It goes without saying that English may be defined as an international language, and there are multiple arguments that may support this statement. First of all, English is spoken in multiple countries around the world as a native, second, or foreign language by millions of people. It is used habitually in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, the Republic of South Africa, Liberia, New Zealand, India, and many other territories. In addition, this language is taught in schools of almost every state in the world. It is used for educational, mass media, economic, and political purposes. In general, approximately 1 billion people across the globe have knowledge of English in a greater or lesser degree despite the existence of specific difficulties related to the difference between English and native languages. Cultural peculiarities, ideologies connected with the perception of foreign languages, and poor educational standards may cause tensions in teaching and using English worldwide, as well.
English started its global spread in the 17th century due to the British Empire’s increasing power, colonialism, and the industrial revolution. Later, from the beginning of the 20th century, English spread was determined by the economic and political supremacy of the United States. After World War II, it was chosen as a universal language for international interactions as their growing number did not allow to run multiple expensive multilingual operations. In addition, globalization, broadcasting, the Internet, advertising, popular culture, and tourism contributed to the spread of English as well. Nevertheless, in general, the paradigm of English as an international language suggests that the spread of this language cannot be currently viewed as the result of colonization or migration as it involves multiple issues, reasons, and backgrounds.