Over the past 600 years, English has grown from a language of few speakers to become the dominant language of international communication. English as we know it today emerged around 1350, after having incorporated many elements of French that were introduced following the Norman invasion of 1066. Until the 1600s, English was, for the most part, spoken only in England and had not extended even as far as Wales, Scotland or Ireland. However, during the course of the next two centuries, English began to spread around the globe as a result of exploration, trade (including slave trade), colonization, and missionary work. Thus, small enclaves of English speakers became established and grew in various parts of the world. As these communities proliferated, English gradually became the primary language of international business, banking and diplomacy. 

Currently, about 80 percent of the information stored on computer systems worldwide is in English. Two-thirds of the world’s science writing is in English, and English is the main language of technology, advertising, media, international airports, and air traffic controllers. Today there are more than 700 million English users in the world, and over half of these are non-native speakers, constituting the largest number of non-native users than any other language in the world.

Approximately when did English begin to be used beyond England?

Câu hỏi liên quan

• What does the word "run" in the last paragraph mean?

• Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?

• According to the passage, who was the first person to use artificial refrigeration for a practical purpose?

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• According to the passage,which of the following is a universal rule of etiquette?

• The word “their” in paragraph 3 refers to ______.

• What does the passage mainly discuss?

   

• The word "astonished" in paragraph 4 can be best replaced by ........

• Getting married, raising children, and finding and keeping a job are mentioned in paragraph 2 as examples of ______.

• What does the word “magni” stand for?

• The word “intermittently” in line 4 is closest in meaning to .........

• The word “means” in the passage most closely means ______.

• The Mandans built their houses close together in order to _____.

• What does the passage mainly discuss?

• Which of the following statements is NOT true?

• Which of the following pairs is INCORRECT?

• The word “disparage” in the passage mostly means ........

• Which of the following concepts is defined in the passage?

• According to the passage, the difficulty in diagnosing allergies to foods is due to ___________.

• What is the main point of the passage?

• According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about primitive art?