Today's search for information and need for global communication have already promoted English from being the language of the American, the British, the Irish, the Australian, the New Zealand, the Canadian, the Caribbean, and the South African peoples to being the international language. While portuguese is spoken in 4 countries by approximately 195 million people, English is spoken as a native language by nearly four hundred million people and has become a lingua franca, the Latin of the modern world, "spoken in every continent by approximately eight hundred million people" (Todd iv).
More radical estimates, which include speakers with a lower level of language fluency and awareness, have suggested that the overall total is these days well in excess of 1,000 million.
In addition, it is estimated that 75 percent of all international communication in writing, 80 percent of all information in the world's computers, and 90 percent of Internet content are in English.
In its role as a global language, English has become one of the most important academic and professional tools. The English language is recognized as undoubtedly the most important language for the increasingly mobile international community to learn. This is a fact that seems to be irreversible. English has become the official language of the business and scientific worlds.
From: www.sk.com.br/sk-ingl.html (adapted by Daniela Navarro)
No comments:
Post a Comment