At last count, there were over 6,500 spoken languages on
Earth. However, on a fraction of those tongues have more than one million
speakers. Although there is no consensus among experts in the field, many linguists
believe that English is the most spoken language in the world today, even
though it does not have the most native speakers. How could that be?
With over 800 million first language speakers, Mandarin
Chinese is easily the most popular tongue learned at home. However, it is not
nearly as popular outside of the home. In other words, students aren’t
especially keen on learning Chinese if it isn’t their first language. The same
could not be said of English, a language that has far more second and foreign
language speakers than native ones.
Just how popular is English?
According to recent estimates, when you add the number of
native, second, and foreign language speakers, there could be as many as 1.5
billion earthlings who understand some English. Of course, most of these folks
aren’t fluent in the tongue. They may have taken just enough English in school
to answer a few basic questions or sightsee in an English-speaking nation.
Why learn English?
There are dozens of good reasons, but for the sake of
brevity, let us discuss the 5 most obvious and compelling reasons to master the
most spoken language on Earth. (Learn more about our courses here)
1. Because you like to travel. Let’s say you’re sightseeing in a foreign
country and you don’t know the native language, which is often the case. You
have a much better chance of locating someone who speaks at least some English
than any other language, with the obvious exception of the native one. If you were to visit France, for example,
which is the most visited country on Earth, most of the cab drivers, hotel
workers, and waiters speak some English.
2. Because you are a businessperson. Whether dealing with German, Japanese,
French, or Chinese clients, odds are the meetings and negotiations will be
handled in English, since most foreign businesspeople know the tongue. As a result, a non-English speaker can make
him or herself more marketable and attractive if they learn the language.
3. Because you use the internet. More than half of the websites on the
internet present text and content in English. The second most popular online
language is Russian, with just over 6 percent!
Not mention the fact that most of the videos and music that is available
online are in English.
4. Because you’re moving to an English speaking
country. It goes almost without saying
that if you don’t the native language of any nation, you will find your career
and job opportunities severely limited.
You won’t be able to work in business, the service industry,
or any other profession that requires communication, which is nearly all of
them.
5. Because you want to teach your children the
language. Even though they will
eventually learn it in school, you can give your kids a head start if you start
speaking some English at home, rather than your native tongue.
Learn English online
The traditional way to learn a new language is to study it
in a classroom. But that can be expensive and inconvenient, especially for
people who work full-time jobs and/or do not have access to reliable
transportation. When you learn English
online you can save time and money by eliminating travel and setting your own
class schedule. (Get more information on how it works here)
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