English around the world Reading: English as a world language a) Look at the world map. Guess some of the countries in which English is spoken. b) Read the text about the influence of English and fill in the missing sentences. mr69ia 4 A. The first difference is the accent. Each region has its own. D. The English language has its roots in northern Europe E. the British Empire of the 19th and 20th century B. and 54% of all webpages are in English, too. C. In addition to North American countries English is spoken by about 375 million people around the world and there are more than 60 countries in which English is either the official or the primary language. It is the third most common language in the world behind Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. 1 . Modern English developed from the language of the Anglo-Saxons, which was brought to Britain in the 5th century. European countries in which English is still the official language include the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta. The largest English speaking countries are located in North America – the United States and Canada. 2 , English is also spoken in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and various Caribbean countries, such as the Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize. The English language was brought to all corners of the globe by 3 . But there are also other reasons why English has become a major world language. One of them is that English has become the language of business; 67% of all business calls and meetings are carried out in English 4 . Another important reason is that American films, music and other cultural influences have quickly spread over the whole world. Although English is spoken in so many countries, there are some differences in the ways people speak and write. 5 . Another difference is the spelling of words, like colour or color. A third difference is that some words are not the same at all. What Americans call a restroom, Canadians call a washroom, and in Britain it is called a loo, but these words all have the same meaning: the room where the toilet is. So which English is the best English to learn? Well, there is no ‘best English’. They are all equally good and correct. English as a world language 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 114 14 Unit It’s all about language one hundred and fourteen Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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