After the year 1600, the British Empire began to spread English
around the world. That process was given a huge boost in the 20th century
through the business, technology and post-war reconstruction effects
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of the US. Beyond this, there were a number of quite extraordinary
ends in culture, science and the arts that were reinforced these developments.
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Many of these were spontaneous, but others were high deliberate—the
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work of the British Council, for example. Either way, English now
stands challenged as the world"s international language.
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But the English language also has some inherent qualities that
enabled this process even far. English is a "mongrel language"
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that has always borrowed heavily from the other languages. This has
allowed to grow quickly, flexibly, and efficiently. It has developed
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spontaneously without an Academic Francaise to restrict it, for example, so
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it has intended towards a simplification—from a more highly inflected
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language towards becoming a less highly inflected one.
Therefore, almost every educated person in the entire world knows
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some English. Very few people anywhere would not consider it essential
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part of an education in science, art, business, etc. There"s a pretty clear
dynamic at work here.