lingua inglese

Why has English become the language of international communication?

When we travel and do not know the language of the country, we instinctively rely onEnglish To communicate, and also the tourists who come to Italy do the same to ask for information. But because English is the lingua franca? It is a combination of historical, political, economic and cultural elements, ranging from the expansion of the British Empire to the economic and cultural hegemony of the United States, thanks to which English has consolidated its role as a global franc language.

Historical origins and diffusion of English

The English language belongs to a family different from the Italian one, which is that of Neolatine languagesand is configured as Indoeruopean language of the Germanic strain. Has very ancient origins that date back to the Germanic tribes of Angli, Sassoni and Juti coming from Central Europe, which invaded in 5th century AD The British islands bringing their dialects with them, which they pretended to create ancient English. Over the centuries, several linguistic substrates have enriched English: the Viking invasions of the IX-X century introduced elements Norreniwhile the Norman conquest of 1066 brought numerous French words. These influences also determined spelling, phonetic and pronunciation changes.

In 1400, English underwent an important influence of the Latinabove all because of the attempts of the Church to spread Christianity in England. These influences, together with the previous ones, contributed to shaping the language, leading to the formation of ancient English, from which words such as toilet and strong derive and the BEOWULF epic poemmedium and modern.

There global diffusion of English is instead due toexpansion of the British empire between the 19th and 20th centuries. By colonizing territories from Asia to Africa, England has assimilated local words such as Pajamas, zombie, shampoo and bungalowwhich have been integrated into the English vocabulary. What was late-modern English has gradually become The language of administration, education and trade in many colonies.

The role of the United States

A crucial role in the consolidation of English as a world franc language is that of United Stateswho were about to consolidate themselves as economic, political and cultural superpower, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Thanks to theirs influence On a global scale the position of English as international language It has strengthened and made official, becoming today the dominant language in international affairs, diplomacy and popular culture – also thanks to the adoption of this language by countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The usability of English today is thanks to Films, music, literature and the internet who broke every linguistic and geographical barrier. For the benefit of the Franca language, it must also be considered its relative grammar simplicity and the tolerance In adding new terms to his vocabulary, all factors that have played in favor of his adoption as the second most used language all over the world.