The English language has been around since about 700 BC. Old English was influenced by Germanic tribes, Middle English developed after 1066 AD with more French influence, and Modern English evolved into the modern language we all know today, starting around 1500 AD.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE  

English is the most widely used language in the world where 8 billion people live. World English is a term used for variants of the English language that have developed and are localized in regions particularly influenced by the United Kingdom and the United States.

INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL ENGLISHES

WHO   

  SPEAKS

     ENGLISH

        TODAY ?

English is the 2nd or 3rd most popular mother tongue in the world, with an estimated 350-400 million native speakers. Moreover, it is also the common tongue for many non-English speakers the world over, and almost a quarter of the globe’s population can understand it and have at least some basic competence in its use, whether written or spoken.

    CLASSIFICATION 

            OF 

        ENGLISH

The term native language refers to the language that a person acquires in early childhood because it is spoken in the family and/or it is the language of the region where the child lives. Also known as a mother tongue, first language, or arterial language.

NATIVE LANGUAGE - ENL

ESL – English as a Second Language – English to Speakers of Other Languages

It refers to teaching or learning English in an English-speaking country – often in an adult education centre, language school or in a college. 

There is a lot of emphasis on functional language to help people get by in their new country. The term English as a Second Language (ESL) was thought to be too limiting as for some students, English might be the third or fourth language they’ve learnt – hence English to Speakers of Other Languages or ESOL.

EFL – English as a Foreign Language

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is the term used to describe the study of English by non-native speakers in countries where English is not the dominant language. This is not to be confused with English as a Second Language—also called English as an Additional Language—which is the practice of learning English in a predominantly English-speaking country.

Because English is the world’s “Lingua Franca” (a common language that’s used to bridge together speakers of other languages), non-native speakers are learning English as a foreign language in order to take advantage of the benefits which come with it.

The two are often used interchangeably, but they are actually different.

While EFL refers to the study of English in a country where English is not the dominant language or second language, ESL refers to the study of English in a country where it is (but may not be the native language of a majority of the population).

English as a second language and English foreign language are not the same in the context of World Englishes and the Expanding Circle, but they are often considered equivalent otherwise. 

And even when considered separate, classifying a country or region as ESL- or EFL-speaking is difficult.

  LINGUA FRANCA 

A lingua franca is a language or mixture of languages used as a medium of communication by people whose native languages are different. It is from the Italian, "language" + "Frankish" and also known as a trade language, contact language, international language, and global language.

The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a common means of communication for speakers of different native languages.

English becomes a world language because people in other countries give a special credence to English, even though they do not speak it as a first language. Special status given to English by other countries can be in the form of using English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL).

English is spoken by 350 million worldwide while more than 430 million speak as a second. In most countries around the world, you can find English speakers.

Nowadays, English is like the ‘bridge’ language that connects people from all over the globe.

The first and most apparent reason why English became so widely spoken is thanks to the British empire.

Britain colonized a quarter of the planet after starting a trading business with Asia and Africa. Before that, only on The Island English was spoken.

Second, The USA started to spread its business trading all over the world, just like Britain did in the previous centuries, which made the language continue spreading and making more and more people use it.

Business and traveling are actually closely connected, so no wonder that English is also the language of travel. Whichever country you visit, the locals will likely speak English than your native language.

Also, The USA influenced a lot to the world, especially in the name of music and film.

Rock 'n' roll, jazz, and other popular music and movies became so popular and favorite that they influenced people all over the globe. 

As for the film, during the 1960s, with social changes and the hippie movement, the new form of movies became famous, not only in the USA but also in other countries.

Thanks to music and movies, English became the language of the masses and the one language to help people from every part of the world connect and communicate with each other.