Teach English in Yishui Zhen - Hanzhong Shi

Language is a means of communication and expression of our thoughts with the fellow members of our society through speaking, manual or written symbols and gestures. Language has the power to enable us to communicate and release our emotions. Laughing, crying, frowning, shouting, using hands to express thoughts, ideas and feelings are all parts of communication through language. English is one such language. Before starting to write about English as a global language let us quickly delve a bit into its statistics and history. English started to develop more than 1,500 years ago and right now it is in the third position of the world’s most-spoken native languages. According to latest reports and surveys approximately 1 billion people worldwide speak English, 65 countries have English as their official language and there are 29 countries that have English as their secondary official language! This widespread use of English can somewhat be linked to the influence of the British Empire. The British colonisers actually exported the language to all four corners of the world. Their dominance and rule in different parts of the world introduced the language there and compelled the people of those countries to learn the language. For example, India is one such country where it is very important for the people of different provinces speaking different languages , to learn English as a medium of communication and use the language not only officially but sometimes in personal conversations too. It is also important for the students and researchers to remain well versed in the language to get access to the global information- scientific, political or cultural. We constantly keep hearing about American English and British English, but each country has their own dialect and accent while speaking English . For example: English in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Northern Africa, Asia and European countries has evolved in such a way that they are clearly distinct from British or American English. But they are all English after all. English language has a huge vocabulary and is often seen as the easiest language of the world to learn. English language has a very defined grammar system. Though there is no defined rule for pronunciation it can be mastered by learning phonemes, phonetics, intonations and speech practices. Learning English is important as it enables us to communicate easily with our fellow global citizens. Cultural and political ties have made British English to be considered as the benchmark for representing ‘standardised’ English. Spelling and grammar rules tend to adhere to British English standards and conventions. One cannot deny the importance of English as an international language and plays an important part in most countries even where the British had less or no influence, for example: it is learnt as the main foreign language in most schools in Western and Eastern Europe. Until recently English had remained an optional foreign language in many other countries, but if we look around now the language has made its way to almost all countries in the world and established its importance of being learnt. With an increase in commercial and economic powers of developing countries English has become desirable and gained popularity everywhere around the globe and has an impact beyond its own borders. Learning and knowing English can help one pursue and obtain a number of career opportunities. In today’s global job market many companies need employees who can communicate with partners and clients all over the world. Very often, that means finding employees who speak English and that’s how English has fast become a global language and a platform for communicating with the world around us. English language also helps many people and businesses that need to conduct research, surveys, develop marketing strategies or communicate and develop connections in other parts of the world. In all careers - science, medicine, technology, business, education, journalism, aviation, writing, travelling etc. English is the quintessential factor in connecting with the world and further brings progress in an individual’s career . So, no matter what career path one decides to pursue, learning English is a valuable skill and helps to become a better and a more sought-after employee as well as a better-rounded person. To suit the needs and set standards there are a number of international English language ability tests (for example: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, Cambridge exams, BEC, BULATS, ESOL skills for life exam) for everyone - students, professionals and other people that one can undergo to determine their levels of English and thereafter pursue their career or life interests. English as a language of world-wide communication is not only important for career or academic purposes but it also caters to our need of entertainment. Talking about entertainment the internet probably has a huge lot to offer and needless to say English is the most-used language online. Being able to read, write and speak English opens up a lot of doors to access and enjoy internet resources of entertainment. For example : reading online news articles, books, connecting online with friends all over the globe , following internationally famed celebrities, participating in online debates and discussions in English etc. – the options are endless. Though someone has rightly said that the Internet has made the world a small place, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that English language has made it even smaller. So it can be rightly concluded that English in fact is the only global language because its worldwide reach is much greater than any other language, achieved historically and there has never been a language as widely spoken as English and its growth as a global language seems quite irreversible.