What in the World Why people learn English
Jan 8, 2026
Georgie Thorman, a BBC Learning English producer, discusses the fascinating journey of English from 1.5 billion speakers to its current global dominance. Discover how British colonization and American culture helped English spread and the emergence of hybrids like Spanglish. Linguist Linda Heimisdóttir analyzes English's internet supremacy and its implications for AI performance and cultural influences. She warns about potential digital language death for smaller languages as English continues to dominate online.
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English As A Global Lingua Franca
- 1.5 billion people speak English worldwide, but only about 25% are native speakers.
- This makes English unique as a global lingua franca rather than a mostly native language.
How History And Power Spread English
- Colonisation and US global power spread English through government, education and trade.
- The rise of American entertainment and tech cemented English in business, diplomacy and academia.
English Evolves Through Local Influence
- Local languages shape regional English varieties, creating distinct pronunciation and vocabulary.
- English borrows back terms from other languages, forming a global patchwork of varieties.