies in the breadth of its spread rather than the depth. In addition, English is already understood to be the world's de facto second language, and removing it from that dominant position would require the emergence of another language whose prominence could match it. English is also the most important language because of its flexibility — no other language in the world meets these criteria, and as such there are no serious threats to the use of English today. This paper outlines these three arguments in explaining why English is the most important language in the world and refutes some of the counterarguments offered in support of other languages.

The Geographic Breadth of English

The first advantage that English has over all other languages is the breadth of its spread. Languages like Hindi or Mandarin have more speakers, but those speakers are concentrated geographically and culturally. Other languages have some geographic breadth — Spanish, Russian, and Arabic are all spoken in over a dozen countries by hundreds of millions of people. However, English combines these factors and exceeds them.

Part of this lies with the legacy of the British Empire, which left several countries as English-language nations. These are spread geographically — from West Africa to Australia to Singapore and the Caribbean — and include some of the world's major economies. English is spoken in more of the world's top 20 economies (the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, where it is the language of business, and Australia) than any other language (CIA World Factbook, 2012). By contrast, Spanish is spoken in only two of the top 20 economies, Russian in just one, and Arabic in none. The spread of a language around the world begins with business, and English is the language of business. In addition, the Internet is also responsible for the spread of English: with 80% of the world's web traffic conducted in English, no other language can match its geographic reach either in the physical world or online.

English as the World's De Facto Second Language

The second advantage that English has is that it is already understood to be the world's de facto second language. There are more second-language speakers of English than of any other language. When people from different cultures communicate with one another, they typically find it easier to use English than any other language, since English is the most common second or third language for most people. English is already the established language in academia and most technical fields, so much of the world's knowledge is recorded in English.

Some have argued that other languages could emerge as a global second language. Mandarin, for example, is growing as a second language. However, Mandarin is more limited in scope than English since it is primarily used in China, and it is also widely regarded as more impenetrable. The characters and tones of Mandarin are even more difficult than English for a non-native speaker to master. With no serious competitive threat on the horizon, English is likely to remain the world's second language for the foreseeable future.

Conclusion

English is the most important language in the world today. It has entered common usage as the world's lingua franca, including in all technical professions and academia. It is also the language of international business, something that drives its continued spread around the world. English is understood by people everywhere to be the most important second language to learn, and they are learning it as such, contributing to the momentum that English has already built.