English as a Lingua Franca Essay Example

English is the main language of communication worldwide. Although English is the third largest language by number of speakers, it is the world’s lingua franca. To begin with, lingua franca is not a language spoken mainly by everyone. The definition of lingua franca is a language used to communicate with others, although it isn’t our first language. Above all English being the world’s lingua franca can have its pros and cons.

To begin with, English the main language of international organisations like NATO, UN and EU (Bech, 2020, p. 72). English is most likely apart of your day, there are many reasons for that. Two reasons for this are colonisation and the internet “the eighth continent” (Bech, 2020, p. 72). The English language being the world’s lingua franca is a great advantage for many people, but what about the people that do not speak it. This is particularly hard on them, and can make and distinction in the society, giving others more opportunities.

Although English isn’t the largest language by number of speakers, it is sure a language we simply cannot live without. English is now established as a lingua franca that the EU chooses to keep it as one of their official languages. We simply cannot do without it. (Bech, 2020, p. 72). All over the world English is taught at schools, as a second language and not a foreign language. This means that more and more people will learn English and will make sure that there is a lower chance of distinction in the society. Therefore, is English a language simply cannot live without.

Nonetheless, having English as a central language, has made the world much easier. Since there are about seven thousand languages worldwide (Bech, 2020, p. 70), having English as a lingua franca makes it easier for us. Since learning multiple languages to communicate with others can be difficult, having English as an extra language to communicate with people is just great. On a more positive note, English is an easy language to learn. Although it is the third largest language by number of speakers, it is our best option now.

As witnessed in my essay, English is a lingua franca. The English language is a great language, but it being a lingua franca can make a distinction in the society. English is today used as a central language in many different regions, throughout the world. This has made the world of communication much easier.