English as an International Language

Moe :

Mr. Brown,/are you familiar with the history of English?

Mr. Brown :

I’m not an expert,/but I can tell you a little. Are you interested?

Moe :

Yes!

Mr. Brown :

Well,/English was a local language/spoken around the border/between Germany and Denmark. People called Angles and Saxons/spoke the language.

Moe :

So,/why is English spoken/in the UK now?

Mr. Brown :

Those people came to the southern part of Britain/in the middle of the 5th century. Then,/in 1066,/people from France conquered and governed England. They used French/in their daily lives. That’s why many English words have their origins in French,/like beef, table, mirror, music....

Moe :

OK,/I understand. But what about English in the USA? Did a lot of English-speaking people/sail across the Atlantic Ocean to America?

Mr. Brown :

Good guess,/Moe! They went to the North American continent/to avoid religious conflicts/in the 17th century. They created more new words/in their daily lives.

Moe :

I know/there are some differences/in American and British English,/like “elevator” and “lift.”

Mr. Brown :

Also,/the same word can be used/to refer to different things. For example,/“pants” in the USA are trousers. In the UK,/it means underwear. By the way,/do you know/that English is used in many other countries/as an official language?

Moe :

Yes. I sometimes notice/that people from Nigeria,/Singapore,/Jamaica and the Philippines/speak English very well.

Mr. Brown :

Those countries were former British or American colonies. They needed to use English/when they negotiated in political situations/or when trading. But they had their own local languages. So,/when they communicated with people/who spoke different local languages,/it was convenient to use English/as a common language. Actually,/it’s still the same today.

Moe :

So people from those countries have chances/to use English daily. On the other hand,/we use English mostly in class.

Mr. Brown :

Exactly.

Moe :

Mr. Brown,/English has been influenced by other languages,/hasn’t it?

Mr. Brown :

Definitely! And now these influences are occurring faster than before/because of the Internet. In fact,/you can even use Japanese words/as they are,/like emoji  or cosplay . And vice versa. Japanese has been constantly changing, too.

Moe :

It’s interesting/that languages influence each other! I’d like to communicate in English/and learn more about the people and cultures/of other countries.

Mr. Brown :

Since you have fewer chances to use English,/why don’t you find other ways to practice it,/like watching English movies online and making comments?

Moe :

Good idea!