English is the global language of commerce, science, & tech

Without institutions of higher learning imparting education in English in India, American dream of Indians would have remained unfulfilled

- S MURLIDHARAN

lhe British are reviled for their colonising mentality much more than the Spaniards, despite the fact that they colonised many more countries than the British, but English has enriched and enlivened the world like no other language has, Today it is an aspirational language, especially with the advent of smartphones, except perhaps in China, which, while keeping pace with science and technology, loves insularity in all walks of life, including in its own internet and search engines.

English is used as a mother tongue by approximately 400 million people in many countries around the world. However, thanks to its second language status, English is spoken by 1.8 billion people around the world. Therefore, English is the 3rd most spoken language after Chinese and Spanish. But they are not as widespread in their usage as English, which is recognised as an official language in 67 independent and 27 autonomous countries around the world.

English is the most popular language, in the mould of a lingua franca, due to historical factors like the British Empire's global reach and the post-WWII rise of the United States as a superpower, which made it the language of international business, science, and popular culture. This dominance is reinforced by its widespread use on the internet and its status as the most commonly taught second language worldwide. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the British should be beholden to the Americans for making English more colourful and popular.