Teach English in Xueye Zhen - Laiwu Shi

English is a language with great influence across the globe. Two of the main reasons that English has a reputation as a global language is the utility it offers regarding leisure and business. Another reason is how common it is as a secondary language. This short essay will examine the factors that have led to the growth of English as a global language in each of these areas. First, it will examine how the expansion of the middle class in many Asian countries has increased English’s usefulness regarding leisure and travel. Second, it will examine English’s increased business utility due to the modern emphasis on international trade. Finally, it will examine how the wide distribution of English speakers globally allows it to serve as a common language between L2 speakers. The usefulness of English skills as a tool of leisure, business and understanding have led to its growth and status as a global language. English is one of the most useful languages to know when travelling. One of the major factors contributing to the growth of English as a global language is the expansion of the middle class in many Asian countries. China has had a great increase in their middle-class population in recent history, with 75% of the urban population of China predicted to be middle class by 2022, or approximately 730 million people (“Growth of Middle Class”; 2018). While China’s increase is the most impressive, a similar trend is observed in many Asian countries (Asian Development Bank; 2010). With more disposable income, and more leisure time, it is all but inevitable that outbound tourism will increase. While previously out of reach, families are now travelling far abroad for their holidays. With this increase of opportunity, there is an increased desire in motivation to learn English. It is well known that the ability to learn is greatly affected by motivation. Motivation is often the most cited reason for success or failure in the acquisition of a second language (Jodai et al.; 2013). Put simply, a student who has a reason and desire to learn will outperform one who is there simply because they are required to be. The expansion of the middle class, and increased accessibility of international travel, inevitably leads to an increased motivation to learn a second language. In this regard, English is a common choice due to the numerous destination countries that are primarily English speaking, and numerous more that have high English comprehension. The expansion of the middle class in non-English speaking countries has increased the usefulness of knowing English as an aid to travel and leisure, which in turn has contributed to English’s growth as a global language. Another motivation for learning English exists in its business utility. There is a modern emphasis on international trade and consumers, and English has long been adopted as a common corporate language at international companies such as Nokia, Microsoft and Samsung (Neeley, T.; 2012). It is also the industry standard in fields such as shipping and airline industries (“Why Is English For Business”; n.d.) Many stores and businesses now also operate online which increases their reach to international targets, and a study in 2016 indicated that 51% of people now do their shopping online (Farber; 2016). For major purchases consumers now will compare local goods to those overseas in search of a better deal. International trade and business continue to be a political focus worldwide, with a recent example being the Trans-Pacific Partnership being converted to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (Benson, S.; 2018). Speaking English is now all but considered critical for employment in any industry with international clientele. International trade continues to grow in most countries (WTO; 2018) and with it so does English’s influence as a global language. With this growth, demands for “Business English” courses continue to grow, and students are motivated to learn as a requirement for their job or to further their careers. Due to its current and historical utility, the English language is spoken commonly around the globe. Whether this is due to its continued usefulness regarding leisure or business, or as a by-product of England’s colonial history is hard to say. Whichever is the main cause, English is spoken as an official language in over 50 countries (“List of territorial entities”; n.d.), and more than 25 other countries have an English proficiency ranked between ‘High’ and Very High’ (EF; 2018). This has led to English having increased usefulness in communicating with others when not sharing a primary language. For example, an individual in Singapore could effectively communicate with someone from France due to both having high English proficiency, even though neither understand the other’s primary language. English is the most spoken language in the world (1.3 billion speakers), followed by Mandarin Chinese (1.1 billion speakers) (“List of languages by total number of speakers”; n.d.). If only counting L2 speakers, English has more than 500 million speakers than its closest competitor (“List of languages by total number of speakers”; n.d.). As more and more people learn English, its usefulness as a communication tool can only grow, further consolidating its dominance as a global language. English has a dominant position as a global language due to its usefulness in business and leisure, as well as the wide distribution of its speakers around the globe. Increased global travel and trade continue to contribute to English’s growing influence. This leads to increased motivation to study the language, which in turn increases the number of L2 speakers, further increasing English’s global saturation. These factors have all helped contribute to English’s growth in influence as a global language. References Asian Development Bank. (2010). Asia’s Emerging Middle Class: Past, Present, And Future. Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific, Special Chapter 2. Retrieved from: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/27726/special-chapter-02.pdf Benson, S. (2018). $13.7 trillion TPP pact to deliver boost in GDP. The Australian. Retrieved from: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/foreign-affairs/137-trillion-tpp-pact-to-deliver-boost-in-gdp/news-story/a245fdd6b2f42192e49139acfdfd129d?nk=ef7e4ecaa066a272cec38025a9cbdeed-1556291983 EF. (2018). The world's largest ranking of countries and regions by English skills, EF Australia, Retrieved From: https://www.ef-australia.com.au/epi/ Farber, M. (2016). 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