Consequently, English is now needed in order to adjust to the world trend of keeping pace with scientific, technological, economic, and social advances. In addition to this, an estimated three-quarters of the world's mail is written in English and most of the information stored in electronic retrieval systems is in English. English has equally become the common language of international experts in a wide range of subjects, such as medicine, the natural sciences, and the social sciences.

It is the main language of the Internet, not to mention books, newspapers, airports and air traffic control, international business and academic conferences, sports, international competitions, pop music, and advertising. Moreover, English is the dominant voice in international politics, banking, the press, news agencies, broadcasting, the recording industry, motion pictures, travel, technology, knowledge management, and communications. English has reasserted itself as a medium for universal communication in an increasingly interconnected world.Įnglish is now the dominant or official language in over 60 countries and is represented on every continent ( Crystal, 1997). In the second half of the 20th century, the American Empire replaced the British Empire throughout the world.

Historically speaking, English first evolved as a lingua franca in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a result of the British Empire, which exported its own language to all corners of the earth. Navarro, in Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics (Second Edition), 2006 English: Its Role as a Lingua Franca in the Techno-scientific Field of MedicineĪ lingua franca is a common language serving as a regular means of communication relating to scientific, technological, and academic information between different linguistic groups in a multilingual speech community.

Pidgin creole and lingua franca