The Importance and Advantages of English Essays

The Importance and Advantages of English Essays The Importance and Advantages of English Essay The Importance and Advantages of English Essay THE IMPORTANCE AND ADVANTAGES OF ENGLISH Once there was a popular quote saying that â€Å"The sun never set on the British Empire†. This statement is very close to the truth. Because of the geographic spread of the British colonies, some territory somewhere was always in daylight hours. Chief among many legacies left behind by this British colonization is none other than the English language. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many English speakers there are, but according to one estimate there are more than 350 million native English speakers. But more of interest to us is the fact that there are more than 400 million speakers of English as a second language. However, even these numbers do not really indicate how important English is as a world language, because less than 15% of the population uses English. At the same time English is not the most widely spoken language in the world in terms of number of native speakers. For example there are many more Chinese speakers than English speakers, but Chinese is used very little outside of Chinese communities making English the most widespread language in the world. The importance of English is not just in how many people speak it but what it is used for. English is the major language for news and information in the world. It is the language of business and government even in some countries where it is the minority language. It is the language of international air traffic control and maritime communication. American popular culture, primarily movies and music carries this language throughout the world. In some countries other than the United Kingdom English is the sole or dominant native language. It has that role in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. This is no surprise as all these countries are former British colonies. In other countries English is also the widely used, particularly among people who have no other language in common, even though it is not the dominant language of the country. For example, English is widely used n Hong Kong, Singapore, Nigeria, the Philippines, and here in Malaysia too. In such countries it is often used as a means of communication between people who have different native languages. Even here in Sunway University, we have among our population students from all over the world. Our mother tongues are all different and unique. How can we get by if not for English? In fact will we even be able to study in this university if not for the common language of English? Along side being here to pursue their chosen fields, the students’ proficiency and command of the English language will improve. Why study in English when one can study in ones own mother tongue? The answer is simple: because English has an impact by way of enhancing ones career prospects. The â€Å"global village† is a term widely tossed around in the increasingly borderless business world. As a result, developing countries do not want to miss out on business opportunities and foreign investments with better developed countries and better established companies. In order to keep up, they need an English speaking work force. This means today’s primary, middle, senior, and university students must prepare for a job in an English speaking work environment. A graduate who can converse in English fluently will therefore stand a far better chance of landing a job in a multi-national company then one who can speak only his or her native language, because English has, over time, proven itself as the major language of international business, diplomacy and science. English is also an official, or the official language, of many international organizations including the United Nations and many professional organizations. It is frequently the language of international conferences and it is the language of international athletics. Throughout the world many professional papers are published in English. Even papers that are published in other languages often have abstracts in English. As a student I have already realized that text books for many specialized subjects are available only in English. Demonstrating it has now become impossible to alienate ourselves from gaining competency in English. The banner â€Å"World Wide Web†- (WWW) : in the New York Times puts in place the importance of English in this ever evolving world that is beginning to be dominated by the internet, and even more so by computers and information technology. There is now increasing talk of the digital divide between those who can maximize the resources available digitally and those who can’t, especially those who have excess to the World Wide Web, but do not have sufficient proficiency in English. Three quarters of all telex messages and telegrams are sent in English. It has been said that 60% of the worlds radio broadcast and 70% of the worlds mail are in English. 80% of computer date are processed and stored in English. Much satellite communication is carried in English. Believe it or not it is estimated that 94% of internet sites are being written in English. Further more English remains the primary language for computer programming. English is the language that millions use everyday in speaking, writing and general communication but few people will do it well. Getting ones English into shape for serious academic study will no doubt be hard work especially for those of us who do not speak English as our mother tongue. It may not be an enjoyable process but inevitably compulsory because no matter how well you know or may think you know your subject area without the right level of fluency n English you shall struggle to pass your course. As it has been presented it can be concluded that English is a widespread and important language in the world today. It is used for everything from international conferences, news reports to popular music lyrics and popular video games. It is binding cord between native and non native speakers. Even though it does not have the greatest number of speakers in the world it is the most widely used language in the world. And it will be used by many more generations to come.