How Did English Become a Global Language?

An estimated 1.8 billion people across the globe can speak at least some English. Things were very different just a few centuries ago when English speakers were almost exclusively confined to the British Isles, and Latin was the lingua franca. In those days, there were fewer than 7 million English speakers. How did a minority language become the world’s lingua franca?

Is English an easy language to learn?

There is a common misconception that so many have adopted English as a second language because it is easy to learn. It does, for example, have a comparatively simple grammar, no genders for nouns, and elements of flexibility in word and sentence construction. However, that simple grammar, as well as the English pronunciation, are famously inconsistent. These characteristics, along with the rich and extremely large English vocabulary, make it a language that is not easy to pick up. Ease of learning, therefore, is not what has driven the adoption of English as a global language.

The influence of the British Empire

The politics, economics and power associated with the British Empire were the first major drivers for English to become a global language. At one time, the Empire encompassed almost a quarter of the world, bringing English as a significant language to many colonies in Africa, Asia, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania. Furthermore, it was made the official language for administration, law and education in many of them. This hard-wired it into many of their administrative systems in ways that persist even today.

Even after the countries that made up the British Empire regained their independence, English remained important. As the language of governments and the elite, it offered opportunities for economic influence, and access to education and social mobility. People needed to speak English to find success in life.

Meanwhile, sailors, soldiers, traders and missionaries had taken English around the world. English speakers also migrated to North America. Of course, many other nationalities also settled there, speaking their own languages. But the founding fathers of the United States recognised English as the language of the majority, which led to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States being written in English.

English was not the first European language of colonisation. As far back as the 17^th century, it was more common for those with different native languages to communicate in French, as French was regarded as the language of diplomacy. So English cannot have become preeminent solely because of the British Empire and migration to North America.

Post-war international institutions and developments

Since World War II, many international institutions have been formed that adopted English as one of their official languages. These institutions include the European Union and its predecessors, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to name but a few. The use of English in these global fora has augmented its global presence and use.

Similarly, it has been adopted as the main language of science and research. Outputs, such as academic papers and conferences, have increased significantly in volume, importance and visibility in the post-war period. These have increasingly used English as a primary language of communication.

Power of the United States

History shows that English would not have become the world’s de facto lingua franca had the United States not evolved into such a powerful nation. The American economy boomed after World War II, reinforcing English as the leading language of trade and finance. As American political and commercial influence grew, the ability to speak English became crucial, especially to those involved in business or politics.

The advance of technology and the arrival of the Internet in the late 20^th century further fuelled the global domination of the English language. The language of most software programming languages is derived from English, and many of the major social media platforms were English-based. Many of the leading technology companies are headquartered in the United States, which further underpins this trend.

Culture has also contributed to the growth of English as a global language. A significant proportion of films and pop music are in English, driven by both the American and British film and music industries, and the reach of both is global. This has been accelerated by the advent of film and TV streaming platforms, and the widespread use of social media platforms. The majority of these have, until now, been predominantly English-based.

A move to cement the dominance of English was made in March 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order making English the official language of the United States. This seems primarily designed to streamline and simplify the work of federal agencies and organisations. However, it is also likely to have a dampening effect on the use of other languages in the United States, at least in public and official settings.

‘World Englishes’ and English in Europe

Starting from when English was first introduced in the colonies, it has developed into different dialects in every country and region where it is spoken. American and British English are well-known examples of two quite different languages. But there are many more, such as Indian English, Nigerian English and Singaporean English.

As these, and more, versions of English continue to develop, they increase the complexity of the English language. English is not one universal language, but many. Can they continue to develop and still be mutually comprehensible? There is already a form of hierarchy, in that British and American English are regarded as superior to other forms of the language. This creates an inequality for those whose native tongue is one of the regional versions, or for whom English is a second language.

Meanwhile, despite Great Britain having left the European Union, English is still the third official language of the European Union. English is the most widely spoken second language across Europe, and many European businesses now have English as their working language. The dominance of English appears to be at a point where it is self-perpetuating; people need English to become influential. However, as the dominance continues to grow, it risks further marginalising national, as well as local languages. As history has demonstrated, at some point, the risk of national and/or minority languages dying out may generate campaigns to protect and reinvigorate them.

Our team’s international language

English language skills are essential for our day-to-day business in France. At Word-Connection, our project management team communicates daily with clients from around the world in English. Thus, English as an international language is our team’s common language of communication in-house.

And it is no secret that English remains the language of choice for the Japanese business world; the existing UK and EU free trade deals with Japan continue to cement English as the dominant language of this branch of international business.

Will English continue to dominate?

Despite English having reached a level of global use that appears self-perpetuating, it is unlikely that it could become the first language of every nation. Native speakers of other languages will resist letting their languages die. Not only are these the languages in which they can best express themselves, but they are also a fundamental part of their cultures.

The cultural and linguistic value of multilingualism is starting to gain recognition. Greater consideration is being given to inclusive language policies within a range of settings and organisations. If these are developed further, they will help to reduce linguistic inequality and the disadvantages that come with it.

The availability of AI and translation technologies also enable greater multilingualism; as text and speech can now be translated easily by anybody between languages, the need for proficiency in a second language is reduced. Furthermore, many of the streaming and social media platforms now offer multilingual versions of their content, which is helping to retain and promote linguistic diversity.

It will be interesting to see how the use of English across the globe changes, which it inevitably will. Languages grow, change and decline all the time, and English is no exception to this.

How Did English Become a Global Language?