Why is English common all over the world?

The status of a language is directly proportional to the creativity of the people who use it. The United States is preparing to use English as the official language. The bill currently passed by the U.S. Senate stipulates that no one may use languages other than English in federal documents and services in the future. This is the first time that the United States has established the exclusive status of English in the form of law. English is the mother tongue of the United States, and American culture is a part of English culture, which has never been questioned. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the United States has not made any legal provisions on the status of English, and the dominant position of English in the United States has naturally formed. However, the status of English in the United States has encountered an unprecedented impact. The impact on English mainly comes from the immigration tide in Latin America. These Spanish speakers account for the vast majority of immigrants in the United States today. Their fertility rate is relatively high and they have quickly become the largest minority in the United States. In contrast, the birth rate in the United States is gradually declining. As time goes by, the proportion of people who speak English as their mother tongue will become smaller and smaller, while the proportion of people who don't speak English as their mother tongue will become larger and larger. Facing the prospect of this country, the mainstream American elite is worried. Famous scholar Samuel? Huntington's Who Are We: A Challenge to American National Identity warns that the United States was once a country with a single language and a single culture. Since the influx of Hispanic immigrants in the 1960s, the United States may become a country divided into two branches, with two languages, namely English and Spanish, and two cultures, namely Anglo culture and Hispanic culture. After a long debate, Americans finally took legislative action to strengthen the status of English. This shows that Huntington-style concerns have been widely recognized by the American elite. If this new bill is finally approved and implemented, I believe it can delay and weaken the influence of immigrants on English status and American national characteristics. However, it is not the law or anything else that can ultimately ensure the mainstream position of English in the United States and even the world, but the creativity of English-speaking groups. Because the history of the rise and fall of human language has repeatedly shown us that the status of a language is directly proportional to the creativity of the people who use it.

The fate of English itself proves this. English is not a powerful and noble language in essence. Historically, the British Isles were ruled by Romans and invaded by Teutons and Scandinavians. 1066, the French Normans conquered Britain and abolished the Anglo-Saxon royal family. English became the language of the lower classes, and French became the common language of English courts, courthouses and aristocratic societies. French has ruled the English-speaking area for 300 years. During this period, one king made an announcement in English and another king announced his position in English. These are memorable events in British history. It was not until 1453 that the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France ended and England returned to the hands of the English people that the status of English began to turn over. After 1489, all decrees and parliamentary records were written in English only. Wycliffe, the English translator of the Bible, Chaucer, the father of English literature, began to appear in the14th century. The genius Shakespeare appeared in the Renaissance; During the bourgeois revolution, thinkers Milton, Hobbes, Locke and Bacon appeared. Harvey, Boyle's law and Newton, the discoverer of blood circulation, appeared in modern scientific circles. With the arrival of the peak of their own creativity, the British people's self-confidence in their mother tongue has been increasing, scientists have begun to write in English instead of Latin, and the philosophy magazine of the Royal Society has also begun to publish academic articles in English. This is the history of English from China to Shangsheng Gao.

In the international community, for three centuries, 17, 18 and 19, the international language was French. However, since the 20th century, English has gradually replaced French as an international language. During the period when the international status of English has been promoted, we can see that Britain and the United States have become the world's number one power, which is supported not only by the vast colonies occupied by English groups, but also by the persistence and exuberant creativity of English culture. As far as the scientific and technological inventions familiar to ordinary people are concerned, we can see that from the19th century to the 20th century, from steamboats and steam locomotives to automobile assembly lines and airplanes, from electric lights, movies, telegrams, telephones to radios, televisions and computers, they were first invented and manufactured by British or Americans, and then spread all over the world.

It can be seen that it is really putting the cart before the horse to advocate the latinization of Chinese characters or to expect the mother tongue to become English, thinking that we can easily rank among the developed countries. Because the characteristics of a culture can not be changed by changing the spelling of words, and the mother tongue becoming the mainstream language can not guarantee its development. In today's world, there are both poor countries that speak English and developed countries that don't speak English, which is proof. Therefore, only exploring the road of great creation is the right way for civilization and national rejuvenation.

(Source: China Newsweek; Text /heck)