When linguists debate which languages are the most spoken on
Earth, they must consider several different factors. To begin with, they must
determine what it means to truly know a tongue. Does it mean that you are
completely fluent or that you simply understand bits and pieces?
If we go by the former criteria, Mandarin Chinese is easily
the most widely-spoken language on Earth, since it has the most native
speakers. But if we go by the latter, English would come out ahead, mostly
because more people study it than any other tongue. According to some estimates, as many as one
billion people have taken English as a second language.
Growth potential
As the most popular foreign tongue the world over, English
is the only language other than French that is spoken on 5 continents. Of
course, it is far more popular and influential than French. At last look, English was the official tongue
of more than 50 nations and the de facto one of several others, including the
U.S. and the U.K. It is also the
language of the internet and of business, which means its speakers will only
grow in numbers in the coming years.
Where to study English
Until recently, if you wanted to learn the language, you had
to attend traditional classes at colleges or language study centers. But new technologies have given students the
option of taking the same or similar classes on the internet. What are the benefits?
1. More affordable
Because they don’t need to teach in an actual, physical
classroom, instructors are able to save the company or institution of higher
learning they work for money on overhead when they teach English courses online.
They can then pass these savings along to their students, which may result in
much lower class or tuition fees.
2. More convenient
Whatever the reason or excuse, most people who’ve ever
attended any class anywhere have been tardy or late. Since they are held online and you don’t have
to dress up or travel to them, it’s obviously much easier to be on time to a
virtual class.
3. No need to travel
Expanding on our previous point, transportation costs can be
prohibitive for students who do not live in close proximity to a local college
or language center. Even if they take
public transportation, it can cost them a pretty penny on a monthly basis.
4. Saves time
For all of the reasons we’ve mentioned including travel
time, dressing up, and lugging around books, the average student can save hours
each week if they simply take English courses online, instead of in a
traditional brick-and-mortar classroom.
5. May be just as effective
To be sure, there are some subjects that require a student’s
physical presence. You couldn’t properly learn how to dissect a frog or cook a
chocolate soufflé without actually being in a laboratory or a kitchen. But language is a different story because it
does not require action and the internet is the greatest medium of communication
the world has ever seen.
6. 24/7/365 Accessibility
One of the great things about the internet is that it never
closes, and neither do most reputable online language websites. Most allow
their students to review English courses online whenever they choose, including
multimedia lessons, tutorials, and live classes.
7. Flexible schedules
When you sign up at an online English School, the schedules
are rarely written in stone. In other words, you don’t have to take a scheduled
class on the same days and times each week. Rather, you can select classes
based on your experience level and weekly schedule. This makes things a heck of
a lot easier on students who have full-time jobs that involve shift work.
8. Trial lessons
Unlike most colleges and language centers, some online
English schools offer free trials that generally last for a couple of weeks. These
trial sessions may be just what you need to decide if learning a new tongue
online is for you.
9. Learn from any location
Even when you’re away from home, you can attend online
language classes if you can find a place that has wireless internet service,
and it isn’t hard to do. Libraries, fast
food restaurants, even some coffee shops have free Wi-Fi that that their
customers can use during normal hours of operation.
10. To meet new people
Even though you might not physically attend classes with
them, many online language students make friends with their classmates and instructors. Whether they choose to actually meet in the
flesh is entirely up to them.
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