The English Language: Indispensable for the World

                The Story of English begins by depicting the importance the English language has gained over the years. It is very interesting to observe how it begins with the present. I would have expected the story to begin from the origins and work its way to today. One of the main examples in which one can see the universality of English is its use in air control. As the narrator states, “English is the universal language for air control” (The Story of English). With the importance air transportation has acquired in recent years for international traveling, a common-spoken language was necessary for pilots and control towers to communicate. Without English, this communication would be impossible.Speaking of communication, I found it impressive to realize that “in news, English dominates the world’s airwaves” (The Story of English). This shows how English probably has managed to spread all over the world and at the same time influence the perspectives of citizens of foreign countries. Since people are interested in news and want to be able to understand as much as they can, they are forced to learn English.

As said in the video, “In the post-colonial period, English was expected to be replaced by Native languages” (The Story of English). However, this was proved wrong shortly after. English continued to be as strong as it was before, since it was a way of interaction between cultures and different ethnic groups. English has certainly become indispensable all throughout the world not only as a medium of communication, but as source of knowledge. Since most printed articles, newspapers, and books are written in English, those individuals who master the language have a huge advantage over those who do not. Science, one of the main paths towards progress, is publishing most of the information and sources in English, since this language has become the common language of the entire world.

 The Story of English. Dir. William Cran, Peter Dale, Vivian Ducat, and Howard Reid. N.d. The Story of English. BBC TV, 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.