Collections of Professor Dr David Ngin Sian Pau

1. Why do you think that English has been adopted as the ‘International language’?

I think English has been adopted as the ‘International language’ because it evolved from the Indo-European languages, which are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects , spoken by approximately three billion speakers and the largest number of the recognised families of languages. Moreover, English is an Indo-European language of the Germanic branch and has had significant contributions from other Indo-European languages. We can see many of the most important languages of the world are Indo-European. These languages are official or co-official in many countries and are important in academic, technical and world organisations.

Historically, English originated from several dialects, now called Old English , which were brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers beginning in the 5th century. The language was heavily influenced by the Old Norse language of Viking invaders. After the Norman conquest , Old English developed into Middle English, borrowing heavily from the Norman (Anglo-French) vocabulary and spelling conventions. Modern English developed from there and continues to adopt foreign words, especially from Latin and Greek . Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca ,is the dominant international language in communications , science , business , aviation , entertainment , radio and diplomacy . Its spread beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the British Empire , and by the late nineteenth century its reach was truly global. It is the dominant language in the United States, whose growing economic and cultural influence and status as a global superpower since World War II which have significantly accelerated the language's adoption across the planet. Moreover, a working knowledge of English has become a requirement in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing; as a consequence over a billion people speak English to at least a basic level. It is also one of six official languages of the United Nations . Manufacturers and other international businesses tend to write manuals and communicate in Basic English. Some English schools in Asia teach it as a practical subset of English for use by beginners. The emergence and spread of the British Empire as well as the emergence of the United States as a superpower helped to spread the English language around the world.

Secondly, English easily borrows words from other languages and has coined many new words to reflect advances in technology. One distinctive aspect of the English language is its tendency to absorb foreign words which make it the international language. English-speaking peoples (many of them explorers and adventurers) have adopted and adapted terms from many languages. Loanwords come from many foreign languages, sometimes directly, sometimes through other languages: dirge (Latin), history (Greek), whiskey (Celtic), fellow (Scandinavian), sergeant (French), chocolate (Spanish), umbrella (Italian), tattoo (German), sugar (Arabic), kowtow (Chinese), banana (African), moccasin (Native American).

Thirdly, it is also the most popular non-native acquired language in the world, as the cultural, economic, military, political and scientific importance of the United States of America and the United Kingdom for the last two centuries has given English pre-eminent status as a language of international communication. The influence of the fastest growth movie industries, broadcasting services via television and radio, and the information technology through internet, which we call the forces of convergence give other nations, especially non native English speakers a desire to imitate the English people styles in the movie and to learn the English language as well.